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Shopping in Ireland
Shopping in Ireland is a blend of traditional corner shops and high-rise department stores. The country is a haven for typical craft products, but here you will also find the typical European and American designer shops, varying from Max Mara to Benetton. Traditional buys include crystal, linen, pottery and sweaters, hand-woven tweed, hand-crocheted woolens, a wide spectrum of cottons, sheepskin goods, as well as gold and silver jewellery. Be sure not to leave the country without a copy of Joyce’s Ulysses, or a bottle of Jameson or Bushmills whiskey.
Irish crystal, one of the country’s favourites, is produced at Waterford, Galway, Dublin, Tipperary and Kinsale. Craftsmen whose special skills and knowledge have been handed down from generation to generation through the centuries are the creators of probably the most famous pieces of glasswork in the world. The well-known Aran sweaters, Irish Tweed and Irish Linen are also among the country’s most frequent and popular buys, along with quality clothing, pottery and souvenirs. Northern Ireland is home to the excellent Belleek, Tara and Irish Dresden potteries often displayed in beautiful showrooms.
Contemporary clothing stores have acquired a distinctly European appeal, carrying leading names such as Laura Ashley, Marks and Spencer, Principals, Benetton, Next and Lain. The country’s top fashions and finestexamples of local design can be found at the flagship department store, Brown Thomas, located in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Other stores of world renown found in Ireland include The Body Shop, Boots and Habitat. Grocery shopping is dominated by chain stores such as Tesco, Supervalu, Centra and Dunnes Stores all of which offer high quality at competitive prices. Traditional small family-owned corner shops offer a vast array of specialty foods as well as typical Irish favourites: smoked salmon and farmhouse cheese.
Naturally, Dublin is the country’s main shopping hub, where the largest number of international store chains, department stores and fashion boutiques are located. If you want to experience a bit of the local atmosphere go to the local markets. Highly recommend is Mother Redcap's in Back Lane, representing an indoor market with stalls selling second hand clothes, food, books and antiques. If you're on the look out for souvenirs and Irish homemade crafts the IIlac Centre on Grafton Street is the best place to go. Here you can find several of the Dunnes Stores the local chain for Irish products and food. Regular English high street stores such as Marks and Spencer are to be found on Grafton Street and Henry Street.