[rickyconnolly]

"There isn't much to do besides drink. Food is terrible. I heard it's gotten better but if you've lived in SF or LA and you love food, don't work in Ireland. There were a nice row of Chinese places on Parnell that were pretty good though."

I'd like to dispute this, there are some excellent fine restaurants in Dublin. They may be harder to find against the high background noise of fast food joints, but the same is true for all north American cities too.

[fdr]

I'd like to dispute your assessment of "all north American cities." Consider San Francisco:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mcdonalds+san+francisco,+ca&#3...

This is not a large number of McDonalds for a city this size. Most of the establishments are singular or small, local chains (such as Philz Coffee).