The Irish love complaining about everything. We are obsessed with the "rip-off culture" and we make a sport out of wallowing in false modesty.
That's according to the Lonely Planet's 2008 guide to Ireland, published today.
The tourist guide describes Ireland as "the world's favourite poster-child for untrammelled economic development" but says that tourists are drawn here for something else.
"At the heart of it all is the often breathtaking scenery, still gorgeous enough to make your jaw drop despite the best efforts of developers to scar some of the most beautiful bits with roundabouts, brutal suburbs and summer bungalows," it says.
The eighth edition of the popular guide claims Ireland's 40 shades of green don't include eco green. It says that our carbon footprint is more than double the global average and that everyone has a car, "which results in longer traffic lines and a stressed-out infrastructure".
The guide's author, Fionn Davenport, says sustainable travel has to be a core issue if Ireland is to continue attracting visitors. He warns that the county is an expensive destination by any standards. "The sting is felt most everywhere, but visitors will feel it most when it comes to bed and board."
According to the guide, highlights include Dublin pubs, Inishmór island, the Hook peninsula and west Belfast.
"Once lumped with Beirut, Baghdad and Bosnia as one of the four "Bs" for travellers to avoid, Belfast has pulled off a remarkable transformation from bombs-and-bullets pariah to hip-hotels -and-hedonism party town," the guide says.
The neolithic Brú na Bóinne site is "one of the most extraordinary sites in Europe", while seldom-praised Carlow "has a beauty all of its own".
Businesses in Dublin's Temple Bar will be unhappy to see the guide referring to "crappy tourist shops and dreadful restaurants serving bland, overpriced food . . . huge characterless bars . . . pools of vomit and urine that give the whole area the aroma of a sewer".
Residents of Waterford will be displeased to see their city being demoted to a town. It says the "seedy port-town feel is still evident in places" but adds that its recent facelift has made it a more attractive place to wander.
The controversial new Cliffs of Moher visitor centre is described as "impressively unimpressive - it blends right in". But a wall erected as part of the development is criticised for obscuring the view because it is too high and set too far back from the edge.
