Why is Ireland not cool to holiday

I wass reading this fine blog from that girl and she made the point about

I don't know about you, but I get lazy living in Ireland. I see bus loads of tourists making their way religiously around Ireland and it makes me realise that there's so much of this place I've yet to pay attention to. It's too easy to jump on a plane and go to foreign climes assuming that "back home" will always be there.

But is that the reason is it a case of, I can go to the arann island anytime but barcelona (ironic that i mention it considering im living here at the moment) I might never get there. Now I would be of the same mentality as that I have never been to the arann islands or the Marble Arch Cave (which are mention in that girl's post and look cool) and I am probably missing out. I was sitting in a cafe in pisa a few weeks ago and they were asking me and a friend all about ireland and how amazing they thought it was and how they were going visit it. Asking us where to send them for 10 days. (aventually it was fly into shannon go to doolin cliffs of mohar burran aran islands galway connamara dublin belfast north antrim coast donegal fermanagh fly out from dublin. sorry west cok people ) North Antrim Coast Kilbane castle. I realised alot of thoses places i have never been to. So why haven't i and most people in this country. If you look at the Tourism figures for 2003 Foreign Holidays was at 4,929,000 and domestic was at 2,933,000 So why the massive difference So I think the main reason is that there is a preception in ireland that ireland isn't good enough. That we are to cosmopolitan to go to the places or parents when't in pre-tiger days. You are talking in work to your co-workers what would you prefare to say i am going to prague for the weekend or i'm going to Bantry. Will this stigma ever go will we ever realise what we actually have here. Are is it just that it is cheaper to fly shannon to london for 20 euros then get the train from limerick to Belfast for 60