Ireland Prices Up

I’ve just returned from a delightful and comprehensive guided tour of Ireland. The travel, people and accommodations were excellent. Even the food, supposedly inedible, was quite good. In contrast to a recent Bargain Corner column, “Prices Down in Ireland,” the prices, be advised, are ruinous.

Only real estate is cheap in that underpopulated paradise. The price for everything else is punitive: gasoline $4 a gallon, whiskey $20 a fifth, dinner for two runs $50, minus libations. Clothes, laundry and cleaning are all in excess of top-of-the-line U.S. prices. Luxury dining exceeds Beverly Hills prices.

Would I return? Happily. The people are delightful, hospitable. How do they manage? With dignified privation and humor.

ROD AMATEAU

Beverly Hills