When I visited Ireland before moving over & living there for eight years, I was surprised at how they use color when painting the exteriors of their homes and buildings. It's a delightful surprise to come across a brightly-colored cottage or pub, especially on a gray and misty day in the Emerald Isle. It's not unusual that painting the exterior is the last decorating step and is often done a year or two after your home is built -- usually because most of the building budget was already used up! So driving around you'd notice some homes are still the color of their cement walls .... while others are amazingly bright like these ....
And even "graffiti" celebrating history and sports is full of vibrant color on the sides of buildings in small villages ...
Irish Pubs and shops are notorious for being delightfully colorful ... 
A brightly colored red door welcomes you to an old Church now used as a Museum ...
But in front of this colorful pub I wonder ~ are we yielding to Pedestrians, or to the urge for a Guinness? 
Ah ~ here's the answer ~ Have a Happy Halloween! And remember to have fun with color!
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Maureen- what a "colorful" post! One of my late Father-in-Laws favorite places was Ireland and in particular their doors. It really beats the pink stucco we see on some of our homes here in South Florida.
Kathy ~ Ireland's capital city Dublin is well known for its Georgian doors which are very colorful and historic (that's another blog post in itself!). I took these photos on my last trip to the West Coast of Ireland, not far from where I used to live. The pub in the last two photos belongs to good friends of mine who let me "babysit" it for them when they go on vacation!
Maureen, Happy Halloween to you too!
It is refreshing to see all these colors. I found similar use of color when we lived in the Caribbean some years ago. Blues, pinks, oranges and yellows were everywhere. I used to think that only places with warm climate use color so liberally, but Ireland certainly isn't one of them. We could use some of it here on the rainy westcoast to cheer things up.
Maureen, some years back we took a trip to the Canadian Maritimes. The colors were loud, as ir Sherwin Williams had gotten all of their purples, bright greens and shipped them there. Must be for a cheery feeling in harsh or rainy weather.
Kulli ~ I remember lots of bright colors in the Caribbean too. The rainy climates could use some cheering up, as you suggested, with strong colors too. It does seem to lift the spirits!
Ed ~ I agree, those bright colors help you feel more cheery ... we could use them in Oregon during gray winter days too! Thanks for your feedback.
Nice post Maureen, I love those vivid colors and I've seen this in the Islands as well as in Maine believe it or not!
Maureen: I love all these bright colors, however, I'd probably council home sellers not to go this route unless it is expected in their neighborhood. We do have a few of those neighborhoods here in Los Angeles. Hmmm, maybe I need to take a ride with my camera.
Wow! I never knew that they did that in Ireland. How fun. Love that shot of the Guiness and the pumpkin (smile).
Kathy
Allegra ~ Vivid colors in Maine too? These colors make for picturesque villages, don't they?
Michelle ~ It's expected in Ireland, but not around here in Oregon, that's for sure!
Kathy ~ I interrupted my son Brendan's enjoyment of his pint of Guinness for that shot. Two minutes or so later he was on to the next pint!
Maureen, somehow I never pictured Ireland being so colorful and I love it! It does makes sense, and brings a touch of sunshine along with the gray and drizzle. Thanks for sharing some of your experiences there with us. When's the next trip?
Ginger ~ glad you enjoyed my photos. The next trip? As soon as possible! :-)
Maureen -- I now have a new, more colorful, image of Ireland homes. I always knew their landscape was a lush green but now it is nice to know their homes have color, too. However, those colors would never fly in this area....too many home owners' associations with strict rules!
Judy ~ I hope that you have a chance to visit Ireland in person some day. It's a jewel of a country with people who are amazingly friendly and full of fun. I know what you mean about our strict HOA rules ... they wouldn't go for these bright colors at all!
Loving all those bright colors Maureen. I had no idea the buildings and homes were so vibrant. What beautiful photos.
Michele ~ Ireland is so far north that especially in the winter months, the days are very short .... bright color is needed to inject some contrast to the gray skies. Thanks for your compliment on my photos.
Wow talk about color! David Bromstad would love this country ;) I especially like that red door!
Lina ~ You're right I'm pretty sure he'd love all this color ... and these photos are such a small sample of what's there. That old red door was very cool.
Great photos Maureen. Ireland is the home of my grandmother and I have not visited yet. Your photos give me yet another reason to head over there.
Love the colours!
Sharon ~ With your Irish roots, I hope you have the chance to visit there .... the scenery is gorgeous and the people are so friendly! To me, the "real Ireland" is found in the more rural areas.
I love areas like this, some European towns have some of the most beautiful quaint buildings, I can't imagine living like that. I would love to for a while to see what it was really like.
Cindy ~ The homes I lived in while in Ireland had neutral colors -- probably because they weren't in the towns or villages, but these colorful ones are such fun to look at. Also in the towns, the top floors of the buildings are homes, while the downstairs are the shops, pubs, pharmacies, etc. So different than how we live but very charming.
I remember the colorful doors on the Georgian homes in Dublin. Just delightful!
Wendy ~ The Georgian doors of Dublin are so bright and cheerful ... and quite a hallmark of that city. There are some fun prints and posters depicting them that have become popular.