March 17, 2014 (St. Patrick's Day)

Vern and Neal have seen the St. Patrick’s Day parade, so they had no interest in going. I get that, because I’m not a big parade guy anyway. My overall feeling is that parades are far more trouble than the entertainment value is worth. Even the big ones. Snaring up traffic, crowds, standing around waiting, litter… And the stuff in them is interesting, maybe neat, maybe pretty, but… I’d prefer it all in an arena… more like a circus. (And no, that preference has nothing to do with my name…) Nevertheless, I felt compelled, being in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, to head out and witness the spectacle.

Went into town plenty early. Found a spot near Christchurch and lined up with plenty of others around 11:00. Parade was to start at noon, and this was near the end of the route. So I didn’t expect to see anything until maybe 12:15. But it wasn’t until after 1:00 when the parade finally got to us. It was slow.

The parade was very colorful, fascinating and diverse. I did not understand most of what I saw, though I suspected a lot of it would be more recognizable had I been raised locally. Brian Boru was represented, which I only knew of because of my ancestry. One of the most interesting parts was a group of Princess Leia Jedis with light sabers. I know Star Wars, but I still didn’t get why that was in the parade. I was pleased to see several U.S. high school bands in the parade, complete with color guards.

When the parade was over, you couldn’t move. I had to crawl through a sea of people to get to a place to eat. But I found a Leo Burdock’s and managed to get in, sit down and eat. I figured the crowd would dissipate a little during that time with the parade having ended. But it didn’t. It was just too crowded to do anything else, so I went back home.

March 15-16, 2014

The St. Patrick’s Day weekend was an even bigger festival than usual. With Ireland in the running for winning the Six Nations rugby tournament, and the final games occurring on Saturday, everyone was pumped. It’s like combining Super Bowl Sunday with a three-day weekend like the 4^th of July or something.

I really got into the Six Nations, partly because Ireland was doing so well. But also because rugby is just exciting to watch. (I like it better than American football, I think, and way better than soccer.) I wanted to make sure I was in a good place on Saturday to watch the game. But… the St. Patrick’s Day festivities had already begun, people were in town from other places for the Six Nations…  Finding a spot in a pub would require some work. I went into town early for the game, aiming to try this one old pub I hadn’t been to yet. When I got into town, all the pubs were already full. I wasn’t early enough. So I kept walking until I found one. Nothing fancy, but I got a spot where I could sit and watch the game and have a Guinness or two. It was an exciting game – Ireland vs France – and the score was close throughout. But Ireland held on to win… Perfect on St. Patrick’s weekend!

Also began to see what they call the “greening of the city.” Many buildings around the city put green lights on, and it creates a beautiful display. I tried to snap some shots of this; not sure they came out very well.

On Sunday, I went out to see some of the St. Patrick’s weekend festivities. There was a little fair by one of the parks. I had no idea what to expect. It was one street of rides, and another street of food and kid entertainment. Not very much. But I did discover curry chips! A treat if you ever get a chance.

While strolling around, I came across a plaque for a location where W. B. Yeats had lived. I was in awe.

By the park was the Natural History Museum, with free entry. I had to check it out. It was very small, and the exhibits were almost entirely stuffed animals – in poor condition, too. I’d be for paying a small entrance fee to help with the upkeep on it. It sure could use it.

March 9-14, Including Galway

March 9-11, 2014

The most important thing of this period of days was discovering the Jameson’s distillery on the 11th. I didn’t take the tour, but I did take some pics and have a wonderful drink.

March 12-14, 2014

The trip to Galway. Booked a hostel in Galway and hopped the train out there on Weds morning, backpack loaded down, as sort of a test run for backpacking Europe and staying in hostels – neither of which I have ever done. (Forgot my camera at my cousin’s house, dammit. iPhone to the rescue.)

Since it is spring, there were baby lambs everywhere at all the fields along the way. Pretty cute.

Arrived in Galway, checked in at the hostel and the Italian girl at the desk – Gaia – was so friendly and knew the answer to every question I asked. (Why I didn’t ask her anything more important than directions and recommendations, in reflection, is beyond me… She may have had all kinds of cosmic answers…) I had to ask some basic questions, though, having never “hosteled” before. I was sharing a room, as it turned out, with four college girls and a random Asian guy. Wondered if there was always a random Asian guy in a hostel.

Took a free walking tour around Galway that afternoon. Learned that Oliver Cromwell was a real dick to the Irish, and I learned where the term “lynching” came from. Turns out someone named Lynch had to hang his own son without a trial, and the term came from there. Galway should be, in my mind, the sister city to Portland – turns out they also pride themselves on weirdness. The college there is one of the largest and most respected in Ireland. It even has a Quidditch team!

They use Gaelic as much as English in Galway. There is one part – the Claddagh – where it even is spoken more than English and, supposedly, some people only know Gaelic and not English! Learned a word: “Craic” (pronounced like “crack.”) It means “fun.” But tour guides are quick to point it out to Americans when they use it so we don’t think it means the drug. Also learned a fun slang term for a celebration: “hooley.”

The weather was lovely. At that point, I had spent almost a month combined from two trips to Ireland, and had always had good weather. I joked that maybe they were making up the whole rotten weather thing about Ireland. (I shouldn’t have… I would find out a few days later how Irish weather can be.)

The next day, I got up and took a day trip out into the Burrens and to the Cliffs of Moher, where some Harry Potter scenes were apparently filmed. The Burrens area is amazing – saw lots (see pics). An old castle, a “faerie fort,” a famous ancient tomb you’ve seen before and should recognize. It was a great tour, cause I got the front seat riding shotgun on the bus. The driver/guide was fun, and he wound up having me help him count passengers and even hand out tickets at one point. The only disappointing thing was the Cliffs of Moher… because they were obscured by fog. But we went to a lower spot where there were some amazing cliffs to see, so nobody felt too bad about it.

I wasn’t feeling too sure about the hostel thing, and considered going back Thursday night. Couldn’t get a train so stayed the second night. Chatted with the dorm mates and it was all good. Turned out okay. Thought I wonder how other people see a lone traveler. Are we scary? Sad? Fascinating? Left Friday and headed back to Dublin, knowing things were about to get crazy there…