Ireland

I might be the first person to go to Ireland in the winter and actually see sunshine, but I'm definitely not the first to go there to find out that Guinness takes amazing when poured in its homeland. Nor will I be the first to discover the land of leprechauns has spectacular countryside and the most welcoming people you'll find abroad. My first trip to Ireland late in February was definitely one of laughs, Guinness and gossip (which is to be expected when catching up with old friends in new places). My first stop was Dublin where I was greeted by Gordon, a guy Bol and I forced our friendship upon in Thailand. We saw him reading a book in a bar and decided we wanted to sit down and have a beer with him, so we pulled up a seat and disturbed his peace, and the three of us proceeded to travel through Laos together having an amazing time. Anyway - enough background. One of the first things Gordon explained to me on my arrival in Dublin was that he simply could not drink with me during my stay because he was producing a play and had a government grant application due in three days. At the same time he said he wanted to show me all the best Guinness pubs Ireland had to offer, but that he would drink Lucozade and watch me down the ale. Well, by the time we reached the first pub that evening where I would consume my first ever true Irish Guinness, Gordon had succombed to the temptation and said he'd have ... well, just one. That was at Grogans, then we proceeded to McDaids, Mulligans, the Stags Head and finally Ri Ra (a club where we would end up dancing like idiots until 4am). Yep ... Gordon sure showed me! Does this look like the face of a sober man?

Below - Gordon at the theatre where his play has been performed

The next day we arose (not surprisingly) quite late and after scoffing down some greasy hangover food we headed off on my first sight seeing tour Gordon-style. First stop was the main recording studios of U2 - a funky, graffiti covered building near the harbour's edge. Then we went to his university Trinity College which has some of the most gorgeous grounds and grand buildings. (Everone in Ireland says "grand" so I just thought I should slip it in) And its free to study there! The college also contains the Book of Kells, which contains a copy of the four gospels in Latin and was written over 1000 years ago. When you see it up close the patterns and letters are in such amazing detail, and the Long Library situated above the Book is also incredibly impressive with its rows and rows of historical bound books. After our history lesson it was onto St Stephens Green, a really beautiful park in the middle of the city. And from there - well it was time to refresh with a mini-Guinness tour through pubs Kehoes and The Palace. That topped off our first full day and we spent a relaxed evening cooking duck in Gordon's apartment, which is right in the city centre. A quiet night was definitely in order.

One of U2's main studios

Trinity College

The view outside my bedroom window in Gordon's apartment

Dublin's docklands, which have recently been redeveloped

The next day I left Gordon in peace to get on with his producing work and I became a true tourist, jumping on one of those buses with no roof for the first time. The driver was comical, as had been promised, and he drove us all around the city explaining the important sites and dropping us off at museums, churches, parks ... you name it. It felt way too touristy to be cruising around Dublin on that bus, but I have to say if you only have a short time in a city, it is a fantastic way to see the main sites. I saw everything from Dublin's main sculptures and statues, which they like to give rhyming nicknames (eg the Tart with the Cart, the Hags with the Bags, the Stiletto in the Ghetto ... you get the drift), right through to St Patrick's Cathedral, Phoenix Park, Kilmainham Gaol and the National Museum.

Em being the tourist

The national museum

My final morning in Dublin was spent having a farewell breakfast with Gordon which turned into a surpisingly entertaining event. On our way to the cafe was passed this group ....

And on the way back we realised that they were dressed this way because they were participating in bungee rugby - a promotion for the huge England-Ireland Rugby match scheduled for the coming Saturday night in Croke Park (a very controversial event). Have you ever seen anything as crazy as bungee rugby!!

What the??

So after a fantastic few days in Dublin with an amazing host I jumped on a bus headed south to the city of Cork where my mate from Adelaide, Mary, and her lovely lad Mick are living. A supposed four hour journey turned into six but at last I arrived in Cork feeling hungry and excited to see Mary after a year of my travels. They met me at the bus stop and it was like I'd only seen them yesterday - instant chatting, catching up on gossip ... you get the drift. They took me out for dinner and then we went to a very cool little Irish pub for a couple before falling into bed. And may I note as a huge thanks to Mary and Mick that they had completely cleaned our their spare room and turned it into the cosiest bedroom ever for me. Absolute champions! Made me feel so at home and welcome.

Mick and Mary out the front of their apartment

The Adelaide girls inIreland!

The next day was Friday and I had the day to myself to explore while the others worked, so I headed into the centre of Cork and wandered the streets for hours with my camera taking shots of the town. It's pretty small so great to walk around, and the whole town is based around the river and so houses lean up the hillsides overlooking the waterway in the town's centre. With all its colourfully painted buildings and narrow streets I really loved the feel of Cork.

Around Cork

That night I got homely and decided to cook Risotto for everyone, because it's my latest addiction - bacon, mushroom, asparagus and blue cheese risotto. Mmmm. After dinner and some drinks we headed out to town and met up with some of Mary and Mick's friends to see an Irish band. The band was fantastic - cello, violin, guitar and vocals - with a really atmospheric sound. Very moody Irish or something. I got into it anyway and by 2.30am the three of us took ourselves home (via a greasy chicken shop). Nothing like Hillbilly Chicken to feed the late night appetite! There was a funny incident with the chicken - don't know if this will translate - probably one of those: you have to be there moments, but I'll try. I was sitting on the couch with two pieces of chicken. Mick only has chips, so after I finish one piece of chicken I offered Mick my second. He thanks me and accepts it and when he's about to take a bite I quickly mention "If you can't finish it all, I'll eat the leftovers." This is a tiny bit of chicken, so I'm obviously being a complete Indian giver - but I get the chicken back nonetheless and am very pleased with myself. This became an incident which kept us laughing all weekend. (Sorry, I really think you did have to be there - but trust me, it was funny!)

On Saturday Mary and I got motivated and went to the gym!! My first time in about five years. But I guess I can't even really claim it. While Mary did her weights, machines etc ... I spent the entire time in the pool. And I wasn't even swimming. I was using a kickboard and floating on my back. That's the way! That afternoon it was time to get prepped for the Rugby. That's right. Ireland V England at Croke Park (which is in Dublin) and it is only the second time foreign sports have been allowed on the grounds since the 1920 Bloody Sunday massacre when British troops, prior to Irish independence, killed 13 people. Anyway - there was big controversy around the match - and huge hype over the fact that God Save the Queen was to be sung at the match's opening, considering the England-Ireland tensions. BUT ... it turns out no violence happened and Ireland beat England 43-13!!! A fantastic time to be in Ireland at the pub watching the big screen.


Sunday turned out to be an amazing day as the three of us got in the car and did a road trip. I love a good road trip and when it includes driving through spectactular Irish countryside, what could be better! Mick and Mary took me through the Ring of Kerry, which is a group of roads joined together in a circle (you don't say!). Travelling the ring allows you to see all sorts of landscapes including gorgeous coastlines and I just loved it. We stopped for a Sunday pub lunch (roast and bread and butter pudding) and then made it home in time to head to the pub one last time - this time to a "trad session". A trad session is the local term for a traditional music pub session where locals bring along their instruments and jam. So much fun!

On the Ring of Kerry

My last pint of true Guinness at the trad session

Fiddle Dee

And that just about sums up my Irish experience. Monday it was back to London for me to meet up with Bol and head to Berlin and Krakow. I absolutely loved Ireland and can't wait to return with Bol in the summer when we'll try to stay a little longer and get some camping in. I realise this blog entry has been about ten times more detailed than I ever do ... so thanks for sticking with me! I was just in the mood. I guarantee the next few will be brief.