Visitors in Ireland
This past weekend I had my first opportunity to show other people around Ireland when Elizabeth and about 20 other students from the Toledo, Spain program visited. Here's the Reader's Digest condensed version:
Friday, though the rain poured down, we went to Glendalough, an ancient monastary in the Wicklow mountains. Thankfully, I was able to review my theology notes about the site before we arrived so I could explain its history. We saw Glendalough's round towers, monastic ruins, lakes, and local pub (with Guinness at an amazingly low price of ?2.65). After returning to Dublin, we cooked fajitas at my flat and went on a pub crawl.
Saturday was our day in Dublin. We walked around downtown, saw Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and the Guinness Storehouse. While the Guinness Storehouse is interesting and many people feel a must-see in Ireland, it's a bit over-the-top. After four floors of learning about the ingredients (water, barley, hops, and yeast), Arthur Guinness, barrel-making, and advertising, you just want to be in the Gravity Bar on the top floor where you can relax.
Later Saturday night, we went to a Notre Dame mass and dinner at our programme director's house. Then, we decided on a whim to see a Black 47 concert at a local pub. Black 47 (named for the worst year of the Irish famine in 1847) is a nationalist band that fuses traditional Irish music with rock. It was a cool experience and the music was excellent.
Sunday saw breakfast at Bewley's, an excellent coffee shop that is older than Notre Dame by 2 years. After a little Christmas shopping in city centre, I put the girls on the airport bus and sent them home.
Back to work....