Ireland - Day Seven!

Our last full day in Ireland... and a busy day too! So much to fit in!

First, a few more sayings for the day:
"Dual carriageway" - a four-lane highway.
"I'll ring you back" - I'll call you back (they really say that!)
"Sunday a week" - a week from Sunday

After breakfast we boarded the bus for our trip to Galway. Mike and I had hoped to spend a day in Galway - and have fresh oysters for lunch or dinner... But alas, we were in the bustling city of Galway for one and a half hours... Not enough time for hardly anything!

We stopped at the Galway Cathedral first. Otherwise known as: The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas. Whew... That's one to remember! It was a beautiful example of a "new" (50 years old) church in Ireland!

(There are small memorials to JFK all over Ireland to honor him and his Irish ancestory.)

Next, we had a very short amount of time to run around the streets of town... Finished some gift shopping, got a cup of hot chocolate, and headed back to the bus! I could spend a LOT more time in this city! (Mike loved seeing the sea of kegs in front of the pubs!)
After leaving Galway, we stopped in the riverfront town of Athlone for lunch. Mike, his mom, Annie, and I went to a restaurant and bar called "The Palace" - the Cheltenham Horse Races were on TV, and all the business men were at the bar watching the races (many of them probably had bets on the horses!). It was a lively and fun atmosphere for sure!(Our swanky booth - well, la ti da!)

After Athlone, we began the long, and somewhat boring drive, across the countryside back to Dublin. This is the only time the whole week, I let myself doze off on the bus! Good thing - the night was still to come!

When we got back into Dublin, we checked back into the Mespil Hotel and relaxed until dinner time. We decided on dinner at O'Shea's Merchant - after hearing that they had fantastic music... When we entered it was pretty empty, so we enjoyed a good meal (the only time I actually saw "corned beef and cabbage" on the menu! - And it was good!). We realized after eating, that the bar was next door - after hearing the music coming through the walls! Oh well. Lesson learned!

Then, we crossed the street to our real destination for the evening - the Brazenhead Pub. Ireland's oldest pub - established in 1198! After finding a seat at the bar - in a VERY crowded bar - the evening came to life with fun, music and laughter! I sat next to a man from Dublin (Brandon, which means "man who lives on the hill" - and he did, right up the street from the pub!) - and his first questions were, "where was I from?" and "do I have ancestors from Ireland and where are they from?" When I explained that my ancestors were from the Achill Islands - he gave me a wonderful story about how beautiful the Achill Islands are, what life was like on the islands for past generations, what my ancestors probably did, and again, how beautiful a place it is! He told me the next time I come to Ireland to be sure to visit Keel Beach on the island - and once again went into how beautiful it is! He then asked if we were there for music that night, and when I said "yes," he told me we were in for a great night! Then he said he'd be right back - he was going home to get his guitar so he could play with the band! When he came back, he brought his girlfriend with her bodhran as well - so fun!
(Mom-in-law and Annie at the pub!)

The music was fun and raucous, and beautiful and sad... (One man in the group played the spoons! A fun surprise to me - I grew up watching my dad play the spoons and have rarely seen anyone else do it. When I asked about it, I was told they are a traditional instrument in Irish music - they began with people using animal bones, before spoons, to keep rhythm! Fascinating!) (Look at his hands go! That's the spoon-player!)

A lovely evening all around of talking to those around us (from Ireland, Italy, and Norway... and a few other Americans), great music, good Guinness and Bulmer's Cider, and learning all kinds of new things! Loved it! (The sign behind our drinks says, "How to avoid a hangover: Stay drunk." Ha ha ha.)
(The perfect poured pint of Guinness - shamrock and all!)

After another fun and enlightening cab ride back to the hotel (did I ever mention, that you should never ask for a "ride," you should ask for a "lift?" If you ask for a ride, you're asking a very inappropriate question... And may get some raised eyebrows... Ha ha ha.)... Anyway, we went back to the hotel and hung out in the lobby for a bit with Pooja and Ripple (a couple from Chicago), and Pooja's brother, Rishi (from Toledo) - all from our tour group. We compared stories from our evenings, and went to bed wishing we had spent more time hanging out with them! So many fun people!

This evening was a perfect ending to our time in Ireland, that's for sure!

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Napping on the bus!
2. Galway - got our Christmas shopping done!
3. Lunch in Athlone, watching the business men cheer for their horses!
4. Mom-in-law and Annie in good and friendly moods.
5. Brazenhead Pub - awesome night!
6. Finally getting a chance to talk to some locals in the pub.
7. Using the hotel computer to send a quick email home.
8. Starting the journey home tomorrow... It's time for this homebody to be home, in my own bed, with my dog.
9. Getting to know Pooja, Riddle, and Rishi a little!
10. Mike and I being asked if we were on our Honeymoon - what a nice compliment!