Dunmore East

On our last full day we drove down to the South East Coast of Ireland to see James's friend, Allen. He lives in Dunmore East on a beautiful golf course. We had a great time with him, his wife Grace, and his daughter Amelie. She was adorable and so funny! We made one stop on our way in a little town that him and his friends used to visit one summer. It was a great day and good time for me to get out of the city. I also realized how much I missed my car during all this and the ability to go wherever you want whenever you want! The weekend was tiring, but also very relaxing in some ways. 

All the pictures above are from the town we stopped in. I can't remember what it was called, but it had this cool ruin on the side of the river. It was a cute little town.

 Dunmore East- after we arrived Allen walked us down to the harbor. It was nice to get some fresh air and see a little of the quint little town. 

 You can see a white house on the hill. That's his parents house. He lives in a smaller house just to the left of it and all the open area to the right of his parent's house is the golf course. Since Allen owns it we were able to get out there and play a few holes. It was a beautiful view and a nice course.

The next morning we drove back and played an actual round of golf at Castleknock, where James grew up. It was a fun time and the weather cooperated for most of the time, except on hole 17 when it started pouring down rain. It wouldn't be Ireland if it didn't rain! We then met his mom for lunch in the city centre and this last picture is of the Liffy from our bus to the airport. I had a great time in Ireland and met some really cool people. Thank you James for showing me around!

Dub(lin) Step

After Jameson and Guinness we headed into the City Centre. We ate some delicious Fish n' Chips, went on the Viking Dublinia Tour, and walked around some more until it was time for the Championship Rugby Match. I learned a lot about rugby much to the despise of James. Then we headed to a charity event his friend Henry had helped organize for the rest of the night. I don't have any pictures from that, but it was a great night. We watched the Football (soccer) Championship, ate some great steak, and had a little disco. It was overall a great Saturday in Dublin!

The Four Courts of Dublin- the building with the green top.

Christ Church. Where the Dublinia tour ended. We went to the top of a bell tower to see a view of the city.

City hall?

Old castle connected to City Hall

  Entrance to Trinity College

James's nephew, Graham. He was tried out from the park, but he was adorable and I had fun playing with him Friday night. Oh and watching a lot of Dora the Explorer! Just like with my nephews :)

Taste of Dublin

Of Course while I was in Dublin I had to visit the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Factory. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the day! We had a tour of the distillery and then a complimentary drink afterwards. It's known in Gaelic as "Uisea Beatha" (pronounced "ishka baha"), meaning "Water of Life" and it was smooth! I could've drank it all day... in fact I kind of did. That and delicious Guinness. I've never actually liked Guinness but heard it was much better in Dublin so of course I had to try it. Plus I was around a bunch if Irish guys all weekend who wouldn't have let me leave with out at least trying it.  And it was delicious!

James chillaxin before our tour ( I use chillax as a joke because Ryan Air uses it before we take off- They tell you to chillax. I couldn't believe it and now it makes me laugh everytime)

The tour is in the old distillery. You can actually see parts of the old one underground. The current one is now in the south part of the country, but it's all made in 1 place.

 They have these little displays in each room to show you how the process works. Even almost 300 years later the process is still the same. They are very specific about the types of barrels they use and how the grain is processed. 

After the tour they asked for volunteers to do a little taste test. Of course I raised my hand! We had to taste Jameson, a Scotch Whiskey, and Jack Daniels. Jameson was by far the best and easiest to drink straight, but I really liked the Scotch Whiskey too.... I'll probably be tasting quite a bit of it in Scotland this wknd. The Jack Daniels was rough and the only one I couldn't finish.... I may never go back!

I got a certificate for passing the taste test :)

 The Liffy!! This is the river that runs through Dublin and what made the city so important when the Vikings landed. They used to trade a lot up and down the river. It was really beautiful and really added to the make up of the city. We also played golf in the Liffy Valley on our last day. It was very lush and green.

 Just a short walk later we were at the Guinness Factory. This is the main entrance gate.

 The Rugby finals were on that day so I felt this was a fitting picture. James and I watched it in a pub and I learned A LOT about rugby. He was probably a little annoyed by all my questions, but it was worth it.

One way to get around the city- A horse and buggy!

We didn't actually go in the factory since we had already done 2 tours back to back and it was kind of expensive. We had a lot to fit in and all we really wanted to do was get a pint, but the only bar was upstairs. There's no way it could've beat the Jameson Distillery anyway. Plus I had plenty of chances to have a pint that weekend.

Dublin: Kilmainham Gaol

Last weekend was another Bank Holiday in England so my friend James and I headed to Dublin (where he is from) It was a great trip! We stayed with his parents which meant I got a few good home cooked meals. And his parents were watching his nephew, Graham, for the weekend which helped me miss my nephews a little less :) We got in pretty late Friday night so didn't start our tour of Dublin until Saturday morning. First stop- Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). James missed this field trip when he was in school and had always wanted to go so I was a good excuse for him. It's basically an old jail that was run by the Brits when they were controlling Ireland and where 13 nationalists were killed by gunfire for rebelling. What better way to start a trip in a city than learning about their history. James loved it!

James at the Memorial across the street from the Jail. 

A room viewed through the looking hole a guard would've used to check on the prisoners. It was supposed to be a reformed jail (1 person to a cell), but it got overcrowded during the famine and people stayed 5 to a room! 2 on the bed and 3 on the floor. The room was smaller than my dorm room

The main center of the Jail. This part of it has actually been in a few movies.

Another view of a room through an opened door.

A plaque dedicated to the 13 nationalists who were shot and killed at the jail. The shootings took place on the walls next to this. 

A flag has also been put up outside to commemorate. 

This was down the street from the jail. It used to be the entrance into a hospital. Now it leads to a museum. We didn't go  in because we had a full day ahead of us, but Americans can never get enough pictures of old buildings!

The path past the entrance leading to the museum.