Minnesota Meets Ireland!

Sorry for the delay in BLOG posts (I’m sure you’ve all been sitting on the edge of your seats . . . or at least I’ll keep telling myself that!) Anyways, it’s been a bit of a hectic two weeks, but I’m still plugging away! Last weekend I had a welcome bit of Minnesota (in the form of three fantastic friends) visit me in Ireland. Mary, Molly, and Ryan came to visit and we had a great time (if I may speak for everyone!)

They arrived on Thursday and we hung low in Dublin that evening, dining on Irish boxty’s (potato pancakes) with meat soaked in Guinness of course. Friday we woke up literally at the crack of dawn and I took us on a bit of a wild goose chase through Dublin at 5am – we took a taxi from the hotel to a bus station that was closed when we got there, we then ran across the street to the train station which had no train leaving on time, we then took another taxi to the Dublin airport, and we finally found the 6am bus leaving for Belfast! It was my second trip back to the northern coast of Ireland, and I saw even more amazing scenery than I saw the first time. We got some great pictures and perfected our “three girls posing on a cliff in Ireland” positioning.

On Saturday, the real adventure began! We rented a car . . . yes, a car in Ireland, where they drive on the other side of the road! While I was promised that we would have a car with an automatic transmission, sadly they only had a manual for us. I will therefore have to save my “Trisha attacks Ireland in a car” experience for later. Ryan and Mary did the driving, and after introducing themselves to the curbs just a couple of times (and one or two stone walls), both did stellar jobs of navigating the tiny roads, crazy fast speed limits and virtually non-existent street signs. Saturday night we returned again to a Dublin pub to watch the world championship game of rugby (which only takes place once every four years). After the game the live music started and after a couple traditional Irish drinking songs, the awesome American 80’s music started. The entire bar was crammed full and everyone – Irish, American, French, etc. – were singing along. It was a great night.

Ryan and Molly departed on Sunday morning. Mary and I then got out the map and once again navigated the treacherous roads of Ireland! We found Trim Castle in the aptly name town of Trim. It has many claims to fame, as the oldest castle in Ireland as well as being in the movie “Braveheart”. We toured the castle grounds, complete with a moat, a great hall, and multiple religious sites, and we took a guided tour of the keep (place where the royal family lived). It was all very historical, the end of a great weekend!