I sent Mallory off back to Iowa this morning (sad). We had a great time (see above picture). We rented a car which was great. I didn’t want to return it. I forgot how great it was to have one. We started out in Donegal for a long Patty’s Day weekend. We saw a few country parades. The first one was on Saturday in Carrick. After that, we watched Ireland beat Scotland in Rugby and then had an early night due to Mal’s jet lag. Sunday we slept in (that sleeping pill I gave Mal worked all too well). We hit up the parade in Ardara. We gave first float prize to the one that re-enacted the Hudson Plane Disaster. Pretty good. We hung out with the locals that night in the pubs. Mal worked on understanding the country accent. We went over to the Keeney’s house after bar time for some tea and toasties. A few friends joined us and we talked politics amongst other things. Monday we saw some local sites including the waterfall, sea cliffs, the churches, beaches, etc. Tuesday was the big Paddy’s Day Celebration. We went to the parade in Glencolumbkille and then they had a reception at the town hall with music and dancing. Tara (the daughter of the family that runs the B&B I stay at...my Irish family) is a hard core Irish dancer. She was so cute! After the reception everyone headed to the pubs where the singing, dancing, and music continued. Even Cathal’s brother amused us with a song. We broke up the celebrating with some dinner at the chipper and then headed back. The highlight of the night was at the end when only the strong were still standing and everyone was taking turns singing songs. We met some people from La Crosse. The girl was from Wausau and her dad is the plant manager at Nueskes (best sausages ever!). We also met a crazy guy from town who has been living in Milwaukee for 12 years. Turns out all of them were on Mal’s flight. Small world indeed! Wednesday we spent the morning at the Keeney’s and saw some of the new babies. Then we headed back to Dublin. Thursday we took a day tour to Northern Ireland. “The Troubles” are starting to brew again so I wasn’t really comfortable driving around that part of the country on our own. We started in Belfast and had a quick tour of the city. Highlight: the Belfast branch of Unisys! Then we headed to Derry for a tour of the city. We saw the Bloody Sunday site (cue U2 music) and the murals. After that it was off to Dunluce Castle for a quick photo stop and then the Giants Causeway. It was amazing. It’s definitely a natural wonder. We climbed around the rocks for a while and took lots of pics. The day ended at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. I wouldn’t say I conquered my fear of heights but I felt like I had to do it. Mal really helped by shaking the bridge behind me. Anyways, it’s done and I never have to do it again...just like the Blarney Stone. The weather was fabulous the whole day. We ended the day back in Belfast and then heading back to Dublin. Friday and Saturday we did Dublin. We saw the GAA museum in Croke Park. It was pretty impressive considering. The players aren’t paid which is also impressive. Eventually I’d like to see a match there. It’s no Lambeau though! We ended the day with some shopping and dinner. Saturday we went to the Botanic Gardens which were beautiful...and free. After that we drove through Phoenix Park and saw the deer park and the US Ambassador’s Residence and the polo grounds. We had lunch at the highest pub in Ireland, Johnnie Fox’s. It was a good atmosphere and great food. We did some more shopping after that (including buying Jordan’s b-day pressies) and got some Chinese take away (it’s actually different here). Sunday we did another day tour to the Wicklow Mountains (same one I took Niki on). We had another great weather day. We had a great meal that evening at Gallagher’s Boxty House (Rachel Ray’s recommendation). We met some Fed Ex pilots from The States. Sounds like a pretty sweet gig. We finished the week this morning with an Irish Breakfast and then we had to say our goodbyes. My only consolation is that I’ll be home in a month! Back to the grind tomorrow night :(.
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