Like I was Never Gone
Coming through the speakers: Jimmy's Winning Matches. THE song of 2014 GAA Gaelic Football. Hup Donegal! (And did anybody notice the top-left of the video?! I wasn't the only one, right?!)
Within thirty minutes of checking in to my Dublin hotel, I had a full Irish breakfast at O’Neill’s in front of me, Guinness in hand. Welcome back!To think, almost one year ago to the day, I was in Dublin interviewing for the job that would not only take me to Ireland, but also take me away. After that interview, I stopped in O’Neill’s for a drink but left thirsty. I simply didn’t have enough money to buy a beer! My how quickly time moves...
But Ireland -- I was back! One week in Dublin to tie up loose ends followed by a week-long road trip. Adventures to be had and hangovers to be conquered!Hurricane Jeff blew in from Germany on the same day I arrived, leading to more drinks that first evening than would be usually be prescribed for jet lag. Waking up surprisingly refreshed on Sunday (relatively speaking), I set out to play tourist with a bucket list. Most memorable was a tour through the Kilmainham Gaol, final resting place of many of the leaders of the 1916 Uprising.
Following the tour, we donned our finest green (and gold) for the GAA Gaelic Football semi-final match featuring Donegal. Pints before the match, and was that a Jameson’s on the way out(?), and we were in a sold-out Croke Park. On the way, I had hoped to stop by a Paddy Power to partake in the great Irish pastime of betting, but sadly, no bookies could be found.
Two hours later, I was kicking myself for not having placed that bet. Donegal came through in a major upset and bookies were paying 10-1! That could have made for a pretty nice dinner. The match was electric though, both in atmosphere and in play. We carried that enthusiasm back to the pub for a round of celebratory drinks.That day set the tone for the rest of my week in Dublin. Culture. Drink. People. Work I also did, and good work too! This was a business trip of more than just work though.
I tried to (re-)soak up as much of Dublin as I could. Those streets felt as comfortable as any home town streets would.
I was happy. Really happy. Thank you Dublin. Thank you.