Paddy's Day! In Dublin!
On the bedstand: Dubliners by James JoyceComing through the speakers: Wild Rover by Dropkick Murphys
Paddy's Day.In Dublin.Whaaaat?!It started off as most weekend days in Dublin do: hazy and hungover. Brian made me stay out at the club way later than I wanted. I showered, donned my finest green, then got out the door by lunchtime.I by-passed the parade because, well, I'm not a parade person. Instead, I was headed to Croke Park, home of the GAA Club Championships for hurling and Gaelic football. Two more sports that I knew absolutely nothing about and I loved every minute of them!
The stadium greeted me with a line to end all lines wrapping through the suburban neighborhood. C'mon, I don't have time for this! I was already late because stupid Brian made me stay out late. Stupid.A shady guy with extra tickets was hawking them at face value. Meh... let's take a chance, right? Amazingly, surprisingly, they got me through the gate. Good seats too! I grabbed a Guinness on my way to the seat, the cream resting nicely on my upper lip as I savored that first sip. I was so proud of myself. Guinness. Ireland scarf. Green TG4 flag. I was set! Then I saw the sign that didn't allow alcohol in the seating area. C'mon Ireland!!!After necking my Guinness (or whatever it is you do when you try to drink Guinness quickly), I settled in for the hurling match.Ohh that green field in front of me. Beautiful! A friendly gentleman behind me explained who I should be cheering for, but little about the rules. Hurling is kind of like lacrosse, only with men beating each other with wooden sticks. Gaelic football is a perfect mix of soccer and rugby - very entertaining!As the matches wound down and the cups were hoisted, I made my way back to the city centre. Temple Bar was as messy as you would imagine it to be. Teenies and touries and affirmations that I made the right choice in taking the more traditional route.
That's not to say we were above a few pints ourselves. I met up with Brian and his friends for a tour through the city. Beers in hand, we passed through drum circles, dance parties, and the occasional crazy. Of course there were hints of Hoboken--Paddy's Day seems to bring out the amateur everywhere--but a beautiful way to spend a day off from work!