When I first looked at the program itinerary I expected this week to be one of the more quiet ones where I would be looking for things to do in my free time. I couldn’t have been more wrong and all of a sudden I found myself booked for nearly the entire time.

Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to see my Aunt and Uncle who came to spend a week in Ireland. I met them at Fitzsimons Temple Bar for dinner. It was really nice to spend some time with family after being away from home for a month and really enjoyed sharing my recommendations for places to see and food to eat. I tried Guinness Stew for the first time and really enjoyed it while the live musicians were playing authentic Irish folk songs. We had dinner again at the Leonardo Friday night and the company helped cure some of my homesickness I had been experiencing.

Thursday night we went to the Lansdowne Hotel for the Irish House Party. For dinner, I chose to have the Dublin coddle and the leek and brie parcel which were both very tasty. After a delicious brownie, we headed down to the basement for the main attraction. The group of people I had been eating dinner with all ended up sitting right next to the stage which gave us a great view of the performance. While my eyes and ears were obviously drawn to the guitar primarily, I really enjoyed seeing and hearing all of the instruments that I am far less used to seeing and hearing. My favorite part of the show was the tap dancing segments as I realized how difficult it would be to keep in time with the instruments and how any misstep could throw the whole performance off. Since Tyler and I were the only two guys sitting in the front, it was also funny when the guitar player made us the target of some jokes, making the show more interactive than I had expected. 

Last week when I was writing my blog, I had no clue how eventful the weekend would become. A year ago when the tickets went on sale initially, I had signed up to be on the list for the Dublin dates but did not receive a code to purchase any tickets. I just so happened to be on a family vacation at the time I got the news and while I wasn’t heartbroken, I was definitely somewhat bummed I would be missing out. Almost out of nowhere however, I received a text from my aunt on Tuesday morning saying that one of her friends was supposed to be coming to Dublin to see Taylor Swift but wasn’t able to anymore and wanted to sell her two tickets. I told her I was somewhat interested but wasn’t sure if I ultimately wanted to go since the people I wanted to go with were back home. For the next few hours, I was deciding if I should text my best friend of twenty years that I could get us tickets or not say anything to not break her heart about missing out. I ultimately decided to send her a text, completely understanding how expensive booking everything days before would be. To my surprise, she enthusiastically replied yes and was able to make arrangements to come over. After a long few days of waiting, she arrived on Saturday and we took off to see the most popular artist on the planet. We trudged through the rain on our way but ended up getting into the venue at the perfect time, still having a great view of the stage. A large part of my excitement for the show was that my second favorite band, Paramore, was the opening act. Their set consisted mostly of their greatest hits but they played one deep cut, Last Hope, which is one of my favorite songs of theirs. It was a whirlwind of emotions that made the performance all the more special. 

The main act was one of the most entertaining and captivating experiences of my life. The two-and-a-half-minute countdown for Taylor coming on the stage alone was an insane experience. With about a minute left on the timer, the clouds opened up, and the south side of the stadium was showered in light. This made the crowd get even louder than before but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a louder sound than when Taylor appeared out of the trap door in the floor in the middle of the stage. The show itself was so incredibly well done. Dana and I had watched the movie version of the concert on Disney+ over spring break but being in the stadium with her live was incredible. I am by no means a diehard Taylor Swift fan but I knew all but about 5 songs due to so much of the setlist being her greatest hits. I was also extremely thankful that one of the surprise songs was Ours, a song I remember from my childhood and really loved hearing on the piano. I took over a hundred pictures and videos but still feel that I spend most of the three and a half hours living in the moment. While I love a small club show, I feel it will be extremely difficult to top this show.

The next day, Dana and I wandered around Dublin for most of the day. We started by going to get Taylor Swift merch which sent us around the city on a tour of the different stadiums needed to meet the demand. After we got our gear, we walked toward Trinity and found a nice little Italian restaurant for lunch. Afterward, we did some shopping, dropping into both the Lego and Disney stores before grabbing some ice cream. I then brought her to my favorite place in Dublin, St. Steven’s Green, where we hung out for a while and enjoyed the nice weather. This was the end of the quick weekend trip but I was so thankful to have a friend come visit and to have had the opportunity to go see the concert.  

Monday brought me back to reality but I really enjoyed the day trip to the Guinness Storehouse. Being someone who enjoys experiential entertainment, I really liked all of the different elements incorporated into the museum’s layout and feel I learned a solid amount of information about the company’s history and the beer production process. I really loved the marketing floor telling the history of Guiness’ branding but wish I could have taken a little more time to look at each advertisement. Before leaving, we took some time in the gift shop and I picked out some things I hope to buy when I come back with my family at the end of the month. All of the guys then ended up meeting Cole and his parents at a nearby pub to watch the France vs. Belgium football match. While I have never watched much soccer, there was something special about watching the Euros, especially with one of the best active players captaining France’s squad. It was a very fun way to end a busy but incredible few days. 

This weekend was one of the most spontaneous and expensive of my life, but I think it was all well worth it. I am still in disbelief that Dana and I actually went to the concert. While I am somewhat bummed to have missed the Gaelic games, I feel that the tradeoff was worth it to me. A lot of my homesickness was cured this weekend by being around family and friends but I am still very excited to have more visitors in the coming weeks.

A photo I took during the Irish House Party

The artist who needs no introduction

Dana and I at the Eras Tour

A photo from the incredible view at the top of the Guinness Storehouse