Another great week in the books! Time has flown by, and I am already halfway through the trip. We saw a live Irish music performance at the Irish House Party to start the week. Dinner was served before the performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed my beef and Guinness stew. Another memorable part of the dinner was my Irish Coffee. My mom had previously told me what authentic Irish coffee tastes like and lived up to the hype. As the performance began, I was enthralled by their effortless ability to compose beautiful music works. I was surprised to find out that the Harp originates from Ireland. The interactive aspect made the performance even better; they were asking me questions in the middle of the show, which was pretty funny.
Irish House Party
On Saturday, we went on my favorite excursion of the trip, which was playing Gaelic sports. I was drawn to Hurling after my high school teacher taught me about it. Hurling is a mix of lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, baseball, and basketball, which is right up my alley. After getting used to the mechanics, we hopped into a scrimmage and scored a goal. I discovered a hurling league in New York, so I’ll have to check it out. After hurling, we played Gaelic football, a mix of soccer and volleyball. Using my soccer experience, I acclimated to the game quickly and scored another goal. I had fun playing Irish games with everyone and hope to play again.
Me playing hurling
Later, a few of us went to local pubs; we even met with one of our professors, Dean Ivy Kepner, for a few drinks. It was a beautiful day outside, and we were conversing with some locals. I convinced them that drinking with our professor was an assignment for our class.
Bella, Lily, Dean Kepner, and I at Foley’s
We finally reached Ireland’s main attraction on Monday, the Guinness Factory. Because my family is such a huge fan of Guinness, even naming our dog after it, I was super excited to get a behind-the-scenes look at the history of Guinness and how it is brewed. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the visual experience of the brewing process blew me away. I loved traversing through the seven stories of the factory. They even taught us how to taste Guinness properly, and I tasted all the notes. As a Guinness fanatic, I was excited about the gift shop. I got a lovely sweater, but I am returning with my mom on Saturday, so I hope to acquire more Guinness attire.
Guinness
Guinness
Wonderful John! I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences from this week. What a full schedule! I am overjoyed that you are going to look in to a hurling league in the Big Apple. I have no doubt that you will excel. Maybe when you’re back home you will share a Guinness with your Guinness. Ha! Such a cute pup. Have a great rest of your time in Ireland and I look forward to reading more blog posts. Sláinte!