Week 5 was definitely one to remember! From listening to classical Irish music, to showing up very late to the Gaelic games, and finally touring the Guinness Storehouse. It was a very fast paced week, immersing us more and more into the Irish culture.
We started the weekend off by attending the Irish House Party. We started the night by having a very good 3 course meal, which was followed by a very good show. There were 4 people in the band, each contributing to the incredible performance. I forget the name of the song, but one of them caught my eye, having heard the song many times. The star of the show was the tap dancer, who provided many skits, especially her solo at the end. It was really good to hear the classic Irish music, and comparing it to that in America.
Fast forward to Saturday, it was time for the Gaelic games. We started the day off on the wrong note, showing up an hour and half late. We knew there was a lot going on in the city, so we planned on leaving a little over an hour early. Little did we know, we were not going to be able to find any taxis. So we reverted to taking 2 buses. We got on the first bus, which was ultimatley rerouted to the opposite direction of the destination. There was a 30 minute wait for the next bus, so we decided to just walk the 2 miles and explore the city more. This walk took us about 45 minutes, but we finally made it to the park and we started with hurling. Between the two sports, Hurling and Gaelic Football, I found hurling to be much more difficult and more fun. The hardest part for me was balancing the ball on your stick, while running full speed. Gaelic football was also fun, reminding me of soccer, but the weird part was you could pass with your hand, obviously different in the states.
This past Monday, we visited the Guinness Storehouse. I was very impressed with the museum, showing us the history and the ingredients that goes in the Guinness. The fact that stuck out to me was that it is made up of 96% water. Arthur Guinness signed a lease for 9,000 years, which seems like a very long time to sign something. One thing I was curious about was the Harp, but turns out, Arthurs grandson just liked the harp, so that it is why thats the symbol. I would have thought there would be a deeper meaning behind it.
