Some good craic.

After a good night’s sleep we got up and headed out to find some breakfast.  We found a great spot about 50m from the Jury’s Inn entrance near the Spanish Arch in a sunny spot with great coffee.  Afterwards we wandered through town and poked into some shops, listened to buskers and fought our way through the crowds that neither of us remember.  Marnie replaced the Claddagh ring that she lost years ago in a 'nursing incident' (a story she relished in telling everyone!) at the same store she bought her first one. The clerk at the shop quite fancied her and he turned out to have an arsenal of Monty Python quotes and gut-busting comments including, and yes - you had to be there, "Let's fuck with those jarheads...n'est ce pas, Pierre?!"

We both felt satisfied with our time in the city. We hit the highlights. Some memories were clear and led us back to places we distinctly remembered. In between were places we'd forgotten about that came back into focus. There were many "oh, yeah...I forgot about that" moments followed by nostalgic smiles. I've never had quite this kind of memory-lane trip before, save possibly my high school reunion. Quite honestly, I don't know how FIFTEEN years have passed! Both of us commented on how we wouldn't recognize our twenty year old selves now. We were so young and idealistic then but a lot changed for us that summer that took us both down unforeseen trajectories that have shaped who we are now.  Of course, you could argue we are still young and idealistic! I wonder how another fifteen years will shape us!

As country kids, we were both eager to get back out into rural Ireland. While on the boat to Inishere, Marnie found out about a place called Loughcrew. It was on the way back to Dublin from Galway, so why not?!  I love going off the beaten path with a vague destination in mind and the freedom to stay at any spot we found that looked nice.   While that may surprise some people about me, I really enjoy it...so there!

We found Tullynally castle near Castlepollard in County Meath just after their gardens closed. We had a look around the grounds of an amazing old castle with no one around. It was so idyllic!  Given that it was getting close to 7PM though, it was time to keep an eye out for lodging. About 5km up the road near the town of Fore, we saw a sign for a B&B and stopped in to see if they had room. Ethina had one room left, almost as if she had known we were coming. It was 25€ each! What a deal (especially after the splurge staying at Jury’s) and it proved to be a gem of a find! Those Irish are famous for their hospitality! 

After another pub meal in Castlepollard, with a little time to spare before the kitchens closed, we stopped back at the local pub in Fore, the Abbey House. There were two pairs of piercing blue eyes on two brothers we spoke to for a little while before the other regulars started to show up and the place got packed.  We met a whole host of lovely people including Elaine and Rob and their friend from the States, Liz who runs tours in the area. Beatrice owns the place and it's been in her family for 400 years apparently!  It really was a special nice and gave me warm fuzzies.  That was a great bit of craic!

Quote of the day: “Your father was a hamster...”