Kilkenny

The day after our trip to Howth, Brooke, Jackie, Michaela and I left for Kilkenny. Kilkenny is about an hour to two hours away from Dublin by bus. It's a medieval town, with a lot of stone wall and bridge remnants from that period. There's also a very impressive medieval castle, which I will get to discussing shortly. It's well known as one of Ireland's nicest inland cities, and it even surpassed all my expectations!

When we arrived we checked in to our hostel, which was the one part of Kilkenny that left something to be desired. Everyone had told me that Kilkenny Tourist Hostel is the hostel to stay at in Kilkenny, but it wasn't very clean, the bathrooms were mixed gender to our surprise, and all the event/train time posters were from 2003. The wood braces on Jackie's bunk bed were riddled with penned X-rated stories involving her bunk, and mine was absolutely covered in drawings of hands. Weird. Needless to say it wasn't the most comfortable stay. The one good part about our stay at the hostel was that we met these really nice German girls, Henrietta and Theresa, who were staying in our room and went out with us that night. They work as nannies in Dublin, so we plan on getting together soon (oddly enough I ran into Theresa the other night!).

Kilkenny Castle from the bridge

By the time we had gotten settled in it was too late in the evening to go on the castle tour, so we went to the artisan craft complex across from Kilkenny Castle called the Kilkenny Design Centre. They sell a lot of products from local artisans - silver and gold working, pottery...all sorts of things. It was nice to look, but it was all a little fancy-schmancy and extremely pricey.

Kilkenny Design Centre

For dinner we decided to eat at a pub. I was craving pub food, mainly a big pile of hot potatoes, roasted or mashed. When we saw the sign outside of The Field advertising food on the second floor, I wanted to look no further; by this point I was starving. Jackie opened the door, but ran out a second later with a terrified look on her face. Inside was one of the scariest sights imaginable - a huge pack of Welsh fans!! The Six Nation Rugby championships were taking place that night. But I wanted my potatoes, so we fought through the unruly mob of red jerseys to get upstairs, where all the Irish fans happened to be located.

Dinner was absolutely perfect, and one of my favorite experiences to date. I had this odd roast potato concoction called "hobo hash" which turned out to be amazing. It was listed under "light meal." Apparently in Ireland potatoes+fried egg+sausages = light meal. The best part, though, was that the pub had TV screens all around, so we got to watch the rugby match with all the crazed Irish fans. One man was so enthralled he couldn't eat his steak almost the entire match. The game was incredible, and by the end we were all pounding on the tables and screaming with everyone there. It was a historic game for Ireland - they won Six Nation Rugby!!! Absolutely amazing.

Later that night we went to go find some traditional Irish music, since Kilkenny is supposed to have a couple of great places. We couldn't seem to find any! Even the places people had recommended were playing top 40 and such. So no trad that night. Instead we went to Lannigan's and Langton's. I'm not sure which one was which because their names are way too similar. I had a good time, although truth be told it wasn't one of my favorite nights. I was dressed for trad and not to go dancing, and the club that we went to must have been the height of sophistication...back in the 80s. The place was the biggest club I've ever been to, but it was kind of lame. I mean, who wants to dance to "Walking on Sunshine" or "Summer Loving?" It was like middle school. Still, Kilkenny does have decent nightlife. I think it was just the places and the mood I was in.

The next day made me like Kilkenny even more. We started our day off with some Irish breakfast at a little place, called Nostalgia Cafe or something like that. The man serving us was really nice, and quite the chatter. The rashers and sausage were exceptionally good! It was a pleasant way to start the day. We then went on a tour of Kilkenny Castle, which I highly recommend. The grounds are understated but impressive, and the inside is not overdone and gaudy like Palacio Real or anything. The first foundations were built in the 1200s, and throughout most of its history it was owned by the noble English family the Butlers. While most of the furniture was sold off a few decades ago, they still have a marble table original to the castle. My favorite room was probably the gallery room. It was built as a way for the family to show off their portraits. The ceiling is bizarre yet remarkable; it mixes byzantine, Celtic, and Asian influences, and apparently it is so remarkably different that it truly can't be compared in style with any other palace or castle ceilings in the world. Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures inside the castle.

Awesome castle!

After that we wandered to Black Abbey and St. Canice's Cathedral. Black Abbey was also built in the 1200s. We went in to have a look around. What's remarkable about it is the array of stained-glass windows. They are beautiful, but they are in such different styles that none of them seem to match. St. Canice's Cathedral is also quite old; worship has taken place there for over 800 years. We couldn't go in because it was in the middle of mass, and we couldn't go up the adjoining round tower because it was closed at those hours during March. Apparently the views are wonderful from the top.

Black Abbey

St. Canice's Cathedral. I couldn't get a clear shot - the streets were too narrow.

Still, even though a lot wasn't open on Sunday (which is common in most Irish towns), I just thoroughly enjoyed walking around Kilkenny. If I had the time I would go back in a heartbeat - I'd go back to Kilkenny and Kilarney.

Howth

Me and Brooke at Howth

My sister flew into Dublin last Friday, and we had a lot of fun. Brooke stayed through the week (leaving early this Thursday). Our first adventure on the Friday she arrived was taking the DART out to Howth.

Brooke on the DART

The group at Howth - Jackie, Michaela, Casey, and Me

Howth is a small seaside village just outside of Dublin. Jackie, her friend Michaela, and Casey decided to join us for the outing. The day we went was chilly but sunny, and it was definitely worth any discomfort. After getting off the train we got some Beshoff's chips at a takeaway counter so Brooke could have her first Irish french fries. We took pictures along the water of the lighthouse and walked up a hill into the suburbs and stumbled upon an old abbey. After heading back down and walking a little around the bay area we began our search for Howth Castle in earnest.

Boats and a cute lighthouse

I should explain that the map we were using was slightly inaccurate. By that I mean it looks like the same artist that made the Malahide Train Station sign (visible in one of my previous entries) was also commissioned to scribble a few drawings in crayon and call it a map of Howth. We tried to follow the signs and information we were given by a man at the convenience store, but we ended up hopelessly lost. Somehow we made our way into suburbs where all the houses looked the same, and then on some random paths in the woods surrounded by tons of strange garbage (carpeting on the path, an old door to make a bridge across a large puddle, some discarded wheelbarrows, etc.).

The adventure begins...

After taking a short venture on to one of these paths, I emerged from the woods and onto a golf course, where I practically ran into three guys, who looked a little confused as to why I had popped out of the woods. I can't really blame them. It was pretty hilarious. I asked them where the castle was, to which they replied, "which castle are you looking for?" Apparently we were close to the border of another town! They started laughing hysterically as I showed them the map, but were nice enough to explain that we would have to go across the golf course, turn right at a flag, and walk through the woods again.

An old crabby man then came up to us and told us we better hurry; he was hitting in that direction. Jackie of course flipped out, put the fear of God into us by telling us some story about the eye doctor in her town who got hit in the eye by a golf ball and went blind (she was quite serious, but I couldn't help but laugh at the irony), and started screaming at us to run. So we ran!!! We must have looked like absolute crazies, but it was one of the funniest moments I've had yet on this trip. The whole thing was just so over-the-top. As I was running I also had the chance to notice that Howth's golf course has quite a nice view of the coast.

I can't believe someone actually caught this moment on camera. Those poor unsuspecting golfers!

The infamous Howth golf course

After our sprint we made it to nearby Howth castle. Our tour guide books all say that you can take tours. Apparently that has changed; it's now a privately owned culinary school. After taking some pictures around the area and being followed by a man on a lawn mower (Brooke thought it was a zamboni at first), we went to go look for the beach.

Howth Castle - pretty nice location for a culinary school!

Howth has two beaches, but with that map, we couldn't find a damn one. We wandered around the town, and eventually Michaela and I accidentally walked into a tennis court that we thought was a park or pathway connecting to the beach. There was a group of guys there "playing tennis." By that I mean they were playing in true Irish style - two of them were lazily swinging rackets back and forth and the rest were smoking and drinking. Michaela was then introduced to Irish flirting. When we asked for directions to the beach one of them said, "You go stand on those train tracks over there. That's how you find it." The poor girl was horrified, but her shocked reaction was priceless. Some of the less socially awkward ones actually provided us with good directions, and even though we had to go back a ways to find it, we did make it to the beach.

The tennis courts. Yes, there really are palm trees in Ireland!

It was obviously too cold to enjoy the beach in the usual manner, but we walked along the sand and rocks, collecting shells and taking photos of the islands off the coast. It was really pleasant and relaxing, especially after running around trying to find everything all day. I loved Howth - it's a small town (though you wouldn't have guessed by the amount of running around we did), but quaint and charming. I think we covered every inch of the place, but I would still go back if I had the time or a reason.

St. Paddy's and Croke Park

St. Patrick's Day was a blast in Dublin. We walked towards city center, but didn't get too far as the parade goers were all blocking the streets. Still, we found a place near the start of the route with a decent view. The parade was really cool, although apparently it hadn't changed at all from last year due to recession budget cuts and the locals were annoyed. Seeing as I wasn't here last year, I thought it was great! It was very creative and had little to do with St. Patrick from what I could tell, but I loved it, as did the hundreds of little kids running everywhere. Little Irish kids are so adorable!! The parade in Dublin is definitely family-oriented, and the exceptionally rowdy drunk tourists didn't seem to fit (during the daytime celebrations anyways).

As soon as the parade ended a group of us went to the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) Ticket Office and got a great student deal on tickets to Croke Park. We made it there just in time to grab a hot dog and get our seats for the games - hurling followed by a gaelic football match. Our seats were pretty good, especially given how cheap the tickets were! (10 euro for 2 games!)

Hurling and gaelic football are traditional Irish games. They do not have what we would know as "professional" leagues - they are club sports under the GAA. Although the games are not professionalized, some top players are still regarded with very high esteem. Hurling is played with a unique looking stick and ball. Here's a picture I googled to give you all a better idea. It looks incredibly difficult to play. Players have to rotate the paddle back and forth as they run to keep the ball in motion, and occasionally even kick it with their feet and back up on to the paddle, before swinging it to pass or score a goal. Youtube a video of it to get a better idea - it's really hard to describe.

Hurling stick

Here's a decent clip giving some background on the game and video of hurling in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-kB1e96CA

Gaelic football seemed even more confusing. Taking a quick glance you would think it was like soccer (or football as it's called here). However, there are certain rules whereby players can also use their hands to pick up and dribble the ball. Exactly what these rules are I could not figure out by simply watching. I think that might require a bit of research.

Video clip of Gaelic football: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIlsRsMMJUc



The oddest moment of the day came between the two games. Some of the floats from the parade made their way into Croke Park and circled the field. They included giant hurling sticks, a cow on a guy's back, a cement mixer, and a giant bookcase, among other things. Apparently they all had symbolic meaning, but as they marched around the field, everyone in the audience seemed a little perplexed. I'm not sure if the people carrying the floats even had a good explanation for what was going on.

Stack of potatoes with a dog on top
Apparently the Irish are famous for canoes??

Absolute Chaos

We left half way through the Gaelic football match. It was getting cold and I've been really sick with an upper respiratory and sinus infection for a while now, so I wanted to go back to DCU. I'm finally feeling better after two different rounds of antibiotics, and hopefully it stays away this time. All in all, though, it was such a fantastic way to celebrate!!