Dublin

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Our program in Limerick had made arrangements for us to make a weekend trip to Dublin to visit the Four Courts, Dublin's main courthouse, to learn a bit more about the legal system here in Ireland and get an opportunity see it in action. After a short train ride, our group found ourselves here in the home of great booze and Ireland's largest city. I didn't know quite what was in store when we planned the trip, but the excursion is turning out to exceed any expectations I'd had about Dublin.

While the majority of the group is staying at a hostel arranged by the program, Sean, Nick, and I decided we'd stay with a girl from the softball team we played for our first weekend in Ireland to save a few euros and get an insider look at the city. After the groups separated to drop off bags, we reconvened in city centre along the Liffey (the river that separates Northern and Southern Dublin) to head to (where else) the Guinness brewery. The tour is a do it yourself affair, involving mostly a lot of reading and video watching. There are a number of things that make it well worth it. First, the tour takes place not in a working brewery, but in the original brewery which has been renovated specifically for the tour. This might seem like a let down, but it allows everyone to get much closer to the actual machinery used in the process. Secondly, the tour does a fabulous job of mixing history and brewing process. And finally, the tour ends in a 7th floor bar with a 360 degree view of Dublin through floor-to-ceiling glass. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was drinking the beer (which is easily one of my top three favorites) directly from the source, or that the view was so fantastic - but I can't recall having had a better pint of the black stuff.

In the evening we went to a pub in Dublin's infamous Temple Bar district called The Porter House; or as I like to call it - beer lovers wet dream. Simply put, I've never seen such a wide variety of beers. Every corner of the world was represented in the menu. And to top off their great selection, they offered a number of their own micro-brews that were just as great as anything on their international menu.

The menu took what I consider to be some well deserved jabs at American beers, focusing mainly on how "boring" they are. I have to agree after having some of the beer on this side of the Atlantic. There is a real passion for it over here. People take pride in their beer. It serves more of a purpose than just getting people drunk on watered down crap without making them feel too full. Yes, the beers here are heavier, but having them is much more rewarding. You feel encouraged to drink slowly and truly enjoy it. Anyway...if I haven't said so yet, I love beer. And to top it off, there was a solo acoustic musician so good that I almost couldn't watch because he made me ashamed of my own musical abilities. It made for a good outing all around.

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Photos

us at the gates of Heaven
(St. Peter not pictured)

a beautiful sight
see if you can make out the four leaf clover the bartender poured into the head of the beer

at the top
the group enjoying the complimentary pint after the tour

The Liffey
(Sean took this one)

Comments

[Sean]

Wow...
I didn't realize how good that pic of the Liffy turned out.