Jamie Thingelstad

The Samuel Beckett Bridge over the River Liffey from the Sean O’Casey Pedestrian Bridge.

On the Sean O’Casey Pedestrian Bridge crossing the River Liffey.

This evening we made our way to EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin to learn about the history of emigration in Ireland. EPIC is a newer museum just opened in 2016. It tells the story of how Irish people have emigrated throughout the world and the impact made by them. It also covers much of the history of Ireland itself. I thought it did an amazing job using multimedia experiences. The best I’d ever seen for that.

The Temple Bar, in the Temple Bar District, in Dublin.

This morning after arriving in Dublin we went to Experience Gaelic Games to learn and play some Hurling, Gaelic Football, and Handball. In our time in Ireland we’ve come across Hurling frequently. On day 3 when we were on the lawn at Muckross House we saw a family with these odd stick/bat things hitting a ball around. The Hurley Stick is a pretty common thing. On day 8 when we were hiking with Pat Sweeney he pointed out the County Clare flags that were flying in support of their team taking on Limerick the next day. County Clare was the underdog, and sadly they did not prevail. Sorry Pat!

But Hurling is just one of the Gaelic games. Gaelic Football is another popular one. And while we didn’t see anyone playing Handball that is the third. Things we learned at todays session:

• Hurling is the most popular, with Gaelic Football growing fast right now.
• I loved that all Hurling players “play where they are born”. So you don’t trade players. You play for your club and if you move to the top you play for your county.
• There is no sponsorships. Ticket sales and fundraisers support everything.
• The players just play, they aren’t paid to play.

Wild stuff when you see a Hurling match in action. All of these games are odd amalgamations. We had a lot of fun playing Hurling. Gaelic Football was a bit too easy to think of like Soccer, even though it isn’t at all like Soccer. It was a really fun time learning these sports.

Great cappuccino at Cafe le Coco in Kilkenny.

Today’s Guinness isn’t a Guinness, but instead an O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro. We had dinner at Brewer’s Corner and they served this delicious pint. Very good!

Tonight we arrived at Tubbrid Castle. This is the most unique Airbnb experience we’ve ever had. This 600 year old castle has been magnificently restored. We are sitting in the second level kitchen, dining, and living areas. The first, third, and fourth levels are amazing bedrooms. The walls are six feet thick. The castle itself is slowly warming now with heat installed for the first time in its centuries of existence. Amazing! I took a number of photos on arrival.