“Two shorten the road.” an Irish Proverb

When we booked this tour and left 3 nights in Dublin before flying on to Hartford… we wondered would we either just want to go home, or enjoy a brief visit to this city. We have been to Dublin before but still had not felt we exhausted the city.

We are staying at the O’Neill’s guest house. We are welcomed warmly by the bar tender ( there is a pub/ restaurant donwstairs). He is a slender young man who hoists my heavy bag up and hauls it up the three flights of stairs. ( many thanks)

We decide to settle in and go downstairs to sample the pub fare and plan our stay. The other tourists and guests are chatting with the waitstaff and recounting their adventures to date. We enjoy a meal and a draught of an Irish beer and decide the long day of travel makes a low key evening sound like great idea.

Proof that the Lord works in mysterious ways. On Sunday morning, we searched out local times for mass and headed out to a church around the corner. It was not the experience we were expecting, but on this trip we have received so many unexpected moments that were inspiring so we trusted we had arrived here for a reason. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone brings new comfort.

We left uplifted and inspired and headed to EPIC- the Irish emigration center. This new museum was voted best for 2019. In addition to the museum, the heritage center has a data bank of all the ancestry/Irish records with a genealogy support person to help you trace your roots. We spent hours pouring over census documents and marriage licenses and such. We were cross-eyed by the time we left. It is an amazing story of a people who have endured hardship and persisted. EPIC ( or Every Person Is Connected) does excite the curiosity to know who you are and where you come from. Our heads were spinning when we left.

We toured the Teeling Whiskey Distillery. The story of Irish Whiskey is nearly as interesting as the search for your Irish ancestry. While whiskey was king in Dublin before the great whiskey fire, before the two world wars and  before prohibition cut its legs out from under it, several distilleries were unable to survive, but the story of a people who will not be held down, played out in the distillery world, too. Irish whiskey is back stronger than ever. The Teeling Distillery, a long standing family distillery, opened anew in Dublin 2015. It was a great story and a great tour?

We did many wonderful things in Dublin. The cuisine in Ireland has progressed to world class status, but if you are looking for comfort food( delicious, but Irish, down home cooking) O’Neill’s is the place for you. The pub is a maze of little rooms, stairways, and more little rooms.

Deep in the center of it all is the carvery with a cafeteria style line with all things Irish!-land stew, Shepard’s pie, Guinness stew, beef Wellington, corned beef, roast beef, ham, turkey, roasted chicken, after you choose your main protein, you advance to the section where you choose up to six sides… veggies, potatoes, etc. Sunday dinner at my Irish grandmother’s. If you are traveling on a budget- this is a steal. Top it off with a pint of the 30+ Irish beers on tap, stay for the live music and step dancing and your evening is complete. It is a warm and welcoming place. You will leave having enjoyed a great experience. ( you may even wish you wee there long enough to go back again!).

As with all good things, this too must come to an end. We will be heading to the airport to return home. Lots of good things awaits us there. Hopefully the lessons of this adventure will live on at home.