it’s not the beer. i promise. the beer is not what makes the irish nightlife. albeit, it is good beer and i enjoyed it. but, it’s not the beer. it’s the people and the pubs where the people are. the cozy, dark restaurants, bars, & pubs where irish people gather to laugh, dance, and enjoy life. not so different from any of us. but, yet, different in some way. a way that i can’t quite put my finger on. true, all the irish people i met were extremely friendly, and people i would love to visit again (i’m talking about the people i just met during he weekend. of course i want to visit our friends who we stayed with again!!). they are also all a little funky. funny. down to earth. hilarious. open. and unbelievably fun-loving. life is something to be shared & enjoyed. that is what makes the nightlife in dublin, ireland. it’s not just the beer.
this is a church that has been turned into a pub. it is so freaking cool! if you are a methodist, then you will be interested to know that john wesley once preached here! we met up here one evening for a yummy dinner & drinks. it was weird to see a church that had become a pub, but so cool at the same time. though the purposes may have changed, it is still a gathering place for people to break bread with one another. so, perhaps the mission of the once-church-turned-pub actually remains the same.
fish & chips!! one of my favorite meals.
because our friends were invited to an engagement party one night, we were able to tag along. so, we got to take part in a typical irish tradition and meet lots of fun people. it was a great night!
then, it was off to a funky pub. reminded me of something i would find in my beloved asheville.
another night, one night closer to halloween (= there were plenty of crazy dubliners all dressed in costumes!), we went on a pub crawl. we listened to typical irish music at a super cozy pub to get the evening started!
being silly. looking up into the light fixture that hung above us.
equality! (yes. i have a souvenir from ireland!)
tapas. tapas. tapas. we love tapas!!! it was an amazing dinner!
irish dancing in another pub. sooooo freaking cool! the place was packed. being the shortie that i am, i couldn’t see anything. i pushed my way to the front a little, but i didn’t want to be rude, so i stopped. then, all of the people right around me encouraged me to keep making my way to the front. who was not going to be able to see over me anyway? so, with the help of this community of international people, i made it to the front, where i was welcomed. it wasn’t easy to take pictures because the dancers moved so fast, still, i think the blurriness is a little cool.
we had wonderful, wonderful nights filled with a touch of the true irish experience!
peace.
My god we did go to a lot of pubs. And that’s even without the last session of Irish music in the stag’s head. You got to love seamus. Everybody is chatting but all his focus is on the camera!!
I know, I know. It’s a hilarious and I had no idea he was doing that till I saw the picture! And all the pubs… exactly what Lina and I wanted to do! You & Chris did a great job hosting – shopping, culture, pubs, nature! Couldn’t have been better, my dear! xoxo
gorgeous pictures! sorta reminds me of my time in London (fish’n’chips wise)