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Callan Bentley Ireland |
Introduction
Dublin
I went to Ireland in December 2002 to catch up with my friend Kenny Peavy. We hung out in Dublin for several days with Kenny's wife Geetha and his mom Shirley. Then they departed, and I set off to see a bit of Ireland.
Arrival
I checked into our hostel in Dublin and quickly jumped into the shower to refresh after a day of travel from the States. By the time I got out, Kenny and Geetha were back! With them was Kenny's mom Shirley. As soon as I was dressed, we set out for an evening of experiencing Dublin's pubs.
Nightlife
I immediately got immersed in the pub milieu that would become so familiar to me over my time in Ireland over the next several weeks. Smoke lay thick in the pub a few meters down the street from our digs at the Brewery Hostel. Kenny and I had Guninness and Jameson's. A drunk old sot got besotted with Shirley, but he made room for our whole entourage at his table, so we had to listen to him. He demonstrated his air-banjo skills while jabbering unitelligably and gesticulating like mad with his ashy cigarette. We left and headed downtown, towards Trinity College, where we met up with a friend of Kenny and Geetha's.
O'Neill's
Kenny and Geetha's friend took us to O'Neill's, a pub full of friendly locals. We were soon engaged in conversation about alligators, Shirley's thin cigarettes, and Irish music. Rounds were being bought left and right, and we hadn't eaten dinner yet! Kenny and I were worried that if things kept up at this pace, we soon wouldn't be able to see. We bowed out and tottered off in search of fish and chips.
Fish and Chips
We took the advice of Eamon and our other new Irish friends, and headed for "the best chippery in Ireland," where we got battered cod and chips drenched in malt vinegar and salt. They're served in a rolled-up cone of newspaper, and taste amazingly good at 10pm when you have a bellyfull of beer. The four of us toodled back down Dame Street crunching away and licking our greasy fingers. When we got back to the hostel, the ladies retired, and Kenny and I went out for one more pint.
One More Pint
So Kenny and I headed back out, and drank more and talked a bit, glad to have met up again in yet another country. I proposed we try and set a new world record for the greatest number of countries where two pals have drunk beer. We talked about life and plans and stuff, and soon became rather tired. Good enough for the first night; off to bed.
The Chapters of Ireland...
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