St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

Day 6 Ireland – St. Patrick’s Day!!

Oh my freaking gosh -- My legs, arse, feet, and bum are KILLING me!

Good thing I did my 38 kilometer walk yesterday as today is not as warm or sunny. But it's still beautiful and it is still nice enough to get out and do a little gift shopping for family and friends. This is the pier outside my cottage on the afternoon of St. Patrick's Day.

I came up with a marvelous idea for my mother’s Irish gift. I bought some Irish linen placemats from a wonderful little shop called The White Room. Now I know a placemat doesn’t sound exciting, but these are just beautiful, plus with her quilting talent, I think she should make a quilt out of them. Don’t you think?!

My father is still a handkerchief man (no Kleenex for him) so from the same store I got him a couple of Irish linen hankies. They should last him at least until I get back to Ireland for my next vacation.

After a little shopping (I finished all my shopping in one day)…OH! Contrary to popular belief, the Irish do celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. . .just not the all day and out of control way that we do.

They close shops, shut down streets, and have parades. I should say some towns do this. Killarnery had a parade, but Kenmare did not. They don’t celebrate it like we do in the states with green painted faces and green beer, but all the pubs open up. Many are closed for the winter months and open on St. Patrick’s Day for their tourist season, which starts the day after St. Patrick’s Day. But there is great music in the pubs that doesn’t start until about 10 PM and of course, great pints of beer.

As I write this, I am sitting in Foley’s pub eating Guinness pie and drinking a pint of Guinness soon to be a pint of Smithwick’s thanks to a gentleman’s suggestion and chatting with a bartender by the name of Kathleen from Australia.

One of the advantages of staying at my Stone Cottage is the close proximity to town. I went to three of the pubs in town and had a pint in each one to toast the holiday and my vacation. It is so much fun to listen to Irish music. Some of the words to the songs are hysterical and you can’t help but laugh as you tap your foot to the upbeat music.

In one bar there was a single man performing funny tunes and keeping everyone laughing, while at the other two pubs I visited there was a trio of musicians. Either way, you couldn't go wrong.

I picked up two CDs of Irish pub music and a couple of music books to learn the songs.

I didn’t get drunk. . .I had just enough to feel the Irish flowing through my veins and to enjoy the dark, chilly walk back to the cottage.