Saint Paddy's Day!

Happy Saint Paddy's Day! (even though I might be a bit late)  On good ole' March 17th, I woke up early with my friends and we all caught the train into Dublin.  We started off our day by having Shamrock Shakes from McDonald's haha!  I had never had one before and I thought what better time or place than Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin!  We spent the rest of the morning chatting and holding our spot in the crowd so that we could watch the parade.  It rained for a bit, but I was glad because it would have felt somewhat sacrilegious not to have rain on Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland.

The parade was like a cross between a Beatles song and Cirque du Soleil.  In other words, it was a bit trippy.  The best part of the parade was when the Notre Dame marching band came by.  I was standing with two other SMC girls and we immediately broke out into the fight song and did the student section cheers.  We were surrounded by people from about every place except Ireland and they all just stared at us like we were crazy (although if they had been Irish, they probably would have stared just the same).

We grabbed lunch and walked around a bit before meeting up with a few of my frisbee friends at the Porterhouse Pub (which has some really interesting beers that they brew themselves).  We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the rugby matches and hanging out.  Unfortunately Ireland lost to England.  Fortunately, I've learned enough about rugby that I actually enjoy and understand the matches (I now fully appreciate having my apartment windows overlook the rugby pitches).

We split up to grab dinner and walk around Dublin in the madness of Paddy's Day.  The Temple Bar District, Grafton Street, and O'Connell's Street were absolutely insane with crowds of people dressed up in green and pints in their hands, but the moment you stepped outside these areas, Dublin became a ghost town.  It was a bit eerie to see the streets so empty.

Most of the girls went back home after dinner, but three of us went back to the Porterhouse and hung out there until it closed.  It was a blast!  We met funny and interesting people from all over.  I spotted a man with a Notre Dame t-shirt on standing in a corner with his wife, so of course I had to introduce myself and tell them that I go to Saint Mary's.  The couple actually live in Germany.  He is with the army and she is a dentist.  They have been traveling around ever since they moved to Europe and they had the most interesting stories about the places they've been to.  You just have to love that South Bend connection!

After the Porterhouse closed down, the girls and I caught the late bus back to Maynooth.  I felt exhausted climbing into bed at five in the morning but it was well worth it.  I absolutely love Saint Paddy's Day!