DAY #6 (SATURDAY) = GAMEDAY IN DUBLIN

We are heading out in about an hour to begin our big GT tailgate party in Dublin.  We're meeting 15-30 people at The Chop House near the Aviva Stadium at 10:15am.

The football game begins at 12:30pm.  Yesterday's weather was spectacular.  Today: Weather forecast = 100% chance of rain.  Hmmmmm.

Rainy view from our hotel room:

 Today's Game Day Gear:

GO JACKETS!!!

GEORGIA TECH 

VS

BOSTON COLLEGE

More from Dublin later....

Already sad that we will be heading to the airport to fly home in 24 hours. :(

Ready to go!

We arrived at The Chop House and ended up with 22 of our friends and family at the GT Tailgate.

Here's a pic of the restaurant on a (rare) sunny day:

stonemerchant.ie

Our friends begin arriving quickly:

Hollis Barton, myself and Doug

Hollis' former teammate at Furman, Oliver and Hollis:

Our space at The Chop House - dry and warm!

Tom and Ginny and their friends:

Doug, Chuck, Mike, David and Tim:

Doug, Tom, Ginny and myself:

Here we are with our Ireland travel partners from the week (Brian and Karen) whose daughter attends Boston College:

Our Baps (Irish breakfast sandwiches) that we provided our friends:

A fresh roll, with streaky bacon, black pudding, sauce and sausage - yes, sort of a heart attack in a bun....

And this is the Irish version of a Bloody Mary - half a pour, no ice (we had to beg for some) and no olives.  BUT - after the ice was added - it was really great!  Most opted for a Guinness however.

A pic with my cousin who flew over from London to join us:

Hollis, myself and Tommy (TR) Roberts (who was a trainer at GT when Doug played football there):

Our neighbor at GT Basketball games, Bobby:

The rest of The Chop House was PACKED with GT fans:

We finally ended the tailgate and trudged forward in the rain and wind to the stadium:

Doug and Brian outside the Aviva Stadium:

 AHHHH! Inside we were warm and dry and had coverage where our seats were located.

 Karen and I watched most of the game in the interior level - best seats in the house!

 We ran into Tommy Cooksey near our seats (former GT teammate of Doug's and now neighbor, whose son plays at GT now):

And....

GEORGIA TECH WON THE GAME!!!!!

We had a ball!  We all walked back to our hotel and regrouped, dried out, had a Starbucks and then went to an early dinner at Roly's (near our hotel that was also OUTSTANDING):

 Brian's soup was accompanied by a dainty little pitcher of brandy - he is just so comfortable with his feminine side....

Outstanding salmon:

Karen's risotto was amazing:

After a fabulous dinner we headed back to the Herbert Park hotel and chatted and laughed for hours!  We were soggy from the rain, but we were happy to be together in such a fabulous city and hotel.

Our hotel lobby/bar mates for the evening - - - they lasted longer than we did!  So adorable!

 My "cuz" and I post rainy cool football game, dinner and after-dinner fun:

SUNDAY:

Now we are at the airport in Dublin headed home - long day as we're flying through JFK, but oh what a 6 day experience!

And when we awoke this morning, this was the headline in the Irish newspaper:

The Irish don't really understand the whole Georgia Tech versus "Georgia" - the locals kept asking us last night how "Georgia" did - to which we all quickly replied, "GEORGIA TECH" won the game!

GO JACKETS!!!!

Side note: we went through JFK on the way back to Atlanta, and if you're ever there, you MUST go to the Delta Sky Room!  They have a "Sky Deck" that is absolutely amazing - fabulous views of incoming and outgoing flights, comfy sofas and chairs and warmth (at least from May through September).  Glad to be on US soil and in warm sunshine with very few clouds after an overcast cooler past 6 days.

Here we are - totally dreading the next 5 1/2 hours (#doublechins):

 THEN - - - we find the SKY DECK!

 HAPPY CAMPER!

We made it home by midnight safely, and our trip is officially at an end.  Fabulous time in Ireland and fabulous memories.

Till our next adventure...

ONE NOTE:

NOW is a great time to visit Ireland!  Specifically THIS year (2016) is a wonderful time to go because Ireland is celebrating this year their 100th year of independence from Great Britain. People are in a great mood, and there's lots of talk about it everywhere you go.  A great article to read is: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/100th-anniversary-of-irel_b_9718596.html

DAY #5 (FRIDAY) - heading back to Dublin

We had a restful night's sleep before leaving Kinsale at 8AM for Dublin.

We stopped along the way (at Michael of Old Head's suggestion) at the Rock of Cashel.

It was misting and coolish and the Rock of Cashel is being carefully preserved, but it is quite the spectacle.

The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland's most spectacular archaeological sites.

According to The Lonely Planet:



"Stone walls circle an enclosure containing a complete round tower, a 13th-century Gothic cathedral and the finest 12th-century Romanesque chapel in Ireland, home to some of the land's oldest frescoes.


It's a five-minute stroll from the town centre up to the Rock, from where fantastic views range over the Tipperary countryside.


The word 'cashel' is an anglicised version of the Irish word caiseal, meaning 'fortress'. In the 4th century, the Rock of Cashel was chosen as a base by the Eóghanachta clan from Wales, who went on to conquer much of Munster and become kings of the region. For some 400 years it rivalled Tara as a centre of power in Ireland. The clan was associated with St Patrick, hence the Rock's alternative name of St Patrick's Rock. In 1101, King Muircheartach O'Brien presented the Rock to the Church to curry favour with the powerful bishops and to end secular rivalry over possession of the Rock with the Eóghanachta, by now known as the MacCarthys.


You can take some paths including the Bishop's Walk from the gardens of the Cashel Palace Hotel. Sheep allow you to pass. The scaffolding moves from place to place each year as part of the never-ending struggle to keep the Rock caulked. Call ahead for details of guided tours."
We then arrived in Dublin and are staying at The Herbert Park Hotel - beautiful hotel!

 The Chop House was a 13 minute walk from our hotel:

 Another restaurant very close by that was highly recommended by our friend Michael at Old Head:

We were starving, so we decided to check out where we're "tailgating" tomorrow - The Chop House - http://thechophouse.ie

Amazing and delicious cauliflower and curry soup! TO DIE FOR!

A masculine drink for a masculine guy:

Karen's crab appetizer:

My open face tuna - are you kidding me???? It was spectacular!!

Now THAT'S a chicken sandwich and "chips"!!!

TAILGATE PARTY 9/3/17:

Now we're unpacking (again) and regrouping before heading off back to Temple Bar and Trinity College.  Pep Rally is there this evening and we're dining at Shanahan's with friends and my cousin, who's arriving from London shortly.

Entering Trinity College:

 We immediately see a familiar face from home, Preston Green and said a quick, "Hello":

 PRESTON:

 Another couple of steps and Ryan Womack's adorable parents walked up to us:

 Then TR:

 And a passerby insisted on taking a group shot:

 And while the Gents headed off to find a pint, Karen and I toured the Book of Kells:

After the Kells tour, Karen and I met up with Doug at the Bank on College Green (http://www.bankoncollegegreen.com) - such a cool restaurant and bar (for a drink before dinner).  SOOO much fun!

Here's a pic of what it looks like when you enter:

After a drink, we walked over to Shanahan's but first stumbled upon a favorite haunt in Paris!

Found some Laderee macrons and HAD to have a sample:

Our fabulous dinner spot:

 Dinner at Shanahan's included these:

 And my favorite part of the day - my cousin flew in from London for a visit:

Our dinner group at Shanahan's:

What a fabulous day ending with an incredible meal. Shanahan's is truly a dining experience - the best service I think I've ever had in all of Europe, and outstanding food and wine.

Tomorrow is GAMEDAY!!!

Till then....
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