Erin go bragh

Top o' the mornin' to you, me darlin'!

Yes, it's the day of the year that Irish around the world celebrate, and a few million non-Irish, too! (After all, everyone is Irish on March 17th!). Yes, it's St Patrick's Day!

Out of all of the craic (pronounced "crack", meaning "fun") that I could be having today, I've settled with having a nice Irish dinner at home with family. So I'm making a corned beef, cabbage, and Guinness stew-like dish (I obviously haven't thought of a creative name for the dish yet) and we will have a pint of good ol' Guinness along side. I've had plenty of years going out and having quite a few pints, dressing up in all green and dancing a few Irish jigs.

No matter how different every year's celebration is, one thing remains the same. I reminisce about my time in Ireland. 4 months going to school in Limerick and traveling around the country. I was so excited about having St Patrick's Day in Ireland, but it wound up being a different day than I had planned. It was during the foot and mouth outbreak in the British Isles. And the Irish, who were rightfully terrified of their agriculture being affected, had shut down many of the tourist spots all around the country. Including the parade in Dublin, and tons of St Patrick's Day activities. So we celebrated in the native Irish style - pup hopping! And man, was that a night. That was the night that I lost my camera - dangit. I don't even remember how many places that we went to.

By the way... an interesting article on the meaning behind Erin_go_bragh .

Some pictures to share from my Irish experience - forgive the blurriness - I really want to go through my favorites and scan them all to get good copies. But this is what I have for now.

The best pint of Guinness in the world - at the Sky Bar at the top of the Guinness Factory. Straight from the source, baby - it's amazing!

I love the turtle Guinness ads - just for me!

Cheesy and traditional but so much fun (but not for those who have a fear of heights; the grass you see is 3 stories below) - Kissing the Blarney stone!

One of the most spectacular places that I got to visit - both in beauty and history - the Rock of Cashel

Me overlooking the northern portion of the Cliffs of Moher

I'm having so much fun reminiscing about Ireland that I might share more stories and pictures, we'll see! =)