One

When you think of Ireland, words like green, whiskey, Guinness, castles, and U2 come to mind. Well, mine anyway.  I think I checked all off the list. You also may think of Republican or Unionist, but troubles are not so black and white. Or Orange and Green. One thing is certain, I needed, and you will need more than one week to find it all.

I've covered this previously,  but I always struggle with going independent or on tours. Utilizing a home base or move to a new town every few days. Use public transportation or drive. I have done all versions and still don't have definitive advice. This was the first time I rented a car in Europe and the first in over a decade overall. In Ireland, they drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right. It takes getting used to but it was good. It all depends on what you want to see, how far it is, what your time limits are, and if you can wake up. Tours pack a lot in and someone else drives, but you are rushed every spot. And sometimes don't go where you really want. Driving can be tiring. Trains and buses are not always coordinated with destination spots or opening and closing times. So don't always plan rigidly and build in time for actual relaxation. It's a vacation after all.

In one day, we rode trains and buses in and out of Dublin city center, visited ancient book and story history, traditional distillery methods, and Irish pub music. The Book of Kells is a 1200 year old manuscript of the four gospels, hand-written in Latin and illustrated by monks around 800 A.D. You can view select pages and learn of learn about their creation. I was fascinated about how colors used in the illustrations were derived from rock and minerals. Plan on a tour before the crowds hit. We went in at 10:30 with a short line. Below is the line when we finished. 

Most people like to see castles in Ireland and Scotland, and so do I. But the next thing on my agenda was whiskey.  We went to Kilbeggan, owned by Cooley Distilleries and its parent company Beam Suntory. Most of the Kilbeggan branded whiskey is distilled north of Dublin. However, they do still make small batches, used in blended whiskeys, at the Kilbeggan distillery in Kilbeggan, an hour bus ride west of Dublin. It was a working distillery since 1757, but many factors, including American prohibition, forced it's original owners to scuttle the plant and brand.

The Cooley then bought the rights and the distillery and opened it for business to produce whiskey again. All whiskey has 4 ingredients, water, grain, yeast, and heat. The detail and variation is the key, types of cases used, aging, roasted or malted, how much and the mixture. It's an art form just as wine-making and beer brewing are. In Kilbeggan, they use a pot still method and triple distill the whiskey. In fact all Irish whiskeys are triple distilled, as opposed to Scotch whisky that is distilled twice.  

It also takes time for the uninitiated to enjoy and appreciate the experience. I'm a relative beginner to drinking bourbons, single malt Scotch, and Irish Whiskeys (Irish whiskeys are spelled with an "e", Scotch are always "whisky", Bourbon by law has to be corn and only made in the USA). The phrase whiskey comes from the Gaelic phrase uisce beatha, literally, "water of life." Sounds good to me. Even as a novice, I have enjoyed them enough to buy three bottles this trip. As the Irish say often, Sláinte  (cheers, or good health).

An hour back in town, it is time to eat, drink and be merry. We head to Oliver St. John Gogarty to have a Guinness , some cottage pie (minced beef, carrots, chips), and the start of a musical pub crawl.

By the way, why does the Guinness here taste different and better here than in the US? I swear it does. It's not just atmosphere or vacation mode, is it?

Our two musicians, David and Steve, played fiddle and guitar and Irish drums, sang traditional bar tunes and mixed in lots of Irish wit. We traversed Temple Bar to Ha'Penny Bridge Inn and Brannigan's. In Brannigan's, we were treated to a special guest who did some Irish step dancing.

There was audience participation in song and in what they referred to as session music, crawlers were asked to start singing a song and the rest would join in. A woman thought of a Whitney Houston song and we all sang. A man from Portland joined the Steve and David on the small stage and played guitar and sang a Rolling Stones song. It was such a blast and 3 hours passed so quickly, I didn't want it to end. I highly recommend it if you're in Dublin.

Castle

Hey, I finally visited a castle!

On the second full day, we again start in Dublin center, nearby the Trinity College and an easy stop on the Hop on, Hop off bus tours (any one of three companies a good way to see the sites). Of course we couldn't really start without having a full Irish breakfast. Typically, it has eggs, sausage, bacon (thick, almost like ham really), potato rashers, steamed or baked tomatoes, baked beans, and black and white pudding.  It was basically our meal for the whole day, until a late night pizza after an amazing concert. More on that later. But sightseeing on hop on, hop off buses is one of my favorite ways to see a city. We got off and stormed the castle! No, just did a little self walking tour. This was the best castle I visited on the trip, although I didn't see but four of them.

Next a pilgrimage for beer lovers, the Guinness Storehouse. Really a museum, not a brewery tour, but you still learn the techniques through a series of cool exhibits.  It's very well done nicely designed. It includes tastings and the opportunity to learn how to pour the perfect pint.

Again, this beer just tastes so much better here. The exhibit is adjacent to the actual brewery, so it isn't totally just a tourist spot. They make tons of beer here for Ireland, UK, Europe, USA and beyond. Guinness and most beers start the same way whiskey does, water, grain, yeast, heat. This beer gets its dark color from roasted barley until just before burnt. Hops are added to reach its distinctive flavor.

A few drinks later, we head to the Kilmainham Gaol, but only time for a few photos. My friend Tommy will be disappointed with me for not doing the full tour, but time was limited. I'll have to return to Dublin one day. But this is the place where Irish revolutionary figures were sent to be jailed and executed for the uprising against the crown. Those damn dirty Brits! (Don't take me seriously, I probably have more British and Scottish descent than Irish!).

U2

The real reason I came to Ireland was another pilgrimage to see U2. I have been a fast since 1982 when I fell in awe of them and their album War. U2 have never shied away from political stances, from "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" (killings of Irish civil rights workers), to "Pride (In the Name of Love)", a tribute to MLK, to their own One campaign, fighting for end to poverty and human rights causes. They were often named the band of the 80s.

I never thought they could top War, but in 1987, they did just that with the release of The Joshua Tree. A classic of personal human emotion and journey, influenced by Americana song styles. I never saw them perform for that tour, but on the 30th anniversary of the release the band toured for it. Again I missed the US dates, but convinced myself and my sister that we should see them in their hometown, Dublin.

There was buzz all day in the city, signs at bars welcoming them. Irish are proud of these guys.The last time I saw U2 was in 1993 for the Zoo TV tour (supporting the albums Achtung Baby and Zooropa), in which they played very few songs from the 80s and were in a mood for reinvention of themselves as a band. It was a good show and a spectacle but and it also seemed the band was more distant from the audience, or at least the character Bono was portraying, known as The Fly. I think they were in a reactionary mode due to massive success they achieved and some criticism of their outspokenness which some perceived as self-righteous.

I never felt that way and I think Achtung Baby is a great album too. 

Regardless, the concert never had the same intimacy and connection I felt in previous shows I had seen.

But U2 on this night in Dublin, right off the bat, the sang "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", "Bad", and "Pride (In the Name of Love)." And not just played them, they nailed it with with ferocious energy. The crowd felt it and was electric. The band proceeded to play the entire Joshua Tree collection, start to finish. Bono joked it took them 30 years to figure out how to play them right. They got it right. Some songs I don't know if they ever played before.

After a break, a video played depicting a young Syrian girl, her family trying to survive as immigrants from a war torn country in shambles. Not preaching, but reminding us that it is a human crisis, not political, and we should try to welcome refugees into our hearts, minds, and homes. This 15 year old girl could teach us all about humility, dignity, love, and life. They concert ended with the great song One, written during a time when the band nearly broke up in 1991 when going through disunity and conflict. But it has different interpretations and has come to signify unity and hope. We are one.

Coming soon, the rest of my tour.

Peace