Chapter Five: Dungeons and Dublin

I told myself that I wouldn't post again until I could do it from my own computer. Well, between this, that and the other (read: 800 euro importation tax, refundable when I leave) it's taken me awhile to get it. Then, when it was gotten, I was forced (forced I tells ya!) to catch up on all the television I'd missed. Mission accomplished. And now I'm here.


Lets take a trip back to a few weekends ago, to my Castles fieldtrip. Now, to understand the fieldtrip, you must understand the man behind the fieldtrip; Keiren O'Conner. The very image of the absentminded professor, he is, in fact, the direct descendant of of the last High King of Ireland. He goes home to his own castle in Co. Mayo, and refuses to excavate certain castle sites because they were once owned by his family. We think that on weekends he paints himself with Woad and single handily defends Ireland's shores. Anyway.

The first castle we tried to get to was blocked off, due to rally car races; if any of us weren't such huge nerds, we would have known that. The second castle we couldn't get into, due to the caretaker's mother having just died. But the third castle...

...or "Towerhouse" (twelfth century), was totally awesome. Its seems so simple, just two stories and a roof, with various arrow loops and murder holes, but it was just grand. We all decided that we must have one.



The fourth castle, funny story, I'd actually been too on my last trip to Ireland. However, I'd had to keep a respectful distance, due to the imposing barbed wire fence. Not so Keiren. He just found us a section to hop over, and away we went. Conamara Castle, circa 11th century I believe, is little more then a ruin now, but you can see from the earthworks how massive it must have been. You're an invading barbarian, and you have to run up a 40 foot hill, only to be faced with a 20 foot wooden wall at the top, archers raining arrows down the whole time? Tough gig.

Now, Pat and I had wanted to go to Dublin that weekend, to see a cool concert (The Decemberists) and visit his friends. But we also didn't want to miss the field trip. So, after Conamara, Keiren had his lead TA drive us to the nearest train station. How great is that? He was really concerned that we'd miss our train too, hurrying everyone along, just adorable.

Dublin was much bigger then I'd remembered. Its still rather tasteless, but it's just huge. Funny tangent; the house doors are all painted different colors. This is so that when the Husbands come home blind drunk, they can just tell the taxi, 'Blue door... blue dwarrr....". Good system.


The concert was pretty great; i missed alittle, but it was still worth it. Then we met up with Pat's Dublin friends, friend's from high school actually, and we went to a good old American house party. And then walked 4 miles to their house, because they were too bleary to remember how to get there faster. All the while carrying Pat's friend, who had just been dumped. But I was feeling no pain, so all's well, right?

The floor i slept on was heated. They had heated walls. It was the polar opposite of my own place (which i'm actually doing better with, thanks).

Dublin wasn't really much new for me, having seen the three interesting things before. Book of Kells (oldest complete Bible, fully illustrated), Old Post Office (home of the 1916 rebellion) big Needle thing in town (Why a 100 meter tall spike in the center of your downtown? Who knows...) St. Stephan's green (park) and the world's greatest slide guitarist, who was just on the street and blew our minds for almost 40 minutes. On the train back, we stocked up on chips and beer and Pat taught me to play Texas Hold-um.

Flash forward: Last night. James (different James) and I went to see another of my professors sing tradition Irish folk songs in a pub. It was very soothing. Mom, if you had been there, you would have jumped up and joined in, I'm sure, and for once it would have been completely appropriate. Then we went and got beers bigger then my head.