The Search

It was a bit of a scramble getting out this morning.  Not that I’m not very good at packing and unpacking, it was more trying to get everything in, then trying to get out of the place.  By the time all was said and done, I decided that I was taking a taxi to the station, rather than walking.  I’d done quite enough walking, thank you very much.  To get to both Templemore and Galway, I had to get to Heuston Station, which is a good 3 k from Trinity College.  As bus schedules are a little sketchy, I ended up walking. 

Having said that, I did enjoy Galway yesterday.  There are no end of little shops in the “tourist” zone, some with a lot of junk and others with some unique items.  After searching nearly every jewellers in the area, I finally found my ring.  I’d gotten Carl’s pretty much right off the top, buying it even though there was no match to it for me.  But, I liked it very much and I thought he would.  In the end, I got a ring that was somewhat similar to his and that was as good as it was getting.

That called for a sit-down and a pint.  The pint demanded something to eat to go along with it.  I still needed to get back to Dublin in time for the storytelling that evening.  There was still a bit of time after all that, so I meandered around the town a little more, finding a few music stores that demanded my attention.  One had a beautiful Irish harp that I would have given my eyeteeth to own, but they were expensive and there’s always the getting it home problem.  So, I contented myself with a drum.  The word doesn’t quite describe it adequately.  It’s the traditional Gaelic handheld drum with a beater.  I have to admit that I’m still pining for the harp, though.  It’s a good thing I had to get the hell out of Dodge before much longer.

Back in Dublin, I walked once again, not so far this time, to the Brazen Head pub.  It’s the oldest pub in Ireland, built in 1160 or thereabouts.  The evening featured dinner, traditional music and some storytelling – faeries and the like.  The singers were great, mixing song and humour and everyone got very involved very quickly.  There’s no room for being shy in Ireland.

Today now, I am starting my trek back home.  From Dublin to Belfast, then Belfast to the ferry, to the bus, to the train, arriving in Glasgow tonight.  It promises to be a long day.