Day Ten

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

After spending my first night in since arriving in Ireland and overcoming my jet lag, I was anxious to spend Friday exploring and adventuring with the people who have become my friends in the past week and a half. I’m lucky enough to not have classes on Fridays so the whole day was open to possibilities. Unfortunately, after waking up and eating breakfast, none seemed to be presenting themselves as my friends seemed otherwise occupied.

So I was forced to stay inside doing reading for my theatre class as it poured rain outside (it’s Ireland, what else is new?). I was beginning to think the whole day would be a waste when, as soon as I finished my required reading, a miraculous thing happened: The sun came out. Amazed by this unfamiliar sight in Galway, I immediately grabbed my towel, my sunglasses, my “for fun” book, and a sandwich and walked down to the banks of the River Corrib.

One positive thing about our dormitories is that they are literally situated next to the river and there is a small dock along the banks. This is where I laid out my towel and enjoyed my sandwich before laying down and reading my nice work of fiction. Despite the fact that I was still alone and hadn’t done anything yet that day (except my laundry which in itself is an accomplishment), I actually had fun lying in the sun right next to the water and seeing the tour boat cruise by and the teams of rowers practicing.

Eventually, it came time for an event that we had been looking forward to all week—a Galway United football match. (That’s soccer for us Americans). Despite the fact that we had been hearing consistently negative things about the team all week from the people who actually knew there was a match going on, we were still pretty pumped to see it and the stadium was less than a ten-minute walk from our dorms.

I don’t pretend that I know anything about soccer/football or that I actually have any interest in sports in general, but I figured since I was in Ireland, I should probably check out the local sport. And even I, who constantly had to ask what was going on, knew that the poor Galway United team was seriously outclassed by the mighty Cork team, who beat them 2-0.

We decided to nurse our injured pride by going out to the pubs. I ended up with the girls at The Front Door, a multistoried building that plays deafening American music and packs in more people than a sardine can. One member of our group met some locals and introduced us—putting aside the fact that they were all clearly pushing thirty, the leader of the group saw that I was drinking Smithwick’s and told me that it gave his friend muscles like Popeye, but I didn’t need to drink it because I “have enough boobs already.”

Needless to say, I didn’t stay there long after. It didn’t help that there seemed to be a disproportionate amount of gay men at the pub (who apparently didn’t get the memo that Dublin Pride was LAST week), and they might have traumatized my poor friend Niall (who is only 18 and the baby of our trip) because at least two had hit on him. So myself, Niall, and Liz (who is also from Chico) left and made our way up Shop St. where we happened to run into Abbey and some of her friends.

So we decided to tag along and went to a pub more down in the Claddagh called Crane’s, where it was equally packed with people, but the only music playing was that from a local, traditional Irish band. We managed to get a seat downstairs and enjoyed our drinks, counting down the minutes to midnight when we toasted the independence of our great country from the Brits (i.e. Adanna).

…and promptly got the “effing American tourist” look from all the Irish locals.

Next stop: Yeats’ Tower, Coole Park

(On the way to the match, the game, sunset on the River Corrib)