CÚIG GHRIANGHRAF-Ireland Day 30

Today is bonus day 2 in Dublin, and it was pretty low key for us despite the frenetic hurling fans' in the city. We started the day with a delicious breakfast in the hotel. Jim C opted to get a haircut, and I mostly relaxed in our hotel room. I didn't particularly sleep well as the revelers were quite loud into the wee hours of the morning, and the air was a bit warm and still.

I wanted to find the Molly Malone statue as it reminded me of my elementary teacher leading us in songs from other countries. It's interesting how I might not remember someone's name from six months ago, but I can belt out the lyrics of Molly Malone, English Country Garden, Waltzing Matilda and visualize my teachers leading us in song.

Molly, as portrayed by the sculptor, could also be in competition with Dolly Parton for her well-endowed bosom. I noticed the amusement of other tourists as well while we were taking photos.

Right next to Molly was a painting of a downtrodden man with a despairing poem. It reminded me of the panhandlers who we have seen on the streets. With rare exception they have been exceedingly polite and offering well wishes despite my declining response. I'm reminded of our privilege and the need to do more to support those who need our help.

We stopped for lunch at a nearby Thai restaurant that was quite good, and then we started working our way back to the hotel. On the way, we passed the Irish Rock Hall of Fame, and we approached the famous Temple Bar. We decided to stop for a drink. The bar has many lively rooms with considerable memorabilia. In a nearby room, two local singers were singing traditional Irish songs, but then switched to "Sweet Caroline" with the obligatory crowd sing- shouting "BAH BAH BAH!!!!"

I'm glad that we stopped in the Temple Bar. On one level, we've resisted the urge to visit the "you must go see" places life the Guinness warehouse or the Jameson Distillery or the Titanic Museum in Belfast. We were pleasantly surprised by the experience. While we were at the bar, Limerick squeezed out an all Ireland hurling championship and there are many happy fans in green shirts mixed with the black and yellow clad fans rooting for Kilkenny's losing team.

We ended the day with a Zoom call back home with one of our community groups. The call reminded me how much we miss these people.They are among our treasured friends and we are excited to see them.

We are enjoying a quiet night with the exception of the bar across the street belting out a traditional Irish song loop. I should have them memorized soon. We have discovered that Irish songs have a bit of a formulaic structure to them. I might write one of my own dedicated to British Airways. Best to you all from Dublin.Read more