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Penny’s Worldschooling
  • Amy Irwin
  • Penny Irwin
  • Ryan Irwin

Penny’s Worldschooling

The Irwin’s trip throughout Europe! Read more
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  • Penny’s Worldschooling
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    Hey Ya! - Outkast

    November 22, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Mom and I stayed in this morning while Sarah and Dad went for a walk. Sarah’s husband Danny arrived just as they got home. After saying hi, Mom and Dad left to get our turkey and Sarah left for Trinity. I showed Danny around the neighborhood and we met my parents back home for lunch. Mom and I left to meet Sarah at the Tenement Museum Dublin, stopping for a meat thermometer on our way. Our museum tour was interesting and in-depth, definitely one of my favorites so far. It brought the history of Dublin’s wealth gap to life. Mom and I took the tram to basketball with an intermediate stop at Centra for snacks. After a great practice, we came home to an empty house as everyone was at a pub with dad’s colleague Sandra. Sarah came home to start dinner, followed by Dad and Danny. Our meal was delicious, and we wasted the evening chatting.Read more

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    Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

    November 23, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Happy Thanksgiving! Everyone was up by half nine and ready for an adventure by 10:45. We all left for the Poolbeg lighthouse, a journey which Google Maps told us would take 2 hours to walk. What we didn’t know until later was the route took us past both a wastewater and a gas treatment plant. After a half hour that smelled worse than teen spirit, we endured the wind of the seawall leading to the lighthouse. Almost blowing away, we eventually made it back to Sandymount for a late lunch. Dad and Sarah ran home from the cafe, leaving the rest of us to catch up with them at home. We threw in the turkey and spent the evening creating our feast. My pumpkin pie which followed the meal was arguably the best part, and we spent the hours after chatting. Side note: there was a riot downtown tonight. Gulp.Read more

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    Mountain Sound - Of Monsters and Men

    November 24, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    After playing our NYT games this morning, Dad and Danny brought home bagels for breakfast. Once we were appropriately dressed for the temperature, we all left for St. Stephen’s Green. Danny said goodbye to the four of us and we boarded the Glendalough bus. 1.5 hours later around 1 o’clock, we arrived at the Glendalough visitors center in Co. Wicklow. We trekked down to the 1000-year-old Monastery before walking the path to both the Lower and Upper lakes. Forking South at the Upper lake, we passed a beautiful waterfall up the hill. Continuing upward, we hit the top of the small but steep mountain and were rewarded with breathtaking views. Unfortunately, we turned back before reaching the next ridge due to our depleting time left. We stopped for a snack then met the bus right at 4:30. Back in Dublin, we cleaned up and headed to Devitt’s Bar in town for dinner and drinks. We listened to great music and later enjoyed a few episodes of The Office before bed.Read more

  • Penny’s Worldschooling

    Sports - Beach Bunny

    November 25, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Dad and Sarah went running around 10, leaving the rest of us to our own devices. Although we planned to go out for breakfast, we ended up having an assortment of foods at home. Once everyone was ready, a taxi drove us north to meet Dad’s friend Paul. The six of us then hopped on a coach bus for a 1.5 hour trip to the hurling pitch. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the unique game, particularly because our team won! The bus took us back to the clubhouse, where we had drinks and chatted. We eventually parted with Paul, taking another bus to Grafton Street. Dad led us to a fancy French restaurant where he’d made a reservation, and we stayed there for the next 2 hours. We finally headed home around 11, and got ready for bed shortly after.Read more

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    Do Nothing - The Specials

    November 26, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Sarah and Danny left for the airport around 9 this morning to catch their 11:50 flight. The morning turned into the afternoon while Mom and I read and scrolled for hours. Dad didn’t feel great, so he worked on his lecture for tomorrow’s class upstairs most of the day. Mom and I also completed some chores, ate dinner, and watched The Office in the evening. After a lovely call with Ama and Papa, we chilled some more before heading to bed.Read more

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    Sweater Weather - The Neighborhood

    November 27, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Mom woke me up before leaving to visit a local school. I spent my morning exercising, eating, and doing schoolwork. Dad left for UCD around half 10, leaving me to kill time before meeting Mom. Eventually I headed to the school, where I was greeted by Mom and her teacher friend, Emer. We ate lunch in the canteen and Emer was kind enough to finish our visit with a quick tour. After saying goodbye, Mom and I went to Dunnes to grocery shop. We had a chill afternoon, and ate dinner once Dad arrived home. The three of us chatted for a while, then did our own thing for a bit. Dad went upstairs to read, and I watched The Office while Mom finalized our December plans.Read more

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    Good Days - SZA

    November 28, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Dad left early today for his last class! Mom followed a few hours later, going to visit a neighborhood school. I ate breakfast and completed math work before she came home around noon. My afternoon consisted of me reading multiple books simultaneously. Exciting, I know. Mom chatted with a colleague and worked on some other tasks. Dad came home and we all conversed for a bit before getting back to our work. The three of us had dinner, courtesy of Mom, and had a chill evening. We even watched two episodes of Only Murders In The Building to catch ourselves up.Read more

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    Cold Cold Cold - Cage The Elephant

    November 29, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    I woke up, ate breakfast, and took a shower this morning before completing some schoolwork. Dad is totally focused on a conference this Friday and his end-of-term lecture for UCD. Mom and I left for the city center around noon, only after finishing our NYT games. We holiday shopped around Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s Green, our first stop being the Lego store where I bought a custom minifigure! Determined not to fall prey to the nice restaurants, we headed home, but not without Butler’s hot chocolate to tide us over. I made a late lunch of brie mac + cheese around 3, so the cheese wouldn’t be wasted while we’re away. Soon enough Mom and I squished like sardines on the tram to basketball, grateful for the escape from the cold temps. Practice was lovely, and our uniforms finally arrived today! Mom and I once again headed home, where we ate leftovers and watched Only Murders In The Building with Dad.Read more

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    The Streets of Kinsale - The High Kings

    November 30, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

    We left for Heuston Station via tram around half 8 this morning. After a quick breakfast, we boarded our train to Cork! The three of us enjoyed the three hours and shortly arrived in the city. We walked into the center all the way to Cork University, thankful for the fair weather. Once we’d scoped out the building where Dad’s conference will be held tomorrow, we hopped on a bus to Kinsale. The lovely coastal town was under an hour away, giving us plenty of time to check in to our accommodation and explore before nightfall. We shopped and had a drink, then came back to our room to warm up. Fishy Fishy was a quick walk, and the food was incredible! Our day of traveling wore us out, so we headed home for the night.Read more

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    Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay

    December 1, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Dad left for Cork City at half eight this morning, accompanied to the bus stop by Mom. I awoke an hour later and got packed and ready for the day. Since we left our bags, we went to cafes and gift shops, along with a few quirky misc. stores. At the jeweler, a lovely cashier gave us a map of Kinsale with a few different trails. The two of us decided to hike to James Fort in the harbor. Once there, we explored the ruins of the fort and enjoyed the incredible views. Around 2:45 we picked up our luggage at the lodge, and headed back into town for a quick snack. We hopped on the bus to Cork at 4 and walked from our drop off point to the hotel where Dad is staying. Mom and I ate a delicious plate of charcuterie, followed by a great dessert. Dad met me in the hotel lobby around 11, and we all chatted before going to bed. His conference went well.Read more

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    Traveller - Chris Stapleton

    December 2, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    After getting ready, the three of us ate a great breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We packed, checked out, and hopped in a cab for Blarney all before noon. Once in the town, we started for the castle, bags included. At the top, we all kissed the Blarney stone and then explored the beautiful surrounding property for a while. We eventually exhausted the grounds, so we went into Blarney Woolen Mills to shop and eat. We shipped gifts home and ate another lovely meal before calling a taxi to drive us to the train station in Cork. The train left for Dublin at half 4, giving us a nice view of the setting sun. In the city, we squeezed on the tram to Portobello, then ate dinner nearby. We chilled the rest of the evening and soon headed to bed.Read more

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    Wonder - Shawn Mendes

    December 3, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 5 °C

    Unsurprisingly, I slept in this morning, then rushed to get ready before Yvonne picked up Mom and I. (Dad needed the day to work on his final talk for UCD.) We headed over an hour north to Trim Castle, originally built in the late 1100s. After the three of us walked the grounds, we joined the noon tour of the fortress. Unfortunately, we left early for our next destination, but not before exploring most of the castle. Three hot drinks later, we drove to Newgrange, a burial chamber dating back to 3200 BC (before the building of Stonehenge). We learned lots about the tomb’s history from the visitor’s center before taking the shuttle to the site. Inside the building, our lovely tour guide better informed us on its creation, then gave us time to explore the nearby paths. Later, we stopped in Slane for takeaway which we ate on a bench in the rain. Yvonne dropped us home past half 6, and Mom, Dad, and I all enjoyed a chill evening.Read more

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    Today - The Smashing Pumpkins

    December 4, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    My morning was spent doing schoolwork and eating breakfast. Past noon, Mom and I dragged Dad with us to grocery shop for the week. After finishing our trip at the bakery, we came home and unpacked before Mom took a call at 2. Dad and I went to a local cafe where we ate and played chess. I have not improved much since my last game, as it turns out. We made our way home and had a quiet afternoon. Mom made a delicious dinner around 8, and we finished the evening with our annual screening of Elf.Read more

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    Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms

    December 5, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    As Christmas approaches, it’s going to become increasingly difficult not to have every title be a holiday song. Anyway, I had a morning similar to every other morning recently, and took a nice long shower. Dad had already gone to campus for the day. At lunch, Mom and I headed to a nearby restaurant and ate plenty of delicious chicken. Afterward, the two of us quickly stopped home to bundle up before walking to Grafton for a few items. Once we checked out Abbey Lane (yet another hanging umbrella street), we went to The Ivy for a quick drink. We trekked home to Dad and spent the next two hours lounging. Eventually, the three of us hiked down St. George’s Street to The Stag’s Head pub’s ukulele night! Dad’s friends met us there and we had a great night filled with beer and cheer!Read more

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    Rain - The Beatles

    December 6, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    After a long slumber, we all were up by half nine to greet Dad’s colleague Sandra. They’ve been co-teaching a class all semester. She stopped for a quick chat, then she and Dad went to a cafe. I completed my schoolwork for the next hour or so before Dad came home. Mom and I then left for the General Post Office museum on O’Connell Street, which was incredibly interesting and engaging. We learned about the GPO’s significance in the fight for Irish independence along with more information on the Easter Uprising. Upon leaving the museum, we discovered the skies had opened up quite a bit and we hopped on the closest tram to avoid getting drenched. I spent my afternoon relaxing before eating an early dinner. Dad and I headed to my last basketball practice, which ended up being very fun. It was still raining on our walk home, so we bundled up for the night and watched Only Murders In The Building.Read more

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    Winter Wonderland - Darlene Love

    December 7, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    The three of us each had our own tasks this morning, with Dad running, Mom buying breakfast and tidying up, and me frantically cleaning my room. My parents met Brian at a nearby bus stop, and Mom and Brian came home while Dad left for UCD. (Today was his big lecture to the UCD school of history.) Brian got cleaned up and I took him out for coffee and a tour of the neighborhood. Then the three of us went to McCafferty’s for lunch. We ate and waited out the rain, then hopped on the tram into the city center. Exploring North of the Liffey, we walked both O’Connell and Henry street, ending up in a cathedral-turned-pub called The Church. Down south, we went into Trinity and down Grafton Street. Back in our neighborhood, we stopped in Brindle for glasses of wine and Uno. The evening was spent playing song quiz and watching the Office, before meeting Dad for Japanese food. Now Dad and Brian are at O’Connells, while Mom and I head to bed.Read more

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    Deck The Halls - Nat King Cole

    December 8, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    My parents and I woke up significantly earlier than Brian, so we spent our morning doing some work. Once he awoke, we all had a bite to eat and headed out on the southbound bus to Enniskerry. 45 mins later, the four of us arrived and walked to Powerscourt Estate. We spent our afternoon in the gorgeous expanse of gardens, exploring every part we could. It’s one of the top three gardens in the world. Of course we ended in their distillery, where Dad and Brian did a whiskey tasting. Back in Enniskerry, we ate dinner at the local Inn. Dad and Bri went to a second pub as Mom and I shopped. We had some time to waste because the bus only came once per hour. Or that’s what we thought! In actuality, the bus never came. So, 20 minutes past our scheduled pickup, Mom called a cab to take us home. I’m currently at the flat. Everyone else has been at a nearby pub for a few hours, enjoying Ireland’s drinking culture.Read more

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    All I Do Is Win - DJ Khaled

    December 9, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Mom woke me up around half 8 for basketball. Dad was awake but Brian slept for a while after Mom and I left, due to their very late night out. At the tournament, I played for almost 2 hours. Though today’s song title suggests the opposite, I did not win every game. But I won MVP which was pretty cool. I celebrated with my friends before saying my final goodbyes. In the meantime, Dad and Brian were in Bray walking the cliffs. Mom and I went for lunch at a cafe on our way home, then enjoyed a chill afternoon. I read my novel and we played chess for a while, then ordered Indian takeaway for dinner. After a few episodes of The Office, we each did some mindless tasks and read some more. We’re now having some quiet time before the boys finally get home. They’re on a pub crawl down Camden.Read more

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    Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys

    December 10, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    The Brian storm has passed. We all slept late this morning. Per usual, Brian spent a while getting ready. Before he left, we brought him to Bretzel for baked goods. Dad walked him to the bus stop and he got on a #16 bus to the airport after a few mishaps. Mom and I left for Grafton Street to get a few Christmas gifts around half 1, and made it back for our 3:45 reservation at Locks, which is a restaurant we’ve wanted to visit since we got here. The three of us each had a completely different meal that was delicious in its own way. After our lovely dinner, we came home and had an uneventful evening. It seems like we were all pretty exhausted from the last few days.Read more

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    Midnight City - M83

    December 11, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My morning was pretty chill, as I slept in and didn’t have much work to do. We awoke to big news: our cat Milo returned home after three weeks away. We’re so thankful and relieved. After some celebration, Dad left by half ten for an 11 o’clock meeting at Trinity. Once Mom and I were ready, we met Dad and Ben Hamm (the son of Dad’s colleague at Albany) at a bookshop favorite of ours. Ben brought us to lunch at Cornucopia, a delicious vegetarian/vegan restaurant. We parted ways with him after our meal, and introduced Dad to Hodges Figgis. I stayed at the bookstore for an hour or so while my parents had a drink. Mom picked me up as Dad was off to another meeting nearby. So Mom and I had a calm evening, we exercised, ate dinner, and watched The Office. Dad is still out as of my posting this, so he’s probably having lots of fun.Read more

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    Cool Kids - Echosmith

    December 12, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    I was dragged out of bed this morning because the plumber arrived around half 8. He made sure our pipes weren’t going to blow up, then headed out. Dad took a call with a student while I did my schoolwork and Mom scheduled the next few days. We walked to the Guinness Storehouse for the iconic tour at 11:30, just in time for beer at noon. The museum experience itself was interactive and enjoyable, however, my first sip of Guinness did not go well. What a disgusting drink. We ate a lovely lunch at a bistro before trekking home. After picking up ingredients for dinner, we started the chili at home and otherwise had a calm afternoon, prepping for the evening festivities. Dad’s students came at 6 pm, and we ate pizza and chili and chatted for the next 3 hours. They like him a lot. Once that wrapped up, we ended the night by finishing season 3 of Only Murders in the Building.Read more

  • Penny’s Worldschooling

    Last Night - Morgan Wallen

    December 13, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Tonight is our last night in our Dublin flat! Dad left for UCD this morning to say his final goodbyes while Mom and I worked a bit. We left around 12:15 for Tara St Station, with a stop at Carroll’s for a last few gifts. The DART brought us to Dún Laoghaire where we met Dad and Paul. The four of us walked to Forty Foot, and the boys went swimming. They didn’t last too long! After they dried off, we walked into town for a late lunch at the Greedy Eagle in Sandycove. We took the DART back to the city and the three of us said goodbye to Paul. Before going home, I grabbed a final Christmas gift at the wool market. We lounged about this evening, eating leftovers for dinner and watching our respective shows. The night ended with an hour of Uno, both Dad and I winning a game.Read more

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    You’re Gonna Go Far - Noah Kahan

    December 14, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Dad went running and Mom went shopping this morning while I hung out. We spent the remainder of the day packing everything we own here into our suitcases. Once everything was cleaned out, the three of us said goodbye to 44 Martin St and called a taxi to our hotel. (We figured it’d be easier to get the airport shuttle at the hotel at 4 am than a predawn bus across the city.) Around half five, I met my parents at the hotel restaurant and we enjoyed a delicious meal and some drinks. We’re now headed to bed to be rested for our early flight tomorrow.Read more

  • Penny’s Worldschooling

    Vienna - Billy Joel

    December 15, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    We woke up early as promised at 4, catching the shuttle to the airport. Security was a breeze and we boarded the plane a few hours later. We arrived in Vienna around 11 their time, and explored the area around our flat while we waited for a key. Eventually, we met our lovely host, who told us about the city as she introduced us to our flat on the 30th floor of an amazing new building. We decided to walk around the city center after freshening up. The three of us passed museums and markets galore. We shopped in three different Christmas markets within 2 or so hours, an impressive feat. Tired following a long day, we came home and bought dinner at a grocery store nearby. We ended the evening with a screening of Home Alone, which put us all in the holiday spirit.Read more

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    Museum Day - Coyle Girelli

    December 16, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    We slept well after our long day, and didn’t leave the house until 11:15. From home, we stopped for takeaway pastries on our walk to the Museum Quartier. We spent a long while in the Albertina, looking at the Monet and Michaelangelo exhibits along with other engaging collections such as “American Prospects.” A crepe shop dotted the path to our next museum, a clear sign we needed to eat some. Once we’d eaten delicious crepes, we went to the Leopold Museum for more lovely displays of art. We followed our visit with dinner from a nearby restaurant, before checking out another gorgeous Christmas market. The three of us drank more warm drinks and headed home, but not before stopping at one last market nearby.Read more

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