National Gallery of Ireland

Carvaggio

Cupid

Peasant Wedding 

A Trip to Kilbarrack

The International Comedy Club and The Mezz

Within my first day of landing in Ireland I realized that many things are different, but not unmanageable.  However, in some of the older housing in Ireland you have to turn the water on to heat up at least thirty minutes before you want to use it (this is called the immersion).   This includes hot water for cooking, showering, washing your face etc.  So, Derek decided to help me understand this through a fellow American that has lived in Ireland for eighteen years.  The comedian is named Des Bishop and is quite popular here in Ireland.   

www.youtube.com/watch?v=52bna-tn_dY 

This should explain exactly what it is for all the non-Irish people.   

Aidan Bishop

We decided to head to the International Comedy Club where Des Bishop and his young brother Aidan Bishop are the MC's.

Des Bishop

During the show, there were four different acts with the main act being Maeve Higgans.  Apparently she is quite famous here with her own comedy show on TV, but she was absolutely horrible.  She's from Cork and has a very strange and difficult accent to understand.   I thought it was only me that couldn't understand her, but I overheard other girls from Ireland talking about how they needed a translator to be able to understand her.

In the last comedy act it was obvious that the comedian wanted to interact with the crowd as much as possible.   He had just asked if there were any Australians and had joked with them a bit.  That is when Derek turns to me and says do not respond to anything if it applies to you!   Right about that time he asks if there are any Americans in the crowd which I respond with a loud and proud woooooooooooooo from the corner.   Derek is already dying that I responded to him, but I continue to answer his questions.  His first is how long are you here for and I respond with for five months.  He then asks me what are you doing here and my already tipsy self responds with a finger pointing Derek with someone else shouting "HIM" I knew at that point that the comedian didn't expect to have such blunt honesty, so he left us alone and didn't ask us any other questions.  

After we left the comedy club we stopped at one last place called The Mezz for a few drinks before we headed home.  

The Globe and Kehoe's 9

Yesterday I was feeling a bit cooped up, so we decided to venture out and go walking down some of the streets of Dublin.  I'm pretty sure I'm still suffering 

from some jet lag because I tend to get sleepy at the weirdest times and then wide awake in the middle of the night.   We went around some of the shopping streets and to look for Trevon (my little cousin) a birthday gift.  I picked up a few postcards to send to people while Derek found a paddy cap.  I told him that I just expect to see him tomorrow with a tweed vest, his paddy cap, and a cane.    I think some how in the back of my mind I expect the Irish men to still dress like this while the sheep pass by on the streets.   I can assure you that this is not true in Dublin.   

With it still being around the holiday season, the streets of Dublin are packed with people.   We passed by Arnotts Department Store that is one of the shopping landmarks on Dublin's north side.   

The city is still decorated for Christmas with some of the decorations still being in Irish.   One of the picture is of the street lights that literally means Christmas happy to you with it being Nollaig Shona Duit in Irish.  

We also went to two bars last night-- The Globe and Kehoe's 9.    The Globe had a Bob Dylan tribute band there that was playing which was nice.  

My First of Pint of Guinness in Ireland

Afterwards we ventured over to 9 South Anne Street to go to Kehoe's.   Derek made sure we went to this one because before I came over I had mentioned that I had wanted to go to all of the Kehoe's.   Little did I know that the number nine was only the street number with me thinking it was a chain of bars.   The bar was quite nice and cozy on the inside and was enjoying the "craic", but all of a sudden I heard the strangest comment coming from some very young kids.   They were all in unison doing the Pauly D "oh yeahhhh" which I found a bit shocking since I thought the Jersey Shore lingo wouldn't quite make it this far. 

On the way home, we decided to stop by Burger King for some "soakage."   One of the nice boys sitting beside us decided to christen the term on me since it was obvious that all of us had been drinking.

Close to home, we passed by the infamous Molly Malone where Derek and I decided to take a few pictures with her.   Legend has it that she was a a fishmonger by day and a prostitute by night hence the low cut dress.  There is also a famous song about her. 




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdxLxnhGnvo 






In fact, the song is quite famous and popular here today and is sung at the Dublin Gaelic football game as one of their anthems  

The Hugh Lane Gallery

I have always loved visiting museums and art galleries, but I will admit in the past, I have not taken advantages of the ones in Boston.  I do plan on going to many of the galleries and museums here with my first one being the Hugh Lane Gallery.   The building is quite beautiful itself with three stories and many different rooms.  The main exhibit the gallery boasts is the home of Francis Bacon's studio.   Francis Bacon was an Irish born painter that was known for his graphic, bold, and emotionally raw paintings.   His studio was donated to the Hugh Lane Gallery by John Edwards after Bacon's death.     It was carefully reconstructed in the gallery with everything in supposedly the exact same place.    

One of his quotes is on the wall that says "I feel at home in this chaos because chaos suggests images to me.  And in any case I just love living in chaos.  I do like things to be clean, I don't want the plates and things to be filthy, but I like a chaotic atmosphere."   After a quick search about the life of Francis Bacon, it came up that in his early years that he was locked into a cupboard by his nanny for hours when he was young.  Many have suggested that this is why he thrived in a chaotic space and refusal to work in a large setting.  As you can see by the picture, he definitely was able to live and work in a very chaotic and cluttered area.  When looking into the room it was almost impossible not to look for at least five minutes because the room just had so many things inside it.   It looked as if there were at least five hundred paint cans and tubes splattered around the room.

The visiting exhibit to the gallery was by Richard Tuttle.  His artwork seemed to very minimalist with some of it having a childlike element to it.  The visiting exhibit to the gallery was by Richard Tuttle.  His artwork seemed to very minimalist with some of it having a childlike element to it.   In the first picture it is a piece of a wire that has been bent with a pencil drawing on the wall. 

                                                                                                                              

  

Daily Life in Dublin

After numerous people had told me that groceries and food are quite expensive in Dublin, I have found it to be true.   I mean it's nothing outrageously priced, but coming from exchanging 260 dollars and getting back 183, it makes you take in consideration that the item that's 2.75 euros is actually about 4.50 to 5.00 dollars. As I did my shopping for the week with Derek we had to go to about four different grocery stores to find some of the things I needed for the things I know how to make.    The grocery stores are quite different.  For instance, the deli, frozen meat, and all frozen foods are almost like walking into a walk in freezer.   Unlike American freezer sections where they have the frozen food section contained with doors.   Also, unlike in America, you have to bring your own bags to the grocery store or you have to pay for plastic bags.   This leaves some interesting ways for people here to try to get their groceries home with most bringing some sort of a suitcase or back pack.  

Tesco Supermarket

Irishman in Braveheart

Derek and I had a quiet night in last night where he seemed shocked that I had never seen Braveheart.   It's a great movie, but seems to hold a lot more power for the Scottish and Irish that have had more direct oppression (Derek made me change rule to oppression) over them.  Derek also has a long lost family member in Braveheart where he claims that Ireland is "his island."    I'm pretty sure if you look closely, you can see some resemblance, or at least what Derek would look like as dark headed.




I also was exposed to a fantastic TV show from England called The Inbetweeners.   I was a bit shocked by the graphic and a bit crude humor that is allowed to be on the TV.   The only thing Derek could muster up is that it only comes on after 9 PM, but it seems that it's quite explicit sexual humor that is directed towards middle school aged kids.  The show is absolutely hilarious, but I was amazed at how this could be on TV and not be considered all that raunchy.  Here are a few pictures of a few of the scenes that would never come on American TV.  Here is a link that you can watch the full episode/s on:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJpzJiV1V_c

Neil humping a book

Will trying to lose his virginity

Neil had his clothes stolen at work

Jay's dad mocking him over his lack of ability to talk to girls

The Raheny Inn

Last night it was a friend of Derek's birthday, so to celebrate we met up with them at The Raheny Inn.  I was already a bit nervous about meeting a lot of his friends, but the saying that you'll never meet a nicer bunch of drunks is true here in Ireland.  All of his friends were extremely nice and had no qualms about me being a newcomer.

Brian Mahon, Me, and Derek 

It was also great to be able to see how Derek and his old friends  interact with one another.   It has been a bit of a challenge for me to be able to understand the  Irish humor.  What most Americans would find uncomfortable or possibly get slightly offended by, is what the Irish people find the funniest.   Apparently this is a term called "slagging" or "taking the piss".   It is especially important not to say "taking the piss on you" as I once said to Derek and he has yet to let me live it down.  

Derek and Brian McDonnell

I especially enjoyed talking to Derek's friend Brian as the first thing I said to him is that I was unsure which he was since he has a twin brother.   His response "fuck him.  I'm the only one that matters."   The Irish definitely do not hold anything back for a laugh.  Which has proven to be quite refreshing.   


After we left The Raheny Inn, Derek was dying for some fries from Burger King.   I was shocked to find that it had two pretty fierce looking guards.  Derek told me that all stores have them in Dublin including convenience stores have them at night.   


I also had a gift from the American Beer Gods waiting for me downstairs in the bathroom of Burger King.   Apparently, some drunk girl had left an entire can of Budweiser in the bathroom.   So the slightly tipsy me took it with home thinking had found gold while at the King. 

Me at O'Connell Street