Dublin Pub Crawl during Cork night (Gaelic Football) win
When I arrived in Ireland on Sunday, I was welcomed by a Dublin City in high spirits and untamed revelry. Wow, what is going on?! People were partying on the streets, shouting and waving flags and hordes of people from all ages were dressed in uniformed red and white tee shirts sponsored by O2. Even the pubs were already filled to the brim at 20:00? Huh. Let me guess, a football match? Indeed! My arrival was very timely, it’s the Irish Gaelic Football 2010 Championships in Dublin, and Cork just won against Down.
So back at my Georgian-style boutique hotel, I was looking at side trip tour brochures in the piano room when two raucous Cork fans dressed in red and white O2 tee shirts came trudging in.
‘Ha—llooo girls!’
The group of Spanish women seated on the settee giggled and one of them said—‘Weee dun NOT speek Engleeshh’.
The guys realized they are from Spain so they shouted instead, ‘We are campeones! Campeones!’ And this obviously hurled the women into greater giggling heights.
Now, I can’t really remember how I got into a conversation with the Cork guys. They were pretty much the natural and ‘gezellig’ types, the ones that you would like to have in your party to perk up the mood, nonchalant, friendly and charming in their approach that even the standoffish me can only smile. Shhh, but I do not really mingle with strangers unless I am lost and needed to ask help for directions.
Nevertheless, the Cork guys invited me to go pubbing and clubbing with them. It’s my first night in Dublin and moreover Cork won, so celebrations should be in order, right? The third Cork guy sensed my hesitation and quickly came to the rescue telling me that a German girl who could Irish tap dance is coming along as well. As if everything was orchestrated perfectly in the background, the German girl—let’s call her Jess, strolled into the piano room. She looked pretty normal to me, not the wild party type girl, so I am relieved. As well as the guys are a tad older, I estimate the youngest to be in his 40’s, the next in his 50’s and the oldest in his late 60’s. Perfect, I reckon they must at least be on the already ‘tamed’ stage in their lives so I agreed =)
Well, what a fun night! We crawled to only two pubs, one near our hotel in O’Connell street and the other located at the Bachelor’s Walk along the Liffey Canal. We were thinking of hitting the famous Temple Bar area but never made it there because we got stuck in the second pub. It was a riot really; there were so many young kids inside the pubs screaming and dancing some Irish tribal war tap championship dance. It was amazing. A couple of times I have to duck so as not to get hit from their arms and legs flying all over the place. Seriously, I am not kidding, the kids have so much energy, and ewwww, they were all sweating as well.
And when there are massive congregations of people inside the pub, mostly men, guess what happens? Smelly beer farts! Ugh, it is so freaking disgusting! DISGUSTING. I feel faint. I want outta here!!!
Anywho, the night is not yet over.
Later into the evening this 29-year old winner who thinks I am younger than him was hitting on me and kept whispering to my ear, WHY ARE YOU WITH ‘DIRTY OLD MEN’. What did you just say, kid? Haha. Firstly, he doesn’t believe I am 40. Secondly, I feel safer with the dirty old men than with this young sucker of a winner. Well, I commend him though for trying out his best persuasion powers to steal me away from the Dirty Old Men. I am flattered, like I am the most wanted princess in Dublin. Not.
But, you know what? It just dawned on me that this is not really my lifestyle and the kind of fun I want. I felt too old to be pub crawling or going to discotheques, partying and such. Young dudes flirting with me just gave me the creeps. But I understand that tonight is an exemption because I am in Ireland: I AM GOING LOCAL and celebrating a football win.
So the final score! I had three and a half pints of Guinness dark, a half pint of Guinness lager and a taste of whiskey. A pint is equivalent to two glasses so that’s about eight glasses or more beer for me for the evening. The guys were astonished at my beer drinking prowess, haha, and unanimously concluded that I am officially an Irish gal now! Bravo =)
Got back at the hotel at 03:00 and woke up in the morning at 08:00 with a mild hangover. Didn’t have any headache though but felt like everything is going slow motion for me.
I went to have my breakfast at 09:00, I did not eat my food, instead I went back to bed. Woke up at 11:30 feeling a bit refreshed. Oh dear, I really needed that additional 2-hour sleep, it made such a huge difference to my state of self. Now I think I am ready to explore Dublin.
Travel Period: September 2010
Destination: Dublin, Ireland
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
So back at my Georgian-style boutique hotel, I was looking at side trip tour brochures in the piano room when two raucous Cork fans dressed in red and white O2 tee shirts came trudging in.
‘Ha—llooo girls!’
The group of Spanish women seated on the settee giggled and one of them said—‘Weee dun NOT speek Engleeshh’.
The guys realized they are from Spain so they shouted instead, ‘We are campeones! Campeones!’ And this obviously hurled the women into greater giggling heights.
Now, I can’t really remember how I got into a conversation with the Cork guys. They were pretty much the natural and ‘gezellig’ types, the ones that you would like to have in your party to perk up the mood, nonchalant, friendly and charming in their approach that even the standoffish me can only smile. Shhh, but I do not really mingle with strangers unless I am lost and needed to ask help for directions.
Nevertheless, the Cork guys invited me to go pubbing and clubbing with them. It’s my first night in Dublin and moreover Cork won, so celebrations should be in order, right? The third Cork guy sensed my hesitation and quickly came to the rescue telling me that a German girl who could Irish tap dance is coming along as well. As if everything was orchestrated perfectly in the background, the German girl—let’s call her Jess, strolled into the piano room. She looked pretty normal to me, not the wild party type girl, so I am relieved. As well as the guys are a tad older, I estimate the youngest to be in his 40’s, the next in his 50’s and the oldest in his late 60’s. Perfect, I reckon they must at least be on the already ‘tamed’ stage in their lives so I agreed =)
Well, what a fun night! We crawled to only two pubs, one near our hotel in O’Connell street and the other located at the Bachelor’s Walk along the Liffey Canal. We were thinking of hitting the famous Temple Bar area but never made it there because we got stuck in the second pub. It was a riot really; there were so many young kids inside the pubs screaming and dancing some Irish tribal war tap championship dance. It was amazing. A couple of times I have to duck so as not to get hit from their arms and legs flying all over the place. Seriously, I am not kidding, the kids have so much energy, and ewwww, they were all sweating as well.
And when there are massive congregations of people inside the pub, mostly men, guess what happens? Smelly beer farts! Ugh, it is so freaking disgusting! DISGUSTING. I feel faint. I want outta here!!!
Crazy Irish kids from Cork dancing and farting, this area of the pub stinks like there will be no other day. Really.
Iam showing off here my beer drinking prowess, muwahaha! Seriously I am a wine drinker, so I have high tolerance for beer. Beer is about 4.5% alchohol content compared to 12%-13% for wine.
Irish tap dancing in Murrays Bar and Grill, our first pub. I tried the dance as well =).
Me with Jess from Germany. Interestingly, I have been to her hometown, Bremen.
The Cork guys doing their YMCA dance version.
Me, the German girl and one of the Cork guys in the second pub, Knightsbridge Bar at the Arlington Hotel on Bachelors Walk.
Anywho, the night is not yet over.
Later into the evening this 29-year old winner who thinks I am younger than him was hitting on me and kept whispering to my ear, WHY ARE YOU WITH ‘DIRTY OLD MEN’. What did you just say, kid? Haha. Firstly, he doesn’t believe I am 40. Secondly, I feel safer with the dirty old men than with this young sucker of a winner. Well, I commend him though for trying out his best persuasion powers to steal me away from the Dirty Old Men. I am flattered, like I am the most wanted princess in Dublin. Not.
But, you know what? It just dawned on me that this is not really my lifestyle and the kind of fun I want. I felt too old to be pub crawling or going to discotheques, partying and such. Young dudes flirting with me just gave me the creeps. But I understand that tonight is an exemption because I am in Ireland: I AM GOING LOCAL and celebrating a football win.
So the final score! I had three and a half pints of Guinness dark, a half pint of Guinness lager and a taste of whiskey. A pint is equivalent to two glasses so that’s about eight glasses or more beer for me for the evening. The guys were astonished at my beer drinking prowess, haha, and unanimously concluded that I am officially an Irish gal now! Bravo =)
Got back at the hotel at 03:00 and woke up in the morning at 08:00 with a mild hangover. Didn’t have any headache though but felt like everything is going slow motion for me.
I went to have my breakfast at 09:00, I did not eat my food, instead I went back to bed. Woke up at 11:30 feeling a bit refreshed. Oh dear, I really needed that additional 2-hour sleep, it made such a huge difference to my state of self. Now I think I am ready to explore Dublin.
Travel Period: September 2010
Destination: Dublin, Ireland
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
