Paddy's Day

Last year was our first St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, and we dove in head first. We were full of enthusiasm, and we celebrated until we could not celebrate any more.

This year we were a little more relaxed about the whole thing. Amazingly, the weather cooperated again (no rain for two years in a row is a big deal around here). It is a day off work and school for everyone other than some bartenders and restaurateurs, so we went out with friends the night before and completely wiped ourselves out. After sleeping in on the day itself, we had a nice brunch and caught a bit of the parade mayhem. Then a friend mentioned that he was thinking of driving out to Youghal, a seaside town about 40 minutes outside of Cork City, to go for a walk along the beach. We decided that a little afternoon trip out of the city and some fresh air might do us good, so off we went.

We parked on one end of the beach and walked for about 40 minutes along the sand to the other end, where we sat in a hotel restaurant. Although the beach was quite empty and we saw no revellers in Youghal, at the hotel restaurant on the beach some of the kids had Irish flags and shamrocks painted on their faces. St. Patrick's Day managed to infiltrate even the quiet little corners.

After sitting down for a bit, we walked back along the beach to the car and our friend drove us home. It was such a nice little spontaneous getaway.