"God made the Italians for their beauty. The French for fine food. The Swedes for intelligence. The Jews for religion. And on and on until he looked at what he had created and said, 'This is all very fine but no one is having fun. I guess I'll have to make me an Irishman.'"
Over the weekend I decided to take a tour of southern Ireland to celebrate my 21st birthday. My brother and sister traveled all over Ireland last summer, and they described Ireland and its people in a way that made me really want to travel there. I am SO happy I did, because I had the most amazing time and the best birthday of my life! The tour kicked off on Friday morning in Dublin, and we hit the road to Blarney. On our way we made two stops, one to see the Rock of Cashel and another in the small town of Abbey-Leix. Once in Blarney, we headed to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. The castle grounds were beautiful. Everything was so green; I felt like I was back home in the Pacific Northwest. Climbing to the top of the castle and then hanging upside down over a sheer drop, we all kissed the stone, to gain the gift of gab. Next, there was shopping in Blarney, where I bought a traditional Irish sweater from the Aran Islands. We spent our first night in Killarney. With the beauty of the national park and Ross Castle, this town is a popular location for tourists. We spent the evening at O’Connor’s pub, drinking Murphy’s, the Irish stout brewed in Southern Ireland, and listening to Pa, Killarney’s famous storyteller, who can drink a pint of Guinness faster that you can say “a pint of Guinness.” 
On Saturday, my birthday, we left Killarney and headed to the picturesque Dingle Peninsula. This region of Ireland is absolutely stunning! From the green fields and sheep, to the crashing waves and grey stones, it was hard not to feel awestruck by our surroundings. I couldn’t have picked a better place to spend my birthday. Before heading to Ennis, our final destination for the night, we spent a few hours in Dingle and also traveled to Dunmore Head, the most westerly point in Europe. In Ennis we stayed at a wonderful hostel that has won the award for ‘Best Irish Hostel’ since it opened in 2009. Ennis is a cute little town known for its idyllic charm, and for being the capital of traditional Irish music. That night for dinner I chose hearty Irish food, Guinness Irish Stew, yum! I celebrated my birthday with friends at Cruises, a pub with live music. In Ireland it is tradition that on your 21st birthday you receive 21 kisses from 21 Irishmen. There was a stag party at the pub that night. One of the guys found out that it was my 21st birthday, told all of his friends, and they proceeded to give me my 21 kisses. It was the best night ever; I met SO many nice people, enjoyed traditional Irish music, drank with Irishmen, danced along to an awesome band, and had the time of my life; I didn’t want the night to end!
Sunday morning we took the scenic route to Galway, making a stop to see the Cliffs of Moher. These Cliffs are absolutely magnificent. I couldn’t believe the incredible drop down into the ocean. I would love to have spent more time in Galway. While we were there we did some shopping and explored the streets. After grabbing a quick ice cream cone for lunch, it was off to Dublin.
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| Christchurch Cathedral |
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| Dublin Castle |
On my last night I stayed at a nice hostel right in the center of town, next to Dublin Castle and Christchurch Cathedral. It was fun to wander around this city. I saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street, Trinity College, and the Temple Bar District. My dinner was at a fish-and-chips joint, the first one in Dublin! Yum! On Monday, my last day in Dublin, I took a guided tour of Dublin Castle and visited the Guinness Storehouse. The Guinness was delicious! Our tour guide, Sean, told us that Guinness is a beer that is best when it is fresh. It does not travel well, and the further it gets from the Guinness Storehouse, the worse it will be. After my visit to the beer Mecca of Ireland, I headed to the airport to catch my last flight back to Paris this semester. The weekend was a short and sweet taste of Ireland that went by too fast, and I was very sad to say goodbye to the Emerald Isle.
Over the weekend I decided to take a tour of southern 
On Saturday, my birthday, we left Killarney and headed to the picturesque Dingle Peninsula. This region of 
Sunday morning we took the scenic route to 
