Ireland...

I decided that my entry detailing my week in Ireland with my college friend Beth (see link to her blog: Beth to NOLA) to visit another friend from college and her husband (see link to their blog: Rinehimers In Ireland), aka "When Blogs Collide," would be done in all limericks, in honor of the land that this type of poem came from. The limerick is a 5-line poem, with the rhyming scheme of A-A-B-B-A for those non-English majors out there. Please also refer to the Rinehimers' blog for a quick vocabulary run-down in case of any confusion with the Irish lingo we used below. All limericks were authored by Steph, Beth, Mike and/or Yulo. CAUTION: The following limericks are for (im)mature audiences only and may or may not be true representations of the actual trip content, but rather what rhymed with the previous line :)

There once were two friends from the States,
Who went to Ireland to visit their mates.
They got there just fine,
But their bags fell behind,
So wearing the same dirty clothes were their fates.

There once were two girls who were sent,
To the land of gree and Guinness they were bent.
Their luggage got lost
So they went and got sauced...
Luck of the Irish out the window it went!

Travelling so much and filling up her passport book,
Steph started to get nervous at the space all these stamps took.
So she made a request,
"Please try your best,
To find room on a page that is almost filled up at one look!"

Trying to find a room in Dublin we felt like slouchers,
Having no luck using our vouchers.
"No room at our inn!"
We weren't in like Flynn...
So our third stop we became crouchers.

So those girls from the coast,

Now clean with their luggage to boast:
Book of Kells, Trinity College, Powerscourt waterfall,
Village antiquing they saw it all!
But they soon learned that walking was what they loved most!

Driving on the left,
You must be quite deft,
Traffic up the wazoo,
Overtaking on the right you must do...
Pedestrians and cyclists: look out for our heft!

There's a couple we know,
To Ireland they will soon go.
Here's one piece of advice:
For a marriage to stay nice,
Please walk in Dublin and leave the driving to Joe!
{Dedicated to our friends Tara & Arthur}

If you want to find some mighty troubles,
You may end up seeing doubles,
Going on a self-made scavenger hunt,
Our livers took most of the brunt,
On a pub tour of Dublin, the town of suds and bubbles.

No leprechauns here nor there.
The girls from the States, they looked everywhere.
Til they went to the Cafe of Hard Rock,
On the door they did knock,
Where they found a leprechaun teddy bear!

The girls tried a new way to get lacquered,
Were trying their darndest to find an "O'" on a placard.
Six pubs they had went,
Til they walked over bent.
And came home from their pub tour completely knackered.

The girls now driving through Youghal (pronounced incorrectly as Yugle for this limerick to work),
It was so beautiful they wanted to shout on a bugle.
The sights that they saw
Put them in awe,
Which is mighty for at Waterford they weren't so frugal!

Those same girls are now left to ponder...
"What goes into the making of crystal and Guinness?" they no longer wonder.
How amazing it is,
Behind the scenes of the biz,
In that land known as Eire over yonder.






The girls are in a vacation state,
They don't even remember the date.
The weather's been so nice,
What a lucky roll of the dice.
For tomorrow they can hardly wait!!

Driving the whole southeastern coast,
Those girls now know why "Irish eyes are smiling" is a popular toast.
With fields so green
And the emerald ocean's sheen,
This countryside is more beautiful than most.

So now on the subject of money...
Changing to Euros was not funny.

The dollar's so poor,
It was like watching money fly out the door.

But hey, at least the weather was sunny!

Those girls headed to Blarney with their cameras in tow,
Only to find those around them having hair the color of snow.
Years younger in age,
But at heart on the same page...
A similar future they hoped to one day know.

Upon Blarney the girls now set their sight,
Climbing stairs up and down with all their might.
Dizzying heights up above,
Upside down kissing the stone they did love.
The gift of gab would be theirs from this fortnight!

After Blarney those girls went on their way,
With advice from the hostess at the front desk who did say,
Stay clear of Limerick,
Or else you'll find yourself with a tic,
So girls go around it to have a better day!

Stunned by the beauty all around,
The girls on a road trip covering lots of ground.
Castles here, castles there,
Castles all around and everywhere...
Sheep, cows, and donkeys abound.

The Cliffs of Moher...
A sight that was definitely not a "boher".
The view they did like,
But now it's on to see Yulo and Mike.
Where they will excitedly knock on the "doher".

Driving through the Burren and on winding road,
The beauty of the ocean's shore was a repeating code.
Into Galway they crossed,
And got horribly lost,
The lady's directions at Land Rover helped to lighten the load.

Those same girls from the States,
With anticipation filling their plates,
Now on the right track,
They pulled into the cul-de-sac,
Where they finally met up with their mates!!!!!!!

Male capris were a plenty at the beach.

Fabric to the ankles we needed to teach.

We played Guillotine,
And caused a big scene,

At the end, delicious ice cream we did reach!

The fish and chips at McDonagh's are best!
You won't find better ones at any of the rest!
The chips and cod
Are a true gift from God,
To have eaten it we are truly blessed! [Amen.]

Now seated by the river filled up to their gills,

Counting male capris and noting the lack of windmills,

Catching up on limericks all day
That were lost along the way,

Tanned and refreshed from the beach, forgetting all ills.

They awoke shouting "Top o' the morning!"
"We better get going or miss the ferry!" was the warning.

With clouds in the sky,

Beth and Steph were realizing why,

People from Ireland had layers adorning.

The group headed to the Islands of Aran,

The landscape was certainly not barren.

Many layers they wore,

So they weren't chilled to the core.

And so excited were they, off the ferry they ran!

Pedalling over hill and vale on our bikes,

Their seats kept wobbling and falling except for Mike's.

They changed gears through it all,

Off the spoke the chain did fall.

Look out for the horse and carriage...yikes!

Up the hill to the lighthouse they did trek,

The highest point on the island, it took more than a sec.

They rode to the cliff,
The sea they did whiff.
Viewing the ruins they managed not to wreck.

There were horses and cows all around,

And of course poo scattered all over the ground.

They rode through a pile,

That made them lose their smile.

Whoa! Look out for that mound!

The wind off the ocean was sure whipping!

They had to fight hard to keep from tipping.

It made them desire,

The sheeps' wool they admire,

And from the sweater market they went skipping!

Steph rode ahead about a mile,

Yelling back, "Hey, give me a smile!"

She raised up her hand, which became her camera stand.

Clicking just for fun, exclaiming, "Oh, that was a good one!"

Taking pictures while riding her bike all the while!

The water in Galway they did have to boil,

So over the toilet they wouldn't coil.

Clostro Sporidium was its name,

Diarrhea was its game,

All because the drinking water the sheep's poo did spoil.

Beth & Steph couldn't help feeling old,

Headed to their beds to escape the cold,

When an 8-year-old popped into the room,

With the energy of a sonic boom,

They felt as though they had been told.

On the seventh day, the rains finally came,

But with gorgeous weather before, who could we really blame?

We got wet in the shower,
But that only increased our power!
So driving by car was the name of the game.

Steph's nail polish was thick as asphalt.

Beth & Yulo with Q-tips her fingers they did assault.

At the speed of lightning they did buff,

Sometimes getting quite rough.

With tears in her eyes she screamed halt!

With the elections around the candidates need luck.

Who will become our next taoseich? (Irish for prime minister and pronounced tea shuck)

There's signs on all the posts.

Who will get the most votes?

Weighing all our options we're still mighty stuck.

Steph drove them to the castle

So taking a bus wouldn't be a hassle.

They arrived just in time,

To dine on some honey mead wine.

With their dinner they didn't have to "rassle"!

The wine was a flowin'
& by candlelight we were glowin'

And soon we would be lit

On padded benches we did sit.

With friends that we've been a knowin'!

We dined on salmon and chicken.

The potato leak soup Yulo was a lickin'!

Good to the last drop,

And the entertainment definitely not a flop,

And the fun night kept on a tickin'!

Sighing they cleaned their plates,

Those girls from the States and their mates.
With smiles all around,
The lords and ladies full bellies they had found.
They giggled as they exited through the castle iron gates.

We had such great craic while ya'll were here,

From beaches to castles to beer.

We had the best time,

Counting male capris and making things rhyme,

We won't ever forget this visit or you, don't you fear! {by Mike & Yulo}

With heavy hearts and teary eyes, the group farewell they did bade.

Steph and Beth drove away as Galway in the distance did fade.

Laughing, Nutsy, hanging out,

Guillotine, Aran, drinking stout...

Nothing compares to the memories we made! {by Steph & Beth}