Saturday morning was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. My brother Philip had taken up running a couple of years ago and completed his first marathon last year. This is no mean feat from a guy who used to smoke quite a bit. We all experience stresses in our lives, especially during times like these and Philip found a way of channeling his energy into his new passion. I figured that showing up to support him was a nice way for us to part.
The event was taking place in Phoenix Park, one of the largest in Europe and over 7,000 runners showed up. My parents and I met up with Philip just before he joined the crowd of anxious athletes. He posed for a few shots and then he was gone. We did manage to see him in the sea of bodies once the run got underway.
My parents enjoyed being out supporting Philip.
After that we made our way home in preparation for the next leg of the journey up the mountains to see Deirdre and Emily at the stables where they ride. As is typical with Irish weather, it had now clouded over significantly. We spent an hour or so watching the horses and looking at the view down to the city and the green fields.
Beautiful scenery surrounded the stables where Deirdre and Emily ride.
It was winding down time now and I began to gather my things for tomorrow's flight. One last social engagement was on the calendar, a trip to an exclusive restaurant in Dublin beside St. Stephen's Green called "The Residence". Maurice has a membership to this place via his job so this was really a treat for me. It's a fun place with multiple levels, each having a different function from a high class restaurant on the top floor to a night club in the basement. Many of Dublin's top celebrities hang out here. I had a nice dinner there with my parents and Deirdre and Maurice. We took a cab home and said our goodnights.
Time for one last Guinness...
On Sunday it was time to leave Ireland. I woke up at 5am and packed my suitcase. Somehow a wasp got into my room and was buzzing around me a lot. It made me more jumpy than I usually am at that time of the morning. I tried to beat the living shite out of him with a rolled up magazine but I don't think I got the little bugger.
After a semi-emotional parting with my parents, I sped off in a taxi towards the airport. Good job I left three hours before the flight because the process to get to the gate was much more involved than I remember on any other trip. First there was the ticket and bag check, then I got in a line for security and then I got in a line for customs and then I got in a line for a passport check and then I got in another security line and finally on to the gate. When it was time to board, there was another slew of questions to be asked and a passport recheck. As much of a pain as it was, I felt comfort knowing that I would be safe on the plane. The plane took off only ten minutes late and soon the green fields diminished in size until they disappeared behind a bank of clouds.
Going, going gone...
This had been a good visit and it was nice to have it broken up with the wedding. When I visit Ireland for this short a time, I'm really only getting used to the culture by the time I have to leave. It would have been nice to be staying there another week and it would have been nice to have Linda along but I was thankful I got to see my family and Kieran (and Aileen).
It would be hard to follow up a trip like this and returning to normalcy felt depressing. I have to keep reminding myself that when I visit home, the people and the place are at their best. Day to day life is no different than where I live currently. The novelty does wear off. The one thing I really do miss is having my family around for support. It's tough having a relationship with them that is mainly comprised of phone calls and emails. But, like my relationship with Kieran, when I get back home to the Oul Sod, I always have friends and family ready to love me unconditionally so I count myself lucky.
So yeah, where to go now? It so happens that we have some very cool visitors coming to see us in the next few weeks. Let's just say that most people reading this will know them but we'll keep it as a surprise until then.
Slan Abhaile!
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