We arrived back in Dublin around 1630 where after being given a "survival pack" consisting of a shamrocker t-shirt, flyer telling us what was happening over the weekend, and some temporary tattoo's we were let loose on the city...
with the only instructions that the bus would be leaving at 8am monday morning... be on it or be left behind!
stayed at this hostel in the centre of town (a stones throw away from the main street) called Issacs, packed to the roof with party people (literally... the tour company had booked out the majority of the hostel!)
we were in mixed dorms of about 18, but sharing with those on our shamrocker tour...
pretty much just dumped our stuff in the rooms, and headed off to make the most of the daylight that was left...
headed out and up grafton street, in search of a decent pub and some food... (pub was in most of the boys minds!) found that most pubs were already completely packed, with people starting to celebrate st pats day early!
headed over to the temple bar area, and it jammed with people...decided to split up as a group to get food as there was no way we'd all get seats somewhere... and decided to meet up in a hour...
after deciding cheap and quick was the better option, we ended up having kebabs at this little shop.... massive meals, which were pretty good...
and they served cheap beer with the kebabs, so ryan, dave and luke were rather happy!!!
headed out into the already growing crowds that were pooling in the street! and went to look around the temple bar area... it was like entering a massive mosh pit... people everywhere... (i should add drunken people everywhere)
stopped to watch some street entertainers, that were performing the limbo, under flaming rods, balanced on bottles of wine...
crazy... the pictures a little dark... but you get the gist...
insane though how they forcefully came up and demanded money if you took a picture!
The boys decided to get some supplies from a few of the "off license's" as they had to check prices! lots of booze was bought as they decided they'd need something to tide them over till atleast 1300pm saturday, when the pubs began serving!
Ended up heading back to the hostel at 12am, where we disovered the common room, with comfortable couches and set about making a dent in the new purchases... before crawling up the 4 flights of stairs to the room to get an early night (at 4am!)
17th March 2007
(St Patricks day)
First can was cracked at 9am, and the culprit was Ryan... who after a huge night the night before, decided the only way to go was by the hair of the dog... and was done while still in bed!
there were many moans of disgust as he almost skulled the can! from the many worse for tourmates...
Someone went down to check out breakfast, and came running back to let us in on the fact that breakie was 1 chocolate muffin, and 1 up of tea or coffee.... no more... no less! and they had someone there monitoring who was taking what... hahahahaha
stood around chatting, and generally drinking as we got ready for our day out... got attacked with paint by the lovely luke, who decided everyone needed to be painted... thankfully... the lovely thumb prints were able to be turned into a shammrock!though one of the girls painting the flags on the boys got the colours in the wrong order... (but i don't think they noticed!)
Headed off as a massive group at 11am, they had a cleaning period at the hostel where no one was allowed in rooms between 11am and 1400pm... (though in the 3 days we were there, our room definitely wasn't cleaned and i'm pretty sure the toilets weren't either!)
made it to O'connor street where the Parade went down, and realised the parade didn't actually start till 1230 so we had plenty of time to get the perfect spot...there were people everywhere in all shades of green, some boasting flags, others with feather boas, many with stange face paint, and many looked liked they'd been drinking for the last 12 hrs! (jo and terri went all out!)
Ended up taking up position at the top of O'connor street just near the monument... decided that was as good as spot as anywhere and we waited... waiting got a little boring so out came the supplies...
many of us had smuggled in alcohol into our bags... and out it came... spent alot of time annoying the crowd with various renditions of any annoying song that came into our heads... were hugely entertained at keiths efforts on picking up this chick he was standing next too, who sadly couldn't get away as the crowds had really started to push forward...the parade eventually started, a bit after 1230... and was lead buy random people holding green signs... (exciting!)
random pictures of the parade.... you can see we had an amazing view!!!!
there were some funny people in the crowd around us... one that sticks in my mind if the boy in front of me.... who was with his family and must have been about 14 or 15... he must have headed off to use the loo or something as he came back and couldn't get to where his family was... as by this stage the parade had started... anyways he got stuck next to lea... (who was cute, and looked about 16...) anyways all the boys father could do was wink at the boy the entire time he was there... (he was about 2 rows forward...) it was hilarious... and the boy was so mortally embarrassed... though lea hammed it up a bit too... poor kid!
the guys nose is huge in this picture! and he was such a sticky beak, and a pushy person!
ended up bailing on the parade after about 15mins!
the pub was calling... but first we had to get there...
the boys decided to head to the woolshed (aussie kiwi bar) semi close to where we were...
problem being the only way to get there was to head up the road the parade was coming...
it was probably one of the craziest 30mins ever... first as we're heading up the street, we get approached by some of the local gardia (cops...) they'd noticed that we had open alcoholic drinks.. which we found out was not allowed, as there were kids around... so he kindly led us to a garbage bin...
lol anyone that's been to dublin and walked around the main street.... you'll know there are no bins! so our walk ended up being about 5 mins... in the mean time me and luke had finished our drinks.... and were more than happy to use the bin to dispose of the now empty bottles!
joined the human mosh pit again, and after getting up close and personal with luke and a few other stragers, in the pick pocketers heaven! as luke found out... having the pleasure of someone elses hand in his pocket at one point... (and it wasn't mine)
it was nuts... everyone was pushing and screaming, and we really weren't going anywhere fast!
at one point we started being pushed backwards...
eventually we fought our way through, and managed to convince another cop that we wanted to cross the road.... (though tempted at that stage to jump in and join in the parade!)
we escaped the mash of people and headed off in the direction of the pub...
where we spent the next few hours! (7 to be exact!)
watching the rugby finals... it's was completelypacked and it was all very exciting, screaming and yelling at the huge screens...
it was funny.... they had a good old Penrith Panthers Jersey on the wall!!!! hahahahahahago Panthers!
Drank lots, got up to way too much mischief! (enough said...)
Ended up leaving there about 2000, in search off some food...
as we decided we couldn't eat there twice... and we needed some fresh air!
headed back along towards the hostel, and ended up stopping for these massive slices of pizza... at 2 euros a slice (1 slice was about 1/4 of a large pizza...)
after standing on the side of the street in the not so good area of the city, and literally having people come up and try sell us drugs...
we ended up heading into the first pub we came too... where we got to experience green guinness and green beer.... crazy... but entertaining...
my shirt still has green stains from it...
everyone decided to head back to the hostel at this stage to change... and drink some of the supplies there, (i think many were getting short of cash,... and all the cash machines in the area had been cleared out of funds!)
got a text from KT who was at the woolshed (the aussie kiwi bar...got to love us all.... we go to ireland to celebrate st pats day... and where do we spend most of it... in an aussie/kiwi bar! typical!) so i almost got to meet up with her again... not that i was in any fit state by this time to do alot! though i've been told i was entertaining, and the pictures i've seen are a little scary!
once we'd gotten back to the hostel all ideas of heading back out were lost.. and we all just ended up sitting around in our room (the party room) for the next 7hrs!!!
one by one people flaked... and i think the last of us were up till about 4-5am... before falling into bed.... hahaha
i'm still not sure how i came to be in my bed, and half dressed in pj's....
but we'll leave that..
18th Marh 2007
(the day after!)
woke up sometime around 1000.... totally missed breakie... though hey it was just a chocolate muffin... feeling a little worse for ware... popped a few pills and head out in search of something greasy for breaky...
decided to try this pub up the road called o'sheas... though after walking in to the smell of alcohol we decided not to stay!
found maccas in the main street and were all set for a hash brown, but by the time we got to the front og the line, breaky was over... and no amount of begging would make her put on a few more hash browns!!! meanie... i swear she was going slow on purpose!
ended up ditching the maccas idea too, and had sandwiches for and early lunch...
decided we needed a little exercise and thought we'd walk to the Gaol....
it was bitterly cold, and i think i lost feeling in my hands face and legs... but we soldiered on through gale force winds, rain, hail, then snow!...
ended up getting completely lost! but some random stranger actually felt sorry for us and told us where to go...
finally found it just as the rain stopped... (typical!) and were right on time for the next tour...
ther tour started with a mini video presentation, tht once again i can't tell you about it, cause as soon as the lights went out i was out too...
lol so were most of us...
someone has an entertaining pic of us in the back row, all laying all over each other sleeping!
awoke when everyone started to move along... and have to say wasn't feeling great!
it was actually really interesting walking around the jail.... many famous irish people where held there... it was absolutely freezing though..., and they took you outside to the exercise yards, and it was like, can we go inside now....
totally chilled me to the bone... its makes you realise that actually being a prisoner in those times would have been awful...
decided to catch the bus back into town!
and wandered around the streets shopping...
found a fantastic little cafe up grafton street were we had hot chocolates to try warm ourselves up... and watch everyone outside running for cover as the rain came back!
looked through trinity college and almost broke my ankle when Luke lost his footing and tried to take us all out!
headed back and it began to snow!!!!! for like a whole 10mins......it was exciting...
typical aussie excited by snow!
but it finished as quickly as it started.... and the sun was back out... crazy weather i tell you... crazy weather!
headed back to the hostel and did some washing, found out by people who'd gone out and done the hop on hop off tour that the fireworks were cancelled, and decided we weren't going out in the rain!
Ended up hosting another massive room party, with all but 2 of the tourmates coming to join in... the discovery of a supermarket 2 mins up the road was the highlight... and so much alchol being bought and consumed... the fridge fared well (found a new use for the window ledge...) everything went out on the ledge... and only one ca was lost! hahahaha it jumped!there were so many spillages.... the floor was disgusting to walk on... had one mysterious leak, and had to all up the receptionist... who took one look at us all sitting around happily drinking, and was like... guys did you read the rules...
1. no drinking in rooms,
2. no admittance of extra people into rooms..
3. no food or drinks to be consumed in rooms...
the list was endless... and we'd briken all but one!
but then he said who cares just make sure you take out all the rubbish and stick it in someone elses hallway!
hahaha
so we did!
seemed to be a few shenanigans happening in the showers, with 4 legs and one cubicle...!!!
keith made the call of the night...
poor terri was like who wants it...
and keith leaps up and bares his bum and slaps it, saying i do ido!
lol
so funny... (but i have to tell you all about keith....who's real name obviously isn't keith.... we just named him that so we could talk about him without him knowing!)
Everyone started to head off about 3am.. as we had an early start to day tomorrow...
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