Purple Sky

Sitting in the hotel in Dublin. We're leaving for home tomorrow and I haven't sat down to write in a week. Once I'm home I'll be writing about the West and the Saw Doctors and maybe about spraining my ankle like an eejit (as the Irish would say) Today though, I'm thinking about our trip and the wonderful time we had in Dublin last night.

Ireland is a land of experiences. Beautiful landscapes, classic cities, amazing people and of course pints make this country a special place. A trip to Ireland is also a case of sensory overload, Your ears are filled with the tunes of guitars and fiddles while the air carries with it the scent of fields and farms. Very few places carry with them the sights that this country does. For my favorite Irish experience, all I have to do is look up. The sky in Ireland is beautiful. It stretches out across the hills, mountains and church towers that dot the landscape of each town. As I drove out the road in Clones the other day the conversations around me faded away as I got lost in the endless Irish sky. Looking up, you can see the curvature of the earth, not something you see living in New York City. Summers in Ireland also bring 18 hours of sunlight. You can be out for pints at 9:30 and find a clear blue sky above your head. If you've had a good night you might look up around 5:00 and see a beautiful purple as the dawn begins to crack the blackness of the night sky.

Yesterday was a busy day. We woke up in Cavan after a long night of partying (I forgot that Irish weddings last roughly 27 hours) and headed down to Dublin. Myself, Kate and cousins Eamon, Eileen and Jimmy went to Croke Park (the "home" of Irish sports) to check out the 4th round football doubleheader featuring Monaghan/Kildare and Louth/Dublin. A disappointing performance by Monaghan and Louth sent us out of the Croker and into the streets of Dublin. We started at Temple Bar, worked our way up and down the city and ended up visiting what seemed like a dozen pubs along the way. We talked, we laughed and we had the type of night that makes me love being a McCaughey. The girls went home around 3:30 but the boys stayed out for more action. Although the pubs were all closed we made our own fun along the way. We sang "Streets of New York" with a bum who knew half the words and we paid a busker ten Euro to give Eamon her guitar for a few tunes. Eamon wailed away on some tunes from the Pogues, Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey. A few strangers gathered around, we all joined in on the choruses and we were soon on our way. Jimmy and Eamon stayed out for a little bit more but I turned around and headed back to the hotel. As I looked up I saw the purple sky. Any night you're around for the rising of the sun is a great one and last night was no different. I'll be at Dublin Airport in a little more than twelve hours and although I'll be said to leave I won't soon forgot the time spent with cousins, drinking pints and waiting for that purple sky.