We followed the rainbow and found where Black Gold was made

Our last stop on our whirlwind trip was Dublin. Now many in Ireland don't respect Dublin much, they feel that its not truly indicative of their country, as it is too fake, commercial and touristy. I'd have to say after seeing the parts of Ireland that we had up to this point, I have to agree with them.

The main redeeming quality that the city had was the old medieval part called Dublinia, where there was a beautiful cathedral and some pedestrian streets and old bridges over the river. We managed to catch a picture of a John Deere tractor on the main street in front of the national gallery - how do you like that Larry? ;o)
Syd got his 'irish look' on with his hat (purchased in London Camden Market btw).

The second redeeming quality was the Guinness Brewhouse. Yes, it was touristy as well, but it was done in a modern fun way that you can't help but enjoy it. Once you get past the tourist groups with their headsets, you get to experience interactive exhibits and videos by the 'brewmaster' who walks you through the stout-making process.
They have been brewing Guinness for 246 years (since 1759) at that location and the original owner of the company signed a 9000 year agreement to lease the land in Dublin to be able to brew that much more! The black colour of Guinness comes from the length of time that they roast the barley before the brewing process. A unique mix of nitrogen and carbon dioxide helps create GUINNESS Draught's liquid swirl that tumbles, surges and gradually separates into a black body and smooth creamy head. The head is the best part - hands down - there's nothing else like it. Especially when they form a shamrock in the top of it.
There was an entire floor attributed to the Guinness brand and its years of advertising. An interesting fact is that the Guinness book of world records was formed when a member of the Guinness family was in a pub with his mates and they were debating the size of the largest game bird. This kind of conversation came up so frequently that the family decided to invest in a 'coffee table' type interest book that sought to answer these questions for good. Its now one of the most successful serial books of all time!
The inside of the brewhouse was shaped like a beer glass - it really was, and had a chance for tourists to leave messages for others.
We enjoyed our 'free pint' at the top of the brewhouse with a great view of Dublin, and recalled our fond memories of Ireland.

The Cliffs of Insanity and Millett Fun in Doolin

On Sunday we travelled the coast in County Clare and got the best exposure (and memories) of the Irish landscape. People associate themselves here with the county they belong to as opposed to the town they live in - gives a real community feel to the place. We stopped at a castle on one of the cliffs along the way and marvelled at the moors all around us. The weather was crisp and sunny, perfect to take in the green fields and cliffs and sparkling sea as we drove past.
Syd took the opportunity on these small windy roads to practice his 'F1' racing skills much to our handle-gripping chagrin. Thankfully brother was up front navigating so that Bec and I didn't have to watch the road as much. We soon got used to it and even kind of liked the rollercoaster dipping feeling in the tummies. Every once in a while I would go 'whee!' and Bec remarked that I would be a good companion in the backseat with her son Isaac who enjoys such thrills as well.

We had picked up a picnic lunch earlier in the day so we could eat at our main destination - the Cliffs of Moher. We made a stop in a town called Doolin on the way as 'duty called', and Syd was also craving a beer so we stopped at O'Connors pub (apparently its THE place to go in Doolin) by the river for a quick stop. This ended up being a 1 hour stop as Bec found a souvenir shop, and our pints took longer to complete as we were diverted by taking group shots of ourselves.
I happened to have the good fortune of chatting up some locals who gave us a tip as to the best way to see the cliffs - from below in the sea! They said that just at the end of the road we were parked on there were ferries that circled the cliffs every hour. Good tip! So we decided to have our picnic on the ferry instead and view the expansive cliffs from below. Apparently it is the more touristy thing to view the cliffs from the top, but you wouldn't get nearly the scope of the elevation from there as you do from below. The cliffs boast one of the most spectacular views in Ireland and is one of its top tourist attractions, and they weren't kidding. You could see the gradient on the rock of the evolution over time, topped with patches of green, and waaaay at the top you could see tourists, and even sheep and cows hovering near the edge. There were no fences at the top, so on a windy day a daft tourist could be blown right off the side if they get too close!
An interesting tip that Syd learned is that the Cliffs of Moher were also the Cliffs of Insanity used in the movie 'the princess bride'. They were absolutely amazing - and made for romantic picture opps too! ;o)

By the time the boat trip ended it was near 6 pm and we had a good 2.5 hour drive ahead of us to get to Kilkenny. Upon arrival at our cute b&b called Mena house in Kilkenny. Bec got a kick out of the mini shower that she forever calls the 'leprecaun tub'.
That night we walked into town and just barely got seated for dinner by 10. A great restaurant called Paradise took us in and kept their kitchen open just for us. Unfortunately we didn't see much of the town, but Kilkenny Castle was right on the canal and made a very pretty sight lit up at night with its reflection eerily still in the water beneath.

Black Gold of the Emerald Isle - Fun in Galway

After much waiting (all year really), the Milletts finally embarked on their trip to the Republic of Ireland. The independent country (not to be mistaken as part of the UK or you get quite the look) of emerald green hills and guinness stout known lovingly as black gold. We travelled as a group of 4 Milletts - which made booking anything really easy! Myself, Syd, Syd's Bro Sam and his wife Becky made up the notorious quad.

We flew into Dublin but immediately rented a car and drove to the West side of the country to the city of Galway. When we first got on the highway we noted how flat the terrain was and remarked that it looked a lot like Ontario. It was only when we got nearer to the coast did the green hills start to emerge and the feeling of Ireland started to envelope us.

Due to impeccable navigation we made it to our cute bed & breakfast and then took a trek into town for a night out. When we came upon the town we crossed a couple bridges over small canals.
Cute restaurants lined either side of the canals, but we kept on to the main part of town to a pedestrian street called Shop Street that was lined on both sides by pubs and restaurants whre people were hanging around with their drinks outside of packed pubs.
We went in for a pint of black gold in one of such packed pubs. From the outside the pub looked very small, but as we soon realised with this pub and many others, the pub is more than what it seems! It had multiple nooks and crannies to sit and chill in, and then you go through a side section and you are at the back of the bar where there is a dancefloor, and upper level with a dj that overlooked a main large bar section and restaurant beneath! We were quite impressed and decided to come back to it later (more to follow). But since we were starving, we finished our pints and went next door to a tex-mex place called Rodeo.

Sam is quite good at knowing his tiredness limits so opted to go back to the B&B after dinner. The 3 of us then noticed a live band and instantly heard the opening riffs to 'summer of 69' and being the good canadians that we are we immediately went in and danced right at the front of the band. People in the bar looked at us like we had 2 heads because apparently you're just supposed to 'listen' to the band. Screw that! We soon started a trend and a bunch of drunk obnoxious girls danced a few songs later and ended up pushing us out of the bar due to our annoyance with their behaviours. No matter as there were other bars to explore!

We went into another pub that also had multiple levels and a dj. I lost Syd and Beck in here for a while and ended up talking to some guys in kilts (as you do!). The bloke was Australian with Scottish heritage so I could relate to him. When I found the others shortly after we didn't stay much longer as the place had NO air circulation and was uber hot in there.

Thus, we ended up at the original pub with DJ and secured ourselves a spot dancing next to the DJ - on a platform overlooking the crowd - felt much like a go-go dancer really and I loved it - ha ha! Syd was starting to fade at this point and was almost kicked out by the bouncer who wasnt' aware he was with us. We sent the poor guy home and he arranged to 'hide' the key for us under our car tire outside our room.

And then there were two...two Canadian gals out to have a dancing good time in a foreign city where we actually felt really safe. We soon realised that Irish men are very forward, very good looking, and super funny! We pointed out quickly in any conversation that we were married (and in Becky's case, with a child) but they didn't seem to care. They were like, "who cares, you're hot, let's snog anyway!" Becky says that some of her single friends should move here as they would have no problems 'pulling' an irish bloke. ;o)

The next morning we walked along the shore near our b&b

and took some beautiful shots of the town at low tide before we got on the road again to travel the coast.