Halloween in Dublintown

Happy Halloween! 

Tomorrow is Halloween in Dublin (and the world over) and there are many festivities on to celebrate. The Wax Museum has a chamber of horrors, and the Leprechaun Museum has a Celtic Mythology show that is meant to scare even the bravest adults! 18 & overs only! Check out this little creep show below.  The Bram Stoker Festival is on and the holiday happenings are everywhere. In my research of Halloween in Dubs I came across the tidbit that is was Irish immigrants of the late 18th and early 19th century that really brought the traditions and customs of the holiday to America. So yet another connection between my American heritage and my new Irish home.  I am hoping to get to some of the events on this week.

Speaking of Halloween and the dead, that was me last week as I was suffering the worst sickness I think I've ever had in my life. Hunkered down in the "bunker" (my bedroom) for 7 straight days with one thing after another. First I had a sinus infection, which I have come to realize the Irish call the "flu". The with my low immune system I caught a terrible stomach flu, which the Irish call a "vomiting bug". Even the sicknesses have different names over here. Either way they suck, and I was straight out of commission for 7 days. Now that I am among the living again I have some big news....

I have a new job! 

My current company is selling and I have a new job working for an Inbound Marketing Company called HubSpot. They are a Boston-based software co. opening EU headquarters in Dublin and I am one of their first 12 local hires. At the end of November I head to Boston for training for 4 weeks. So any Americans that want to come visit in December feel free. I am still determining holiday plans but may be home for Xmas! I am finished up at my current job today so I have actually have about 4 weeks off for the first time in my life. After going straight from HS > College > Job #1 > Job #2 I have never had this much free time, I am a lady of leisure! 

I am thinking of taking 2 weeks in Dublin then Peadar and I are going to make the most of it and head to Thailand for our first real, proper vacation together. I had a hell of a time convincing him to go since they are still stressed about getting the potatoes out of the ground and the harvest pressure is STILL ON. 

Basically the harvester drives along and drags the grader through the mud. Then the grader sifts through the mud and drops the potatoes into boxes in a trailer being driving by a tractor next to it. 

Peadar told me we can't go to Thailand until all the spuds are out of the ground and it has been too mucky and rainy to dig them. So I did the only thing I knew, and took over the job myself.

Peadar is a bit of a legend in my book. This hair and this harvest beard, recognized the world over.  My mom pointed out to me after reading my last blog that I forgot the most important part of the story of the drunk guy in the bar in Galway recognizing Peadar from years ago. "THAT HAIR MAN, THAT HAIR. I'D RECOGNIZE IT ANYWHERE."

To be honest I think Padman might be the antithesis of the Gym-Tan-Laundy motto. He has been too busy working to hit the gym, he has never tanned in his life, and laundry? We send that out. I may be a Farmer's girlfriend but that doesn't mean I have to do Farmer's laundry! 

There was a mass on for Granny Whyte last Sunday, and afterwards Peadar and I took flowers up to her grave. Many Whytes have been buried in the Naul and it really was a happy moment, because Granny and Grandad Whyte lived for many years together and died in old age. But we walked around and checked out all the graves and there were some very young people there too, and those are the saddest. Peadar told me the stories of the people he knew, like a 12 year old boy from the village who died of an Asthma attack, and I cried for them. It is a very old and interesting graveyard with chapel ruins. 

On a happier note, I have been keeping up with the swimming and water polo. There was a Celtic Masters swim event on with teams from all over Ireland last Saturday. I won gold in the 50 fly and bronze in the 50 backstroke. I actually won another gold for a relay I was in, but my good friend Laura Harvey has that metal... I'll have to get it off of her!!!

Have a safe & spooky All Hallows Eve!!!

XOXO

Amanda

A Laborious Day!

Happy Labor Day to all Americans back home! 

A day to celebrate the working class, the start of the NFL season, the end of summer and back-to-school! Unfortunately it will be a labor-filled working day for me, since it is not a holiday in Dublin, however the sun is shining (finally) and the harvest is in full swing, much to Peadar's delight that they can finally get working. Unlike the USA, which has drought conditions, we have been swamped with rain here in Ireland.

The morning paper recently had a front page article about a Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna, where people go to find love. I kid you not, this is an actual quote from the story, "But Mr. Daly, who still uses a tatty 100-year old diary to conjure up love matches, said he expects there to be more rich pickings for bachelor farmers than ever before at the 200-year-old singles fest. He explained that farmers are more in vogue than ever: 'A few years ago a fella's looks were important. Now since the recession, even if a fella has missing teeth, but has a house and his mortgage paid off, he could still attract a good bit of interest.' " Hilarious!


Dublin has played host to some great outdoor events in the past few days, including the Emerald Isle Classic football game Notre Dame vs. Navy, and the Tall Ships Festival.

The Emerald Isle Classic was held in the Aviva Stadium, and was the most fun I have ever had at a sporting event! There were so many Americans there, a girl who graduated from University of Illinois one year after me was sitting right behind us! Ciaran (Pad's bro, in the Cutler jersey) and his friend Doug were loving on all the funny traditions the fans were participating in, and especially the theatrics from the Notre Dame Marching Band, who were sitting right next to us.

Summer in Dublin has been close to non-existent weather-wise, the rain and cold has been pretty abysmal. However before I left for my 5 week long biz trip, I was able to get one sea swim in on a decently warm day at Windsurfer's Pier. The water was freezing and I came in almost dead last (but was on a heavy handicap- I couldn't start until 7 minutes, 30 seconds after the race began) but it was great to get in the ocean and work on my open-water training!

Peadar and I also recently hiked out to our future home, Westown House in the Naul (Pad's hometown village). It is completely derelict, but has amazing views of the countryside. We want to buy this place and do it up. A girl can dream, right?! :)

I was back home in Chicago on my birthday (July 27th) for my friend Andrea's wedding. I was a bridesmaid  along with my friend Kristen (see picture below) and 4 others. Check out the bride and her beer on the party bus after the ceremony. I love that picture! Congratulations to Andrea and Shawn Shotts!

I know I have been neglectful about updating the Dublin Connection since the Spring, but I blame work and my world travels! I just arrived back 2 weeks ago from being gone for almost 6 weeks. Hitting up San Francisco, Sonoma, Seattle, Chicago, Michigan, Aspen, Dallas, NYC, and Germany on the way! After the wedding in Chicago, which Peadar flew out for, we were able to do a few days in Silver Lake boating, tubing, and off-roading on the dunes. We then escaped to the Double JJ Ranch for some R&R. If Peadar weren't a tillage farmer he could definitely be a rancher. 

   

The funniest part of the whole trip was getting Peadar on a horse. He has no affinity for them whatsoever, so after some convincing, I got him to come with me on a private trail ride. It was the funniest 30 minutes of my life. Especially because his horse was named Dumbo, and cantered sideways. 

I was also able to get away for a few days to my sanctuary, Aspen, Colorado, to see my aunt, Nancy Lovendahl and uncle, Scott Keating. 

This is the view from their backyard in Old Snowmass. Sabe is their beautiful rescue dog. The property is called Hey Dude Ranch.  

We also got to stay in an amazing private cabin on the back of AJAX for a night.  

Private lake at the cabin.

Hiking on AJAX

 

The most interesting part of the Aspen trip was mushrooming (and not in the way you are thinking right now!) I didn't think I would be that into it but I was like Sherlock Holmes up there on the mountatin hunting these bad boys.

That's all for now folks! I will keep you updated more consistently this fall...

Happy Labor Day and Happy Harvesting. 

Lots of Love,

Amanda

Sunglasses and Umbrellas :)

Hi Everyone!
Please forgive me for not posting sooner, it has been a crazy few weeks for Peadar and I in Dublin and beyond, lots of adventures and pictures to share with you all! 

Peadar heard on the radio the other day that Ireland is having it's coldest summer in 40 years, but I heard today that “People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy,”  a quote from Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Either he is right and I am really happy, or Ireland isn't so cold after all!  I took 

this picture before a business lunch in Grand Canal Quay, and I thought it was a lovely day. 

Now, that being said, the #1 lesson I have learned since arriving in Ireland, is bring an umbrella and sunglasses with you at all times wherever you are in the this country. It may look like the brightest, nicest day ever outside, and 20 minutes later you could be "caught out" (as they call it here) in the pouring rain. So don't get caught out! Bring your umbrella! Sometimes it's pouring rain when you leave the house, and you think to yourself, "Oh! There's no way I am going to need sunglasses today." You would be wrong. You'll be on the train 10 minutes later with the sun shining in your face and you won't be able to read the newspaper without them :) Just some friendly advice for my future visitors to the Emerald Isle! Pack both, always.

There is a coffee shop down the street from the office that can always put a smile on your face with a designer latte. Everytime is a different design, the barista this week told me I looked in love, so made me a "love fern". How to lose a guy in 10 days anyone?

We had a photo shoot at the office this week, mostly professional head shots of the owners and things like that, but as quirky photographers always do, he wanted a "fun shot" and convinced the guys to get on tiny chairs in a window well, because it looked like a box, and our company is called "boxPAY". Funny!

2 weekends ago we went windsurfing and had a 4th of July BBQ, which I will tell you about below, but that Saturday I went to to Galway for the evening with Jane (Peadar's brother Ciaran's girlfriend) and her friend Liz (A Dublin Rose contestant!) Galway is a quintessential costal Irish town, there is always good craic (fun) and  is a great weekend destination.

We had great weather and we able to sit outside and drink some wine. The girls and I are pictured below:

That Sunday we had a big group of people go windsurfing! Below Bren and Pad are getting suited up for the lesson:

Peadar's cousin Brendan, Peadar's sister Catherine's husband Jay, and me! Can you keep up with all the relations?

So the story with windsurfing is that is was really fun, I was able to get up and get going pretty good across the water...with one minor problem! I can't turn! I could only surf the one direction...way out into estuary. Every time I tried to surf back, I just kept going further out. Eventually the instructor had to come rescue me, he surfed my sailboard back and I paddle-boarded back in!

After windsurfing we had a solid 4th of July BBQ, complete with props thank you Amanda Lynch for the lovely USA care package! I made all my Irish friends listen to country music and kept saying "God Bless America!" to everyone. Not sure how amused they were :)

I recently bought a deep fat fryer in a charity auction, and Peadar brings home fresh potatoes every week (benefits of dating a potato farmer! whoop whoop!) which = fresh homemade chips for the BBQ. As a reminder in Ireland french fries are called chips and usually served thick-cut style, and potato chips are called crisps. Anyway they were delish!

So as some of you may know, since I have arrived in Dublin, I have been on the hunt for a dirty vodka martini. Olives are not used as a garnish in bars in Ireland, so it is really hard to find the brine necessary to make the cocktail. You especially wouldn't get a barman in a country pub to make you one.

Anyway, I had a business networking event at The Mint Bar in the Westin Dublin. They had the biggest selection of vodka I have ever seen in a bar in Dublin. Pictured below is Rain, a favorite of mine, distilled 7x from corn and completely organic. Also there is Chopin, a great potato vodka.

Anyway, the barman had no trouble making me a dry dirty vodka martini straight up with Chopin vodka. It was delicious, but they did not fill the glass up all the way, which was a concern of mine considering....

They were 16.50 Euro a pop! That's a $25 cocktail for all you American readers!!!!

Lastly, I have been getting much better at looking the right way crossing the street, particularly thanks so painted signs like the one below, but I still press "1" in elevators when I want to go the street level. In Ireland, the 1st floor is what us Americans would consider the 2nd floor, and so on and so on. 

Press "G" if you want to get out of a building. FYI.

XOXO,

Amanda