"I cannot believe its today, laddie"

TOP O' THE DAY TO YA! Last weekend, we ventured to our ancestors old stomping grounds...Ireland! Suzy Herlihy (fellow laxer breh) is studying abroad in Galway. She took us under her wing and proved to be quite the hostess with the mostest. We skipped classes (got our priorities in check) and boarded a plane to Shannon Thursday mornin'. (Debbie O'Jenkins, the remainder of this blog is to be read with your killer Irish brogue.) After landing, we found our way to the bus station to hop on the earliest bus to Galway. Suzy greeted us with rosy cheeks, no warts. She was very kind, and sort of witty...very sweet and VERY pretty. We dropped our luggage off in her abode before taking a tour of the quaint city. We stopped for some Irish fish&chips (BYOB Blumbers-- Irish cider.) That evening, Suzy took us to a popular Irish pub where we Jigged the night away... (hardshoes and all) to a live Irish cover band...it's true, the Irish sweat U2. We met some of Megan's friends from Nova (eef) who are also studying in Galway. We were pleased to find that it was okay to eat dinner by 7, go out by 9, and return before sunrise.

We woke up early the next morning to catch a ferry to the Aran Islands. Suzy had class so the four of us (still not sick of eachother yet) got ready for an adventure to see some of Ireland's most famous sights. After rented bikes, we took off like the cast of "Now and Then." Looking fashonable in our rain gear (check out the posted pictures) we rode through the incredible rocky and green countryside. The inhabitants of the Aran Islands still speak traditional Gaelic. No maps in hand and a strong sense of direction (Becca led the way...probs not though), we found our way to Dun Aonghasa, an ancient Celtic fort built by Celtic tribesmen circa 2000BC. The ruin was at the peak of a huge cliff where Becca showed us some of her dive team expertise. Kidding, but we did hang off the edge and wished MC was there so we could throw her over. Our picnic was enjoyed thoroughly. We did a little gift shopping, then hopped on the ferry. Sweet talking to a ferry driver leprechaun resulted in free access to the pot of gold...Lion Candy Bars.

When arrived home, Suzy had a gourmet dinner waiting. Thanks, babygurllll! Afterward, we headed out for another night on the town where we met some more of Suzy and Megan's friends, some Aussies, and Brits. We are totes becoming some international socialites. Again, we danced the night away at some pubs and clubs. Our roomate found her future hubby (he's from BOSTON and in DENTAL school!) and couldn't resist another dance floor makeout. (She will remain anonymous but we can tell you one thing...it was neither of us, nor Megan...and MC wasn't with us.)

Saturday morning we got a taste of Irish flavor at Galway's Farmer's Market. The rest of the day was spent walking around the adorable city, shopping and taking in the sites. Suzy showed us her campus (it was no SLU). That night we went to another pub with a really fun live band to enjoy a few pints. We met some lads who were celebrating a stag party aka bachelor party. They had already lost the bachelor but didn't hesitate to extend the wedding invite to us. Our Irish dancing skills were not quite stellar in comparison to the moves those Irish blokes taught us. Again, we had a ball!

Sunday morning we woke up and got bagels only to meet our Irish friends from the night before. We wallowed in our recovery together and left them with a friendly "Cheers!" We went to church in the Galway Cathedral. The first Mass that we could actually understand! We traveled through the night into Monday morning and arrived home just in time to take our Oceanography midterm...hopefully Raul will be generous when grading. We are making plans for Jess' Birthday weekend so you know the blog will be good.