A gift to our dear Gentleman Jesse as he travels off to Dublin in search of Adventure. Please feel free to consult this before deciding whether or not to abandon your plans:
Archive for June, 2009
Yesterday I toured the Guinness Storehouse, on the site of the St. James Gate Brewery, where most of the world’s Guinness
is produced. It was your basic flashy, A-list tourist attraction, with multimedia displays taking the visitor step-by-step through the history, production, and distribuition of the black stuff, and ending with a free pint at the bar at the top of the building. And I have to report that it does indeed taste just a bit better here in its home.
Aside from the basics, here are a few things I’ve learned about Guinness Stout while here in Ireland. Some I leaned in the tour, some elsewhere.
- Arthur Guinness started the business in 1759, and signed a 9000 year lease on the location. This being the 250th anniversary of Guinness, that leaves them another 8750 years of brewing in their present location.
- Many Irish people will only drink Guinness in their own country. I have had more than one Irishman (including a 6’6″ rugby-playing bartender, whose pub I ducked into to avoid an altercation with a group of drunk Eastern Europeans I had somehow inadverntently slighted) tell me, “It doesn’t travel well.”
- One of the Duke of Wellington’s officers, after being seriously wounded fighting Napoleon’s troops at Waterloo, wrote, “when I was sufficiently recovered, I felt the most extraordinary desire for a glass of Guinness, and I am confident that it contributed more than anything else to my recovery.”
>>You may see all of my posts regarding Ireland in the Emerald Isle catergory.
It’s before dawn and I’m up making my final preparations. Checking that the necessary supplies are in order. And just now as I write this, I remember that I’ve forgotten something very important – my flask! How could I even consider setting out for the birthplace of Jameson and Bushmill’s without it?
This will be among my shortest trips ever; a mere ten days. But previous experience has taught me that a great adventure can be had in a short time, if only you remember to keep the scope of the trip limited to what is achievable in the alloted time. So my plan is to spend a few days enjoying Dublin, and then to bus out to Dingle, where I will walk the Dingle Way around that rugged penninsula, bus from Tralee back to Dublin, and fly home.
Experience has also taught me that most planning before a trip is next to worthless when the realities of the Road intervene, so my secondary plan is to ditch all this planning and wing it.
Just wanted to make a quick official mention of the Project 2000 Shooting Range, which was the the site of our Guns & Ammo Adventure. It was an excellent establishment, and is highly recommended by our League. The atmosphere was safe, and the staff was incredibly helpful to a bunch of obvious amateurs such as ourselves. We particularly recommend trying the Smith & Wesson Model 500.