Irish House Party

American house parties mean having people over when parents go out of town, Irish house parties mean having people over when parents go to South Africa. 


Welcome to my Saturday night in Port Laoise (Port Leasch)! Last weekend my friend Paddy had fifteen of the American students over to his house for a party! We took the Luas to the bus station and hopped on a coach to take us to the midlands. Upon getting there we grabbed dinner and slowly Paddy's friends from home trickled in. It was such a great experience to see my Irish friend in his element with his pals from home--it was just so authentic! There's something wonderful about being in a home when you're away from your own, and Paddy's was just delightful! It made me think about my high school friends and how nice it would be to go home and see them more often than just Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's definitely the difference between Ireland and America--here it's very common for students to go home on the weekends. Irish students think it's crazy that I travel five hours to school which is how long it would take to cross their whole country!

Paddy's house!

I left with a few of the Americans and Paddy's friends to pick up some provisions for the evening, and it was my first time riding in someone's personal car (not a taxi) while over here! I'm still adjusting to what side of the road people drive on--initially I'd look over and see a child in front seat and think they were the driver. Scary thoughts!

During the night we danced, chatted and sipped (we are in Ireland, afterall.) The Irish were really keen on playing electronic music/techno, and the Americans were all about hip-hop and Top 40 pop. Sarah Oldham and I mixed it up did the shag to "Carolina Girls." Boy oh boy do I love North Carolina, and goodness gracious do I ever love Ireland!

Friends!

While the last champs were finishing their beverages I claimed a couch for my bed in the family room. Paddy's older brother Fergus was there watching Sky (the ESPN equivalent over here) and we chatted for a really long time which was so great! He goes to Trinity (extremely prestigious school in Ireland/the world) and I got a lot of his insight on what it means to study there. He is majoring in history and was a great resource to help explain the Irish history/politics that I've been learning so much about!

The next day I had my first taste of a "hot chicken roll" which was delicious! We got them at Spar, or Centra, one of the convenience stores, and loaded them with cheese, and "salads" which means any kind of topping, essentially. The difference between convenience store food here and in America is that here it's more like a deli and surprisingly fresh. Mmm. Yum. That's not the last time I'll have a hot chicken roll here. 

After returning home in the late afternoon a few of us went to a pub to hear music at Tradfest (Traditional Irish Music) fest. During the weekend I saw a few different groups, and on this particular night I listened to two guitar players who did a lot of great covers. I even bribed my friend with Cadbury's chocolate to request my personal favorite, Galway Girl. A special guest who is a Bono impersonator came on stage near the end and sang a U2 song--ahhh to be in Dublin and hear U2 is music to my ears--literally. The best part of the evening was seeing how so many people from so many places were all unified by the same songs that we've heard for all our lives. I watched a barstool for an adorable Irish couple who kept getting up to buy drinks and we chatted between songs. They were so friendly and, like all the Irish people I've encountered, excited to know that I'm studying here and embracing this amazing culture!