One of my good mates Claire, who I worked with in Brissy made the move to Dublin about 6 months before I took the antipodean leap of faith (she was actually one of the special people who helped me find my motivation!). Keen to see Claire again, and visit the magical land of Dublin I booked some one penny return flights (whoa yeah Ryan Air!) for a long weekend visit.
Claire lives with three awesome Irish flatmates (the lovely and talented Cathy and funny and charming Shane and Paul). All in all such a funny house hold I had a sore tummy from laughing by the time I got home.
I got in Thursday night and Claire met me at the airport before we headed out to dinner to catch up. Friday Claire had a bit of work to do so I set off on my own to do some exploring with a a ticket to the Dublin hop on/hop off open-air bus tour that Claire had organised for me through her work. After a couple of laps around the city I decided to tour the Guinness factory.
Not being a big fan of Guinness I wasn't sure how much I'd get into it but I loved learning about the history of the brew, the Guinness family and the amazing brewery too. This is the only place in the world that Guinness is made, and it is then shipped all over the globe. So the story goes that the Guinness you taste here will be the best ever, because it is at its freshest!
By the time I got to the end of the tour I'd decided I LOVED Guinness but when it came time to pour my own pint and do the big taste test I was disappointed to find that I still couldn't stomach the stuff.
I headed back to Claire's in time for her fabulous Thai chicken curry dinner and a few drinks with the flat mates and some of their mates before kicking off for an all-nighter at some of their favourite Dublin clubs. 
Saturday was pretty quiet. When everyone eventually surfaced Claire cooked us all a big 'fry' that included black pudding which is FOUL. I couldn't bring myself to try it, grosses me out!! In the afternoon Claire and I caught the tram into the city and walked around some food markets at Temple Bar which is the arty, trendy suburb. Then we met up with a couple of the lads for another stint at the pub. 
Sunday was another slow start (and another 'fry' breakfast) before Clarie and I went to the Kilmainham Gaol which was so fascinating. After the Gaol Claire took me out for her favourite buffalo wings and then it was a relatively quiet night before I headed back to London Monday morning. I can't wait to go back and visit again... Ireland is definitely a very special place.
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