Sno Cone of Luv

One thing I can say about Ireland is that they certainly do like their holidays. What with a predominantly Catholic population and this being Easter weekend, it’s time for the entire country to shut down for the next several days. Today is Holy Thursday, followed by Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, and We-Want-Another-Day-Off Monday (it’s a Bank Holiday.) On top of the religious importance of the weekend, it also marks the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, one of the more significant Irish rebellions against British rule. Sure, the better-armed Brits quickly squashed them, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Coincidentally, today we found ourselves at the General Post Office, site of the Easter Rising. We weren’t even being tourists or anything, we were just paying a utility bill (c’mon, doesn’t everyone pay their utility bills at the post office?) That isn’t to say that today we didn’t find ourselves playing the role of tourist.

This morning we hopped a train and went not quite ten miles north of Dublin to see Malahide Castle. Originally built in the 14th century, it has been remarkable well preserved. There will, however, be no pictures posted of the interior, as they did not allow any photography. So it goes. . .

Almost more enjoyable than the castle was the fact that the weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was about 55 Fahrenheit and mostly sunny. We were able to tool around the castle’s 250 acres for a bit, and I was able to enjoy a rare peek at expanses of green. Honestly, I wanted to lie down and roll around in the grass for a bit, but I let better judgment prevail. We’ll have more pictures of the day posted soon.

As I type: listening to Sideshow “Lip Read Confusion”