I’m still alive!

Hey there! It’s been quite a second since I last posted an update, but I’ve had a good few things happening since then. I don’t know how much more steam I have for substack (don’t take after my mom in the blogging genes, I guess), so don’t be surprised if this is my last update, aside from maybe a “thanks Ireland” post.

February

• Went to the gym with Charlie a lot! We were regulars at the Energox class (hyrox, almost like a HIIT or crossfit class but a bit different) and also played mermaids in the pool (as one does).

• Worked a lot!

• Kate went home to Columbus for a bit, so I had the house to myself for a week.

• My parents came in! Here’s our trip:

  • I met them at the Dublin airport. We rented a car, drove into Dublin city, and spent the day there seeing the sights, meeting up with an old friend of mom’s, and hitting up the pubs.

  • The next day, we went from Dublin to Belfast, did a little walking tour and lunch there, then made it to Bushmills in Co. Antrim by the end of the night. Dad met up with some genealogy contacts.

  • The morning in Bushmills was spent at the Giants Causeway, accompanied by the most perfect weather. We went into town later and Dad saw some family homes! Mom and I shopped around. Later in the day, we drove into Derry, did another walking tour, then made our way into Donegal town to end the night. We got dinner at a great little pub just off the motorway.

  • We woke up early the next day to head out to Sliabh Liag. GORGEOUS. It was just sunny enough to experience it well, plus we saw a good few sheep on the walk up. Then we hit the road for Tipperary. Stopped halfway in Athlone for a pint at Sean’s Bar (oldest in the country, they say) and dinner at a Michelin star restaurant. YUM. We eventually made it to our Airbnb in the middle of nowhere.

  • The next morning started with me and dad exploring Athassel Abbey, an old spot the Smithwicks once leased. Then we got in the car and drove into Tipperary for lunch, and then made our way down to Cork city. We hit up Blarney Castle and its gardens, kissed the stone, made some wishes in the witches kitchen, and essentially stayed until it closed. Poison Garden #2, check! Got some great dinner in Cork that night.

  • We were in lower spirits this day, but hit up a great vintage shop, got some yummy brunch, and then drove into Cobh! We saw the Titanic museum, popped into a random old man’s pub, and got some great dinner.

  • Our final road tripping day took us into Co. Kerry to visit Derrynane beach, just outside of Caherdaniel, to see the graves of some of dad’s people. It takes the cake for the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever been in. We drove the Ring of Kerry, stopped in Listowel for dinner with the host of mom’s November residency there, then made it into Galway late that night.

  • The rest of the trip was spent exploring Galway, letting them see where I’ve spent the past months! They got to meet some of my friends, visit some of my favorite pubs, and hang out with Kate. The goodbyes were hard, but I’m so glad I was able to show them around and also see so much more of the country in the process.

March

• Not much happened! I worked a lot, had my first set of choir rehearsals, partied hard for Paddy’s Day, saw a movie with Elizabeth, day tripped to Dublin with Kate, and enjoyed the start of the nicer weather!

April

• A similar theme to March. Not much to report! Had a lot of good friend time, visited Charlie’s family in Laois with Taylor and Eoin, and finally (officially) said bye to Charlie and Eoin before they moved to London!

May

• Now here’s where things get interesting again. I travelled to Italy with my choir (the Claddagh Chamber Choir) in the first week!

  • We flew into Rome, then bussed into Salerno. We were there for the Cantagiovani festival, and were the only international choir. While they didn’t prep very well for an entirely English-speaking choir, we all had a lovely time!

  • The week started with an opening concert from the BYU Singers, and it was magical hearing them work.

  • We had a good few beach days, it was the Amalfi Coast after all!

  • I ate a lot of pasta, but not nearly enough pizza. I DID drink a lot of coffee, though.

  • We participated in a workshop about using your body to sing, then competed in the festival the next night! We won both categories we were entered in, which led to a great night out following the concert.

  • The final night, we had a private concert in a gorgeous little church, which was a great way to close out the trip and sing with these folks for the last time before today (spoiler alert!).

  • I was maybe the most hungover I’ve ever been for the flight back home.

• The weather was GREAT in May, so I had a couple beach days with friends, celebrated some birthdays, and spent some good nights at pubs.

• I finally got a haircut in Ireland! It’s growing out fine, but at the time it was a little wonky.

• Alivia from UNC was here!! We had one great day while she was in Galway just to catch up and be in town together.

• I decided to quit the Kings Head in a moment of panic (friends leaving, really really hard work, want to travel more this summer, etc etc), but then on my second-to-last shift, took back my notice, so I’m now here till the end.

June

• And here we are! My month started with the besties from Chapel Hill coming to visit (Emma, Jackie, Jake, and Cam, to be precise), which was SO good!!

  • Emma and Jackie flew in a day early, so I got to show them around, take them for pizza, and just be with them! Jake and Cam got in the next day, which really started the travels.

  • We spent one day at the Cliffs of Moher and wandering in Doolin, hiked up to a little castle and back down again in about 30 minutes, then got back to Galway and went for drinks with some of my friends!! Talk about worlds colliding!!

  • The next day was spent around Galway, moreso just letting my friends understand why I moved here. We had a couple drinks with another friend from here too.

  • We woke up early the next morning to do brunch, then make it to Dublin. We hiked to the Airbnb, then taxied to the National Botanical Gardens! So so fantastic! We got some nice dinner in Dublin too, then went to a little speakeasy-esque pub and played a game of pool.

  • We woke up the next morning to see the National Gallery and Guinness Storehouse. Jackie, Emma, and Cam also saw Trinity College, while Jake and I popped by Temple Bar. Got some delicious dinner that night and savored the last full day together.

  • Jackie and Emma left early the next morning, and Jake, Cam, and I did some more exploring. Jake and I met Cam after he did the Book of Kells, then we went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Jake and I wandered around some antique shops in the area, then we all went for lunch before the Teeling Distillery tour. What a great choice! Had a yummy cocktail and tasted some great whiskeys. We then marched from Teelings to the train station, took a train into Howth for dinner (YUM FRESH SEAFOOD), and got lost up a mountain in the search for a prehistoric grave. No one I’d rather get lost with. We trained back in, and I hung out with the guys while they packed.

  • They woke up early the next morning to to leave, and I trained back to Galway on my own :(. I did really really enjoy showing some of my favorite folks around some of these places I’ve really grown to love. But it was really just a treat to get to spend time with the folks I’ve been missing since January.

• But don’t worry! I’ve spent my time well since they left. I’ve been working a bit, then this past week has been spent preparing for the concert in Dublin today (June 21)! A friend from France flew in to sing with us, and she’s been a JOY to hang out with (and bounce my butchered French words off of). It’s also been great to see this gaggle of friends again. I’m writing this post as I’m on the way to Dublin, so just take my word that the concert will probably go great. I’ve got a solo, so keep your fingers crossed :)

And I think that’s about it! My plans for once my visa ends are less up-in-the-air than they have been, but I still need to make an actual itinerary. But you can probably expect me home in early/mid December. 9 months has passed like nothing. Here are some pictures:

the gang on st paddy’s (ciara, me, eoin, charlie, orla, elizabeth)

claddagh chamber choir!

friends at the KH!

me, dad, and nevin taggart in bushmills

dad and i on top of a hill in derrynane

the jurassic fern garden at blarney castle

the exit from the poison garden at blarney castle

gorgeous sunset in galway

a night out with kate, ryan, and davy at the sliding rock

me and elizabeth on a night out!

me and alivia wandering

friends on the moher ferry, absolutely soaked

sunny day at the sparch

salerno!

mom and dad in derrynane

in laois (in a bog) with eoin, charlie, and taylor

in the roisin before paddy’s day! me, charlie, jack, orla, and ciara

at the top of sliabh liag!

friends in guinness :,)

dad and i in belfast

orla on my shoulders after a night out

mom and i at giants causeway

mom and dad at giants causeway