It’s already been two weeks since my trip to Barcelona, London, and the northern half of Ireland. I posted a little bit about the first two locations but have held off posting about Ireland. In truth, it’s a little overwhelming. The nine days I spent on the Emerald Isle make up one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. After coming brutally close to a score in Barcelona and logging several unsatisfying days in London, I couldn’t wait to get away from poker and into full vacation mode. I’m part Irish and I’ve wanted to visit this part of my heritage for a long time.

 

After a brief stint in Dublin, my best friend Truman and I headed north to Belfast--unimaginable as a tourist destination as recent as eight years ago. Before arriving in the city, we spent time inside several reconstructed burial mounds that are 1,000 years older than Stonehenge.

 

 

Belfast is a city optimistically taking steps toward a future where rivalries are settled on the rugby field or in political arenas, not with car bombs as was the case a decade ago. It was in Belfast that I discovered the absolute best thing about this country: the Irish people! Nowhere in the world have I felt more welcome than I did in Ireland. People were curious, hilariously funny, and quick to offer a welcoming hand or a “pint of brown.” One of the highlights for me was in spending time with Mickey, an off-duty Belfast police officer who asked me where I got my Full Tilt Hat. This sparked a long discussion about poker and before Truman and I knew it, Mickey had invited us to sit down and watch some Gaelic Football (a cross between soccer and rugby). Mickey and friends were amazed that we would want to visit Belfast but were quick to assure us that we would love the city. As Belfast moves forward, it will be people like Mickey who set the tone for police activity. With him at least, I know both Protestants as well as Catholics will get a fair deal.

 

After two days in Belfast, I headed up to the northeastern-most corner of Ireland, along a road which wound its way between crashing ocean breakers on one side and pile upon pile of grey rock walls on the other. It was one of the best roads I’ve ever driven and I would have traded all the whiskey in Ireland to have my Subaru STi with me.

 

Speaking of whiskey, I visited the Bushmills Distillery as well as a weird coastal rock formation called the Giant’s Causeway but the literal high point for me was in crossing over to a small island via a 40 foot high rope bridge. It was so windy that there was a guy who would periodically check to make sure the wind was less than 50mph, at which point they’d have to close the bridge. When I crossed, he said it was between 40 and 45 mph!

 

 

I finished the halfway point by visiting a large cave before heading to Sligo, where I began looking for a Celtic tattoo. But that’s another story. To be continued...