Friday 22 October 2010

Ireland - August 2004


Debuting in Dublin

The Guinness


The challenge started with a visit  to the Guinness  St James’s Gate Brewery in the heart of Dublin where we were welcomed by the Guinness Storehouse Operations Director Michael Sheary. 
Ops Manager Michael Sheary.welcomes us.

 We had a complementary tour around the Guinness Storehouse with guide Noel O'Reilly before ending up in the Gravity Bar for a Guinness where Noel kindly picked out of the hat the next destination I had to go to, Sofia, Bulgaria. 

Getting There

Flew from Birmingham with Ryanair at £4 each plus taxes making it £30 each for the round trip.  Hired a car at Dublin airport.  Used the local metro system, the DART, to get in and out of the city.

Team Makeup: 

A family trip – Margaret, Sean and Gareth

Accommodation

We were kindly put up, or should I say we imposed on, friends Teresa and John in Bray, County Wicklow, Margaret’s hometown.

Food

Teresa puts on a fine spread and we were duty bound to do it justice including the long-standing Irish tradition of multiple puddings.

Sightseeing highlights


The Guinness Storehouse tour including the history of Guinness manufacturing and history of the advertising in the My Goodness, My Gilroy’ exhibition.
  • The Spike (known locally as the Stiffy on the Liffey) in Connelly Street. A conical spire of rolled stainless steel plate which tapers from 3 metres in diameter at the base to a 0.1 metre pointed pinnacle at a height of 120 metres.


Out of the City


In Bray we visited friends and family and had time to explore a local hill called Carraigoona.

Quirky moments


Loosing our way from the airport out to Bray and having to jump out of the car in a Tesco car park to get a signal on a hand-held GPS.  Men will do anything to save having to ask a stranger the way.
Buying an emergency bottle just in Dublin in case I dont find any in Bulgaria

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