On Saturday, I woke up, showered, and met Fran and Sam at the bus stop at 11:30am. We went to the 12:45pm tour at the Kilmainham Gaol, which lasted about an hour. Then we took a taxi to The Church restaurant and bar. It was literally an old Protestant church called St. Mary's that Arthur Guinness got married in, which they converted into a restaurant and bar in 2007. For lunch, I had a burger, nachos which Fran and I split, and chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. After lunch, we headed to Trinity College. We laid on the grass for awhile because it was such a nice day and then saw the library. Then we went into a few stores and then headed back to campus. Fran and I then booked a tour to Belfast for next Sunday to see the Titanic museum and the city. Because I had such a big late lunch, I didn't eat dinner but cooked a penne pasta, sauce, and meatballs. Having walked around all day, I was pretty exhausted and was asleep by 11:20pm.
On Sunday, I slept in until 11:30am, ate lunch, and relaxed until 3pm. I got the 3:20pm bus into town to go to the 4pm Gaelic football game at Croke Park.
"Gaelic football (Irish: Peil Ghaelach; short name Peil[1] or Caid), commonly referred to as football or Gaelic,[2] is an Irish team sport. It is a form of football derived from traditional Irish ball games. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kicking or punching the ball into the other team's goals (3 points) or between two upright posts above the goals and over a crossbar 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) above the ground (1 point).
Players advance the football, a spherical leather ball, up the field with a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking, hand-passing, and soloing (dropping the ball and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands). In the game, two types of scores are possible: points and goals. A point is awarded for kicking or hand-passing the ball over the crossbar, signalled by the umpire raising a white flag. A goal is awarded for kicking the ball under the crossbar into the net, signalled by the umpire raising a green flag. Positions in Gaelic football are similar to that in other football codes, and comprise one goalkeeper, six backs, two midfielders, and six forwards, with a variable number of substitutes.
Gaelic football is one of four sports (collectively referred to as the "Gaelic games") controlled by the Gaelic Athletic Association(GAA), the largest sporting organisation in Ireland. Along with hurling and camogie, Gaelic football is one of the few remaining strictly amateur sports in the world, with players, coaches, and managers prohibited from receiving any form of payment. Gaelic football is mainly played on the island of Ireland, although units of the Association exist in other areas such as Great Britain, North America and Australia.
Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of attendance, and the final of the All-Ireland Senior Championship, held annually at Croke Park, Dublin, draws crowds of more than 80,000 people. Outside Ireland, football is mainly played among members of the Irish diaspora. Gaelic Park in New York City is the largest purpose-built Gaelic sports venue outside Ireland. Three major football competitions operate throughout the year: the National Football League and the All-Ireland Senior Championshipoperate on an inter-county basis, while the All-Ireland Club Championship is contested by individual clubs. The All-Ireland Senior Championship is considered the most prestigious event in Gaelic football."
The game was between Dublin and Westmeath, and it was an eventful game with a fight between the players at one point and a man that ran on the field naked. The game was over by 5:45pm, and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to go and that the Bank of Ireland gave all the interns free tickets. We had great seats, and the weather was very nice, 75 degrees and sunny. On my way to the bus back, I stopped at Coco Bo, an ice cream and chocolate shop on O'Connell St. and got a mini oreo milkshake. I got back at 7pm, relaxed, and went to bed. I can't believe I only have two more weekends here!
Kilmainham Gaol
The Church Bar and Restaurant
Trinity College
Croke Park
Mini Oreo Milkshake
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