Time is flying by here in Dublin! It is crazy to believe we are already halfway through. This week was definitely the best so far, between touring castles, seeing my favorite band, and going to the Guinness Storehouse.

The highlight of my week, without question, was seeing The Backseat Lovers live in concert. They have been my favorite band for a long time, and every time I get the chance to see them perform, it’s truly special. Their sound is incredible on recordings, but hearing them live brings their music to a whole new level. This show was at The National Stadium, which is technically a boxing arena, but it created one of the most intimate concert experiences I’ve ever had. The energy of the space made it one of my most memorable concerts to date. 

What made it even more special was how personal it felt. They opened with the same song they played at the very first concert of theirs I attended, back at the Stone Pony in Jersey. They have a different setlist for each of their shows, but somehow this one mirrored that first one so closely, which made the night feel like it had come full circle. The first time I saw them was in August of 2023 (right before coming to Bucknell), and being back at their concert with a similar set list was a reminder of how much I have grown in the time I have listened to their music. Their songs have genuinely been with me through all the changes of the past two years, which made the night so special. 

And just when I thought the concert couldn’t get any better, they came back on for the encore when I was silently (and not so silently) praying they’d play my favorite song, ‘Sinking Ship’. Similarly to the theme of their setlist, ‘Sinking Ship’ was the song they played for their encore at their summer ‘23 Stone Pony concert, which was the first time I was introduced to it. Just like the rest of their music, that song (which has become my all-time favorite) has become a kind of anchor for me through some significant moments in the past two years, making the end of the concert extraordinary.  

I’m already looking for the next chance to see them live. Music has always meant a lot to me, but something about The Backseat Lovers captures everything I love about it so perfectly.

Other than the concert (which as you can tell was definetly the highlight of my trip so far), we got to tour some beautiful castles this weekend. We went to the Rock of Cashel, then the Blarney Castle, and ended with a tour of the Cahir Castle.

The Rock of Cashel was an incredibly impressive cluster of medieval buildings, including a round tower, high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House. We did not have a guided tour, so Zoe, Emilia, and I just walked around to each building. The structures were on top of a large hill, so after exploring we sat on the grass and appreciated the view. Zoe and Lily though it looked like a great hill to roll down, and proceeded to race down until we had to leave. I’m not sure how they weren’t insanely dizzy, because they probably rolled down 15 times.

After the Rock of Cashel, we headed to the Blarney Castle. We were only there for a few hours, and while we wanted to kiss the stone, we prefered to eat and explore the grounds instead of waiting in the hour and 40 minute queue. We knew it was going to be a long day ahead of us, with another castle tour and the concert that night, so we took some time to rest and grab lunch. The grounds were beautiful, with many gardens and cool structures around the castle. We ate at a cafe that was in the old horse stables, where they had a table in each of the stalls to sit.

Our last stop of the trip was to the Cahir Castle, which was my favorite. Since it was not lived in frequently, as the Butlers, the family who owned the castle, built a mansion in the town centre of Cahir where they lived from then on, the castle was kept in the medival era. 

The castle was not lived in as frequently and up to present day as other ones we toured, like Kilkenny Castle, so the castle remained frozen in the medieval era. Walking through it felt like stepping back in time; it was unlike any other castle I’ve toured. Our guide led us in by explaining the castle’s many defense mechanisms: defenders once used giant rocks, boiling sand and animal fat, arrows, and heavy sliding doors to ward off intruders. There were over five layers of defense built into the structure, each more intense than the last, designed to delay and deter anyone approaching the entrance. I’ve always thought it would be cool to live in a castle, but after this tour, I’m convinced I’m definitely not cut out for the medieval era.

Although I did not get many photos, we also went to the Guinness Storehouse on Monday for my first (and honestly probably last) Guinness of the trip. We got to see all the components and process of making a Guinness, particularly focusing on the origins of its four ingredients, barley, hops, yeast and water. All of the ingredients except for hops come right from Ireland, because hops have to be grown in a consistently warm climate. At the end of the tour, we went to the Gravity Bar to get our free beer. Although it was cool to try, I don’t think it was my cup of tea.

Overall, this was such a great week and made me very excited for the back half of my time here.

To end, here are some bonus photos from the weekend: