"Have ya sum fish n' chips aver thar lad, at the poob."

Ah, Ireland. Land of the green. Realm of the pint. Home of the fish...and "chips."

The Chockleys spent Memorial Day weekend this year in Shamrocks-ville. Despite a forecast calling for 4-days of showers, we had nothing but sunshine. That was welcome news to Melissa, who was already nervous enough at my staunch insistence on renting a car (..."but honey, I've wanted to do this all my life..."). Its kinda like rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time, except you're inside a 2,000 lbs Fiat speeding down the wrong side of the highway at 120km p/h.

Anyway, we kicked off the weekend by driving southwest to a little countryside town called Kilkenny. Everyone told us that no trip to Ireland would be complete without a little trip outside Dublin, and they were right. It was good to see how some real Irish live, listen to some old guys speak Gaelic, and take in a great little city.

On day two, we drove back into Dublin to meet some friends who were flying in from Rota. We spent Saturday and Sunday touring around, frequenting pubs and mostly people-watching. We saw most of the highlights - St. Stephen's Green, Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Book of Kells - but the highlight for me was the Guinness Storehouse - very cool. Your admission ticket entitles you to a free Guinness at the 7th-floor "Gravity Bar" - and the view isn't too shabby either.

- pac