Fish 'n Chips, Hen Parties, & Dancing to "Irish Music"

(Note: This post is for Saturday, July 26, 2008.)

After not the greatest experience in Limerick, I was happy to be moving on to Killarney today. We were greeted this morning by David, our bus driver for the rest of the trip.

Those who planned our itinerary sent us on a roundabout way to Killarney so that we could see some of the countryside and experience a ride on a larger ferry across the Shannon River. We stopped in Listowel along the way for a toilet break and stretch, and then made it to Killarney in time for lunch. Hungry (since our breakfast at Jurys Inn was disappointing), several of the ladies (Sabrena, Jill, Nicole, Jen, Suzanne, Lorrianne, and me) headed to O'Meara's Pub & Restaurant for some potato and leek soup and some brown bread.

Sabrena and I then ended up adventuring on our own for the day. We first got some great ice cream at Murphy's before checking out the city. After walking through the local carnival, spending some time in the Killarney National Park, and checking out the downtown area, we found a local diner where we had some of the greatest fish 'n chips I've ever had, followed by some yummy desserts! We then headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before meeting up with others for the night, and were entertained by two shows on TV - one like America's Funniest Home Videos and a karaoke show. They had us rolling with laughter!

Since no one ever showed back up at the hotel (which, by the way, is BEAUTIFUL), Sabrena and I decided we'd have a night out on our own. We started off at the piano bar in our hotel, where we enjoyed a pint of Harp while listening to a couple play some Irish "country" music. We then found a local pub with a younger crowd and tried out some Bulmer's. Within a few minutes (as our bus driver had warned would happen) we saw 2 hen parties (bachelorette parties) and 2 Irish guys (John and Noel - who were actually from Galway) had befriended us. After chatting with them for awhile (and listening to an interesting mix of music including Pour Some Sugar on Me and Nine to Five), we told the guys to take us to listen to some Irish music. Instead they led us to another bar with a dance floor and "better American dance music" (according to them), which interestingly enough included ABBA, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Kid Rock (yeah, the Irish have no concept of genre). We ended the night before our dance partners got too intoxicated, and Sabrena got John's number (even if she didn't want it) and we both got kisses on the cheek (because that's all we gave them ... haha) before heading home.