Last weekend was a lot of fun! I have been traveling a lot and sometimes it is really
nice to take a weekend to explore Dublin. TradFest was the event last weekend which comes every year to Dublin's Temple Bar. Jamie and I went to a bunch of Pubs to hear amazing Irish Traditional Music. We met up with my French friends, Pierre-Simon (Pictured), Baptiste,
and Cyril at the Quays Pub in Temple bar and enjoyed Guinness and good tunes together!
Going to a pub on a Friday early in the evening is an awesome experience, probably Pierre and my favorite thing to do because no matter what pub you are in, it is always packed with people that just got off of work! The pub culture is very cool and the people you meet are always so friendly.
Later that evening we ended up meeting a crowd that was visiting for the weekend from Manchester. They were tons of fun,
definitely Yupies and without a doubt, they only came to Dublin to have a good time! They complained about the price of a pint, nearly 6 euros! In England you can get a pint for less than 2 quid, but they did tell me that the extra cost was worth it for the friendly Dubliner crowd, with which I completely agreed! I had so much fun with my mates from Manchester on Friday that I ended up hanging out with them on Saturday also!
Although Temple bar is really touristy, you never fail in finding good music there. I asked an Irish lad why he comes to Temple Bar with price of pints and all the foreigners, and he replied, "you can always count on the people in Temple Bar for a good time because most likely they are on Holiday and in a good mood." Its definitely true that the vibe in this part of town is happy and wild, not a care in the world. With the Tradfest in town, nearly every pub
had group of 4 or 5 band-mates sitting around a table, also enjoying a Guinness while they casually played their tunes. The music is fabulous with a sort of blue grassy tone to it, incorporating tradi
tional instruments to bring out a true Irish feel.
On sunday Jamie and I decide to go into town to see a Irish Photography exhibit for the festivities. We arrived to the Gallery at the most perfect time, there we 4 long rows of bagpipe players, irish step dancers, and people in costume...
all of them were under the age of 14.
Hearing bagpipes is probably one of the most powerful musical experiences, I don't know what it is about the sound, but it is truly amazing! After the parade of Irishness left, we went into the Gallery to check out the photos.
Having become really interested in photography in the last month or so, this exhibit was very inspiring. Many of the pictures were from the rural irish country side, the locals that live there, and the portraits of them all captured their character to the truest essence. The Artist, Nutan has traveled all over the world as a photojournalist, and is Irish photographs are some of his most prized.
I was lucky to be in Dublin this weekend because I absolutely LOVE Trad especially in a pub setting, where everyone is enjoy each-others company and the harmonics of the band. All the festivities this weekend from the music and art, to meeting new friends and hanging out with old ones couldn't be beat!
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