I’ve been taking a break from the blog, but it would be remiss of me not to share a few photos from St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin. I missed last year’s, and the year before that we were still in COVID lockdown. It’s overcast, but not raining, and warmer than it’s been over the last few weeks so one can’t complain. The parade passes down Dame Street only steps away from my front door. My friend CJ...
Life has been busy! I haven’t posted since October, skipping November altogether… it’s the longest I’ve gone since starting this blog. Without further ado, here are a few brief updates from the last several weeks before any more time passes. Christmas time is here Dublin is in full-on Christmas mode. The street lights went up in mid-November, and the festive season has...
Happy Halloween / Samhain blessings! Samhain (“SAH-win”) is the ancient Gaelic festival marking the ending of summer and beginning of winter. It that starts at sunset on Oct 31 and ends at sunset the following day, Nov 1. Daylight savings time ended for Europe this past weekend, so it definitely feels like a shift in seasons with sunset before 5:00pm now. However, the weather has been...
Autumn weather is in full swing with more rainy days and cooler temperatures. I have resisted turning on the heat so far but finally succumbed this weekend, as it has been chilly with nighttime lows in the low 40s / upper single digits C. Christmas decorations have been going up above the streets of Dublin, although they are not being lit up yet. Rainbow over the Liffey Last weekend was filled...
It’s been two years since I arrived to Dublin — on 1st October 2020, I took up residence at Sprangers Yard in the apartment where I still live and wrote the first post for this blog. My once daily posts have become much more infrequent as life has become more routine. Life has settled into a new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic is seemingly over; just the other day I finally relegated my collection...
It’s been another relatively uneventful couple of weeks in Dublin. There has been a noticeable shift in the weather, with the lows dipping into low 50s F / upper single digits C, and some rain although still plenty of bright, beautiful days as well. Work has picked up somewhat, which is a welcome change after a slow period from mid-August to mid-September. The news has been preoccupied with...
It’s been a busy past few weeks — a trip to Manchester UK a the end of August for Pride weekend there, multiple office social events, and various get-togethers with friends. It feels like today has been the first day I’ve been able to relax in awhile. The weather has turned rainy once again — a good excuse to stay in and write a blog post — after a stretch of dry days last week and...
The past two weeks have been relatively uneventful. Work continues to be very slow. The warmest summer weather is behind us now, but temperatures have still been in high 60s F / low 70 F, around 20 C. On Sunday I took a long walk with a friend out to Phoenix Park, which I hadn’t visited in many months. The open skies were a refreshing break from Dublin’s urbanity. I also captured some glowing...
Summer is in its final stretch. Work has been slow due to people being away on summer holidays. Weather is a perpetual conversation topic in Ireland. It’s been a mostly drab summer, with grey skies and rain. The August bank holiday was almost entirely a wash out. The forecast this week, however, is making amends for these past disappointments. St. Patrick Cathedral Park The Spire View of Dame...
My close Irish friend S.’s mother died this past week. She was in her mid 70s and had not been in good health for some time, then two weeks ago she had a heart attack and was brought from County Longford to a Dublin hospital. Unfortunately, she was unable to recover and the family decided to suspend further medical intervention after consulting with the doctors. She passed away within 48 hours...