So, four years ago J and I were in Ireland for Saint Patrick’s Day.

It is a religious holiday.

And then at noon, they party.

It reminds me somewhat of Mardi Gras, in that all the little towns and villages and things have their own parades the weekend before the day itself, with all of their kids and local clubs and things, and the giant parade/party is in Dublin. I still think New York, Chicago, and Boston have the really out of control stuff, though.

That being said, I spent Saint Patrick’s Day four years ago touring a crystal factory.

Then a marble factory. I suspect we might have stood out as tourists. Maybe. A little.

Then we hung out out at the hotel with the rest of the tour group, which (as we’d made friends by then) was fun. Not bad, really. Just much quieter than you might expect. I had remembered going to a little pub and watching a live band, but looking back at my photos, that was apparently a couple of days prior. As the trip sort of blurs together, it’s sometimes hard to remember what happened on specific dates. I definitely remember the crystal and marble, though, because we were the only people there. Ha.

We did meet Saint Patrick, though…

Here are just a few more pictures from the Ireland trip. Maybe I’ll post more on the photo journal another time.