So I didn't end up spending ALL of Christmas alone... My friend Will (who directed the play I was in) texted me to say Happy Christmas, and when he found out I was alone on Christmas day, he immediately called me and insisted I come to his house. So Will came to pick me up and take me to his house just outside Dublin in Clontarf. It was kind of awkward because I don't even know Will that well, and I certainly didn't know anyone from his family, but it was fun to experience an Irish Christmas. Will's family are some of the most interesting people I've ever met, and they were all really nice. Will has 6 sisters and 3 brothers. Everyone was there, including spouses and children, except for two of his siblings. The Woods family was so amazing! Will's sister Catherine is a model, his sister Hilary was in a band that was apparently pretty famous in Ireland, his sister Elizabeth is an opera singer, his sister Ursula is an actress and a teacher in Australia (she had her friend Dan along too, from Australia), his sister Mary is an actress in New York, and his brother Adrian is an actor in Ireland (and is basically Jude Law). Sean, his dad, told funny stories and sang for us. Also in attendance was Will's quiet brother Johnny and his fiancee Shauna, Adrian's wife Alison, Will's mom, Mary, Ursula's friend Carla, and Hilary's daughter Grace. (His brother Jeff and Sister Eleanor weren't there, but I got to meet Eleanor and her husband Steve later that night). Will even got me a gift! (Well, it was actually a leftover gift-- he realized he'd gotten one of his sisters two gifts and gave me the jazz CD he was going to give to her. But at least I got to open a present on Christmas!) It was a crazy night, but lots of fun to be a part of!

Colin was in town for St. Stephen's Day, and I packed on the 27th. On the 28th, I woke up really early and met my sister Katie and her friend Abby at the Dublin airport. It was so weird to have them here in Ireland, but so exciting! Katie rented a car, and we had fun getting back to Maynooth on the wrong side of the road. I showed them my room and we stopped at the Roost for lunch and Abby's first Irish Guinness before checking into the Glenroyal Hotel for a nice nap (the girls were pretty tired). That night we went on a little pub crawl in Maynooth. We started at O'Neil's, then grabbed some food at Supermac's before proceeding to Brady's and ending at the Roost. It was weird drinking with my sister, but it was a fun night. Abby made friends with an old man named Paul who, upon hearing her accent, immediately asked her about her religion and political outlook. She also made friends with Ian, one of the bouncers at the Roost. It's always good to meet the locals... :)

The next day we decide to pick a random town on the east coast and drive there, so we set out for Malahide late that morning. I fell asleep in the back seat, and Katie and Abby got a little lost, but we eventually found it. It was a cute little seaside town, and we walked by the beach and along the sidewalks in town before warming up at a cute little wine bar. Abby got wine, Katie got tea, and I got Pavlova (a merengue dessert). On the way back, we stopped in Dublin and ate at an Italian restaurant off Grafton Street. That night we went to Caulfield's for a few drinks and some piano bar music where we met Tony and Martina, a 50-year-old couple who were engaged with a 6-year-old son. They were hilarious, and Martina requested a song for us. I also had a crush on the bus boy who took our drink orders. I wrote his name in tootsie roll wrappers... we're getting married.

The next morning we met my parents at the airport and drove to Powerscourt in Co. Wicklow. It was such a beautiful day, and the gardens were lovely (even though a lot of the plants and flowers were dormant). After lunch at Powerscourt we drove to Cork, stopping at Waterford Crystal. We all squeezed into a little Nissan... it was cozy, but ridiculously squished. Once we got to Cork, we checked into our apartment and had dinner at a nice little restaurant.

On New Year's Eve day we went to Blarney to explored the castle and grounds and kiss the Blarney stone. The castle originally dates from before AD 1200. It was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt by Dermot McCarthy, the King of Munster. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, also called the Blarney Stone. The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle. Tourists visiting Blarney Castle may be positioned upside-down and kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. The stone, which is believed by some to be half of the original Stone of Scone, was presented to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in recognition of his support in the Battle of Bannockburn.The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. There are many legends as to the origin of the stone, but some say that was the "Lia Fail" or the magical stone Irish kings were crowned upon. Queen Elizabeth I wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney", thus giving rise to the legend.

We also shopped in the Blarney Woolen Mills shop and had Guinness pie at Christy's. Upon returning to Cork, we had dinner at Amicus where Abby got a chicken skewer as tall as she is and my mom and I had our first drink together... weird. After dinner we went to the Brog pub and had a drink with my parents before they left us to chat with the Irish boys at the table next to us. We met some interesting characters, and Abby fell in love with the Spanish bus boy. It was a good time.

The next morning we set out for Galway, stopping at the Cliffs of Moher on the way. The Cliffs of Moher are located in the parish of Liscannor at the south-western edge of The Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Republic of Ireland. The cliffs rise 120 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres away. The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs. One can see 300 million year old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs. It was really windy, but it was a clear day, and we could see the cliffs and the Aran Islands clearly. After perusing the gift shop, we got back in the car and made it to Galway in time for dinner at the Front Door.

The next morning we shopped in and explored Galway City. My dad randomly got acupuncture for his sore back. We visited the Spanish Arch (a set of arches built in 1584 as an extension of the city walls of Galway; as part of the wall designed to protect the city's quays, the Spanish Arch is located on the banks of the River Corrib) and The Claddagh. The Claddagh is a beach area in the western part of Galway. Its existence has been recorded since the arrival of Christianity in the 5th century. It is one of the oldest former fishing villages in Ireland. The Claddagh is famous for the Claddagh ring, which is popular among those of Irish heritage as both a friendship and wedding ring.

That afternoon we set out for Ashford Castle. Ashford Castle is a medieval castle near Cong in County Mayo, Ireland on the shore of Lough Corrib. The castle was built in the 13th century by the Anglo-Norman de Burgos family, after their defeat of the O'Connors of Connaught. Ashford was rebuilt and extended from the 1850s by Benjamin Guinness, and his son Arthur took his title from an island on the lake. The Guinnesses sold it in 1945. Today the castle is a five star hotel, one of Ireland's finest. We met Katie's friends from optometry school for dinner in the Drawing Room and after dinner drinks in the Dungeon Bar. The castle was so AMAZING! I felt like the princess I am ;)

Although they had horse back riding, golf, clay pigeon shooting, and falconry available to residents, the next morning we just explored the castle grounds and took some pictures. On the way back to Galway from the castle, we stopped at Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore Abbey was a Benedictine nunnery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Republic of Ireland. The abbey was founded when Benedictine Nuns fled Belgium in World War I. It is now a boarding school for girls. Originally called Kylemore Castle, it was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from Manchester, England. After the death of his wife Margaret in 1875, Mitchell did not spend much time there. He and his wife are both buried in the small mausoleum near the church in the grounds of the abbey. The drive back to Galway was incredibly beautiful. We drove through the mountains and admired the sheep, stopping in Leenane for some cheese toasties. That night we had dinner with Katie's friends in Galway and heard some traditional Irish music before returning to the hotel for some drinks in the hotel bar.

The next day we left Galway and drove to Dublin in the SNOW! The family dropped me off in Maynooth so I could unpack, repack, hang out with Colin, and meet them the next morning in Dublin. The next day we went to Dublin Castle and Trinity to see the Book of Kells. We had dinner at an Italian resturant and then met Katie's optometry school friends for a pub crawl through Temple Bar. On the last day, we went to Kilmainham Gaol together before splitting up. Dad, Katie and Abby went to the Guinness Factory while my mom and I shopped a bit. Colin took the train into Dublin and met up with us for dinner at Gallagher's Boxty House (which was delicious). Colin and I had drinks with Katie and her friends in Temple Bar, and then it was time to say goodbye to the family to return to Maynooth. It had been a long week together, and we were all ready to return to our personal space, but it was still really sad seeing them go. It was a jam-packed week full of fun and memories, and I'm so glad I got to share a little part of this Irish experience with part of my family.

Today it was back to the books, as I have my first final exam on Friday. I'm not looking forward to all the cramming I'm going to have to do, but I'm sure everything will work out. Wish me luck!