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Driving the manual transmission car left-handed isn’t nearly as difficult as I thought. Slight fear at the rental moment, mostly due to jet lag, but within minutes I was already cursing inept Irish drivers. Finding my way to Dublin was easy, but finding the hotel wasn’t. Pulled over into a car park and asked the attendant, a Bill Clinton look-alike, for directions. He proceeded to take my out to the streets and point out the way, step by step. Still, in the frazzled state, I made it close. But had to just park it and take a cab. Slept 3 hrs and hit the steets. Temple bar is the typical city “strip,” with bars, clubs, cobblestone, falafels, the obligatory drum-circle with fire juggler and dancing drunk-guy, only it’s nice, with quaint old buildings and wooden tables, and very mixed age crowd.

Sunday began with a great full Irish breakfast courtesy of hotel. The weather, was wonderful, according to the locals, cloudy with fits of sun, brisk, slightly windy. Had no idea, but in addition to Easter, today was the 90th anniversary of the “Easter Rising” revolution of 1916, with a full-on parade through Dublin. Good fortune, though that killed the plan to hit Glendalough and some of the country due to mad traffic and roads closed. It was a military parade, mostly uneventful as far as parades go (the usual lots of people who can’t see anything), families, Irish flags and green cowboy hats abounding. I mosied about drinking bad coffee and taking pictures. Beckett festival going on as well, with various plays and films and stuff on tv. Made it out to Kilmainham Gaol for the afternoon, and it was free due to the anniversery. Super informative tour, with film and guide. Jail is restored but in a modest way; no cheesy mannequins or re-enactments.

Tomorrow off to the country winding up in Belfast.