Out and About in Dublin
I’d been enjoying a visit with my sister in Massachusetts in the days prior—she was a new mom and I was loving my first months as an auntie.
It was a joyous time in our family, but it soon turned dark when our beloved Grandmother Juanita passed away. Since I was en route to see U2 in Ireland, I wasn’t able to make it to Oregon for her service, and that was hard for me. But I was very close to her all of my life and had said a proper goodbye a few weeks prior. She knew I was going on the trip and I felt like she wouldn’t have wanted me to miss it.
I had traveled extensively throughout my college years, but I’d never been out of the country entirely alone, so this was new.
I left on a Boston flight coated with U2 fans and once we were in the air, our Aer Lingus staff told us that Bono’s father had just passed away.
A panic spread throughout the plane—the news was awful (and we selfishly worried that the band may cancel the historic concert at Slane Castle, which is what we were all flying there to see).
The Guinness flowed freely, we passed around The Irish Times and shared fan stories until we landed. Once we were inside the airport, the rumor was that “the show would go on.”
I met another girl, Becky, who was in my same organized U2 tour group (normally, I detest organized tours, but since I was 25, female and alone, I figured that I should join one), and we looked for our shuttle together.
Riding to Bewley’s in Ballsbridge I began to remember a city I’d visited only three years prior. I was anxious to get out and explore things that I hadn’t had the chance to do in ‘98, but when we arrived at the hotel, they said our rooms weren’t ready. They would release keys one by one as other guests checked out and the maids had a chance to clean.
I collapsed into a chair in the lobby and snacked on delicious honeycomb ice cream, which was for sale in the dining area.
A few hours later, we were checked in, but instead of listening to my body and sleeping as I should have, I set out with Becky to see the National Gallery and wander around St. Stephen’s Green.
The first photo I had her take of me was the one you see above—U2 posters gracing the front of a store.
Little did I know on every street in every part of the city I’d see the same.
But the trip had only just begun.