June 7^th, 2012

Day 18: Ahiohill & Clonakilty, Co. Cork, Ireland

Happy birthday Mateo J Slainte! I hope you had a fantastic day- here's a freshman year throwback just for you.. love youuuu!

This morning we woke up to constant rain, strong winds, and a chill that seemed like it would never break. We all got up a little bit later than usual since the night before had been quite eventful, and when we woke up to this bleary Irish summer landscape, Tina declared it a Sunday and we did nothing.

It was nice to relax and just lounge around the house all day. Figures, the days I feel fully motivated to go for a run are the days that the rain pours down in buckets. Regardless, I did a bit of reading, job searching, resume editing and travel planning. Productive, even though none of us left the house!

For dinner, we had breakfast! A full Irish fry with the small addition of chips. Nothing like a heaping plate of fried food on a bleary day. Now I just have to fast for the next few days to make up for the indulgence.

At night, the rain let up a bit and Tina and John brought Zoe and I into Clonakilty to see John Spillane, a very successful Irish singer/songwriter that they are friends with. He was playing at Da Barra’s for a 10e cover, and they said he was a classic Clonakilty name that we couldn’t miss.

Boy, were they right! He was an awesome performer and had a very interesting & eclectic collection of songs for the night. I brought my camera but failed to replace the memory card that I had taken out the day before- fail.

I found a few youtube clips of my favorites that you should check out if you have any time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLXagbp3g1k - Passage West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GAG_y6WJ_8&feature=fvwrel - The Dance of the Cherry Trees

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtOJzilynV8 Johnny Don’t Go To Ballincollig

After a few pints, a load of laughs and some fantastic music, Zoe and I met John and Tina and headed home. Everyone was exceptionally tired from doing nothing all day, and we went to bed!

Favorite part of the day: John Spillane’s concert. Great to see a successful local artist with some amazing songs!