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Saturday, January 4, 2014

The People of Ireland - oh, the passion.


By: Julie Mills

After two airplane rides, a bus ride, a taxi drive, I finally got to my room on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 Derry time. All of my classmates from Gonzaga are extremely nice, and my roommate Maria and I hit it off right from the start, especially since she gave me time to take a quick nap before we had to meet for dinner.

Me (Julie) with my new friends from Derry!
After a lovely dinner and introductions from all, four of us hit the town and local pubs. We found the perfect pub, Peadar O'Donnell's. Although the local folks told us the pub was more for tourists, the four of us were the only ones that had American accents in the place. We started talking to several of the local folks that were in there, asking them questions about their past and about the town. The women of Derry were dressed to the "T". I asked several of the women there if they were having a bachelorette party because they were all dressed up so nicely with their hair and makeup done up. They told me when they come to Derry, the women always dress up. The women were all very nice and loved my accent. I found them to be quite fascinating and extremely nice.

The one take away I had from the first night out was the passion in the locals as they talked about the city and also watching them sing the Irish songs. The band played several Irish songs and with each one the crowd sang with emotion. In the United States we sing the Star Spangled banner but with nowhere near the passion I saw that night with the locals as they sang the songs that represented the Irish. I am looking forward to the many days and nights to come.

2 comments:

  1. Hello Julie,
    Your experience reminds me of my first night in Derry last year. Peadar's is the perfect place to meet the people of Derry and they all have a story they want to share. There are a couple of great bar tenders there as well named John and Sean. They will take good care of you. The Rocking Horse is another good pub to meet locals and the music is great there as well. Waterloo St. seems a bit scary at night, but it is safe. Please encourage everyone to experience the pubs even if that is not their thing. The point is to meet the people and hear their stories. Believe me it is easy for anyone to make friends there. During the day visit the local shops in town...another good way to meet the locals. My favorite was the Donegal shop. Well I guess that's enough from me. Have fun and I look forward to more posts.
    Charlie Murray

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    1. Sorry I put Rocking Horse, but meant Rocking Chair. It's late here.
      Charlie

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