Prepare for the end...and welcome in the new era

Happy New Year!

(Are you reading this in 2020? Or are you still stuck in the past?)

After yesterday's disappointment, I was determined to see St Andrew's church. And, I eventually discovered that it was *just* my timing that was terrible. They were open yesterday! But during the holidays they only do 10am mass on the weekdays.

So guess who went to church?

That's right--

Hozier.

And me.

Sarah didn't come with me for personal reasons (I get it, but I do think it's funny that of the two of us who went, it's the disillusioned christian who dabbled with paganism and is now a superstitious atheist. ) but she did get up early with me so we could get breakfast at the hotel.

I barely ate cause I was...nervous? Apprehensive? I don't know. I was very anxious about going to an actual mass. I think the last time I went was....maybe 7 years ago? Longer? Who knows.

So suffice it to say, I fully expected to burst into flames.

I do kid, but I did expect to stand out especially when you consider I went to a 10AM TUESDAY MASS.

Do you know how many people were there??

of COURSE not, you weren't there!

Let me tell you.

There were 14 of us.

There were 4 people in my section, another 3 to the right, and about 7 to my left.

(I dunno why left was so popular but there it is.)

It was a nice service, and maybe it's a good thing that I received some blessings to wash away the past decade. Cause it was their last service of the decade!

(I did say I was superstitious. So, for linguistic purposes I am probably closer to agnostic but that's a for the semantics out there.)

And it was kind of neat attending a service in the church of my ancestors. To be fair, the building itself was opened and blessed in 1843, but that's just the building.

So! Mass was nice, and I was totally unprepared for all the call and response bits and I felt like an idiot walking up with my arms crossed during communion (but I still didn't take it-it's disrespectful in the catholic church to partake if you're non-practicing.) But got a blessing, and whatever.

Mass only lasted about 23 minutes.

So, Catholic mass is apparently only long when there's a bunch of hymns and people during communion.

Just...

speedy.

With service over, I checked out the church a bit- it's beautiful. I did donate to it's upkeep and I might e-mail the priest later about church records stuff but I was not prepared to talk about family and religion at 10:30 in the morning. So I went on my way.

I walked back to the hotel and, compared to the walk TO the church, it was much busier.

Like, 9 am in Dublin is apparently still early because it was mostly me and delivery drivers to the restaurants.

It was odd. Maybe it's the area-but there was A LOT of space on the sidewalks.

10am is when people seem to start their day cause 10:30 had people milling-still not as many as I saw yesterday (and much later) but I felt less weirded out.

I did pass a tour that was looking at the statue of Molly Malone. I would have listened except the tour was in German or something.

And I made it back to the hotel at 11, and we went to get lunch around 12. Stopped by a cheese store (Sherridan's Cheesemonger if you like cheese and are in Dublin).

Then we wandered over to George's Quay and the River Liffey. We checked out the Custom House Quay where there's going to be a concert tonight (we're going). Happened to wander by during soundcheck so got a little taste of what's to come. Then we wandered Dublin some more, stopped at a place called Queen of Tarts for a small lunch and cake and swung by Dublin castle before the closed for the day.

It's an okay castle, but I've seen better. ;)

And then we came back to rest before....

the

Big

NIGHT.

Sarah and I have this weird feeling that this is the end of the trip, BUT IT'S NOT.

It's just a big reason? Big event?

It has an importance and most of the trip was planned around it so we keep forgetting that we still have 4 days after this.

And I thought I'd post what I can.

So! Before I have to compete with the expectations of the night (who knows how it's really going to go.) I'll leave you with this classic New Year's song that you will no doubt get wrong tonight.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne*?

Chorus: For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne, we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

(Also that's Scottish so not super appropriate and that's only the first bit but you have google.

You can do the rest.)

Happy New Year!