Reidy writes

Saturday 30 July 2011

A pint of your finest Craic

Walking in to cousin Helen's country house from the 1700's made me feel a little King Henry the 8th. I had to take a little look around the place as it just oozed character. When they bought it it was a little run down but it got heritage listed and the government gave them a grant to fix it up. Its definitely a house i would have loved to of grown up in. One of the barns has a full size basket ball court, FUN. We woke to find Helen had washed and ironed all our clothes and laid them out in our rooms. She then drove us the 40min to Exeter airport. Thank you again Helen, we owe you big time !










Arriving to an overcast and drizzly Ireland was exactly how i imagined it. As we jumped in a taxi heading to Central hotel Dublin i was so excited. Ireland is somewhere i have dreamt of going since i started pulling drunken tourists out of Bondi's backpacker rip nearly 10 years ago ! Once there we were whisked next door to The Exchequer bar. The joint is totally amazing, it has an old Irish feel with a modern twist. Ian (one of the owners) sat us down and served us each a pint of their finest and some delicious steak sandwiches.






Once our bellies were full we were on the hunt for the black stuff, Guinness ! The factory just around the corner is where its made and we were headed there to rip into a couple. Our tour guide Nick was an absolute champion. He explained everything in terms a bunch of boof head Aussie lifeguards would understand. We got the opportunity to pull a few from the tap and of course we had to taste the fruits of our labour and sample all that we'd pulled. The tour is a must for anyone visiting Dublin, just don't take the rental car as once you have one your gonna want another !













No sooner had we necked a pint of black we needed to rush back to The Exchequer for some media commitments with IrishTV3, a radio program and some print press. We did some interviews inside while trying a cocktail the team at The Exchequer had made up just for us called "The Bondi Junction", very exotic. We then strolled outside in to the Irish sun for some photos.






Straight after the media stuff we had an organised meet and greet. I was blown away at how many people turned up and the distances they had travelled. Hanging out with the people that like the show is exactly why this trip came about and we're all so stoked to be able to meet everyone and say G'day. 




It had been a really long day and the boys were all pretty beat so we had 2 nip's of water and went to sleep :)) You'd be a fool to believe my last sentence...


Day 2 in Dublin I welcomed my first sleep-in in about 2 weeks and boy was it nice. My head was a little sore from the night before but all in all I was feeling the goods. We headed down stairs and enjoyed a very tasty full Irish breakfast thanks to the legendary Kitchen crew at The Central Hotel.


Our day had begun and we were off to Dundrum Shopping complex, about a 20min drive from the city. There we got to meet with people that are interested in the show, enjoy some delicious Sushi and just hang out and shop around. Goodtimes !






I don't like to play favourites and I know I've only been here a couple of days but I'm just gonna put it out there and say Ireland is one of my favourite places in the whole wide world. Wether it was the amazing hospitality of our legendary hosts at both The Exchequer and the The Central Hotel, the electric atmosphere that is Dublin, or even just warm and friendly people that live in this pretty city, either way I'm sold and I'm definitely coming back again for a lot longer next time. Another thank you I would like to say is to an Irish friend of mine back in Australia, Aislinn O'Toole. With out her putting both teams: Owl Marketing & PresencePR together Ireland may never have happened. Thanks to all !


Another early start and big day awaits tomorrow. We are on the ferry at 8am heading to Holy head. Once there we are going to Trearddur Bay to see the RNLI from 12pm and hang out with the lifeboat crew. Then we are meeting Prince Willy for a cold one at The White Eagle, just not sure if he has got the memo yet :)


Thanks again Ireland, you were awesome !


Till next time y'all !





8 comments:

  1. 'Thanks Ireland, you were awesome'. Yes....yes we were! ;-)

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  2. It was a pleasure to meet you ! Thanks for stooping to take a photo even though you were carrying that big box! If I hadn't been so toung toed when you asked what perfume I was wearing I would have told you it was aqua di gio. Hope you guys had a great time and come back soon!
    Jess

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  3. where abouts are you gonna be in manchester

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  4. tanx ssooo muc 4 yesterday i had the best day ever!!!! xxx

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  5. Yay...Holyhead tomorrow, can not wait to meet you all...esp Hoppo ;) haha!!! Me and my little boy will come say Hi...even if he's disappointed Deano isnt with you. See you tomorrow :)

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  6. My 2 daughters said you were all sound and enjoyed the Irish crack !! Travel safe. from Mama Doogue.

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  7. My 2 girls and i are still getting over the shock of actually meeting you guys today!!! Never EVER thought that we would actually meet you in real life!!! There was i thinking that Hoppo was looking a bit grumpy today, but after reading the blog it all makes sense...he was Hungover..lol!! Great to meet you guys. Be sure to come back again! Happy travelling :) x

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  8. Gutted to see you were in Dublin and didn't get to meet you guys, if only I'd known you were here :-)

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