Gaol and Guinness

Day 5: June 21, 2012            

            I cannot believe it is already the end of Thursday. I know I have not really been keeping up with blogging on the right day, but it’s been so busy that I’ve just had to bunch up all my journaling time together. This is the first post that I am actually doing on the day I’m writing about. I feel a little sense of accomplishment here, so let me just take a moment to give myself a pat on the back… ok moment over. Moving on. Today was the second day in a row I’ve told myself I would go running. Needless to say I have failed miserably at that. Two things I have kept up with every day are the Greek IV Quiet Time emails and the daily verses Haley wrote for me in a little notebook. I feel like I need to consistently have that quiet time during my days in order to not fall off track with my faith, so both have been very helpful! Today we went on two group tours. The first was of Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced jail) and the second was of the Guinness Storehouse. Both were fantastic tours for completely different reasons. To be honest, the two could not have been more different.

The EastWing of the jail.
Used in several famous movies

Kilmainham Gaol was very somber. The history given by the tour guide, the familiar prison block used in several famous movies, and the yards where prisoners were executed, all very real and very sad. This jail was where many famous Irish heroes have been held from Michael Collins to Grace Gifford. If you haven’t heard of them, don’t feel bad, neither had I before I was coming to Ireland. For a little more background on Kilmainham Gaol you can always visit the 100% accurate and professor approved Wikipedia page! After the very quiet and serious tour of the gaol we found our way to the famous Guinness Storehouse.

Holding my Perfect Pint!

The storehouse was crowded with visitors all awaiting their “Perfect Pint.” I can probably say that at least 50% of the people there were just interested in being certified Guinness pint pourers. I on the other hand, being the beer connoisseur I am after my many Jack Browns visits, went to really learn about the process and what goes on behind the making of the world famous beer (and one of my favorites). The tour started out standing right above the 9000 year lease that Arthur Guinness signed in 1759. Yes you read that right, 9000 year long lease, for approximately 45 pounds or around $62 a year. I’m pretty sure the Guinness Storehouse will still be under the lease when the world ends in December (I guess the Mayans should have checked with Arthur before they finished making their calendar). So after going through the tour and seeing the process that goes into making the beautiful beer that is Guinness we finally got to pour our own perfect pint. So yes, if you ever need a pint of Guinness poured, I am your go-to-guy. I have decided to commemorate the master brewer himself, Arthur Guinness, with a poem in my next post.