St. Patrick’s Day Dublin: Tourist by Day, Local by Night

March 17, 2016

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The St. Patrick’s Day Dublin: Tourist by Day, Local by Night is part of the Trip Report The MBA in Travel & Tourism Part I which covers:

See the picture preview here.

We pickup the story in Dublin, Ireland. After a reckless night out at the grimy nightclub Tiger Tiger in London, the student is feeling the after effects of too many 2×1 specials. Incredulous that he was indeed hungover, he proceeded to the airport for a one day, one night St. Patrick’s day celebration in Dublin, Ireland. Having never been to Ireland, the student had many misconceptions about Ireland in general and how St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated there. Wear green, drink Guinness, get drunk was the plan for the day.

The Aer Lingus flight provided a few minutes to catch up on sober sleep. Now in Dublin, the student checked into the hotel and went to the nearest St. Patrick’s Day store to buy accessories so he could fit in. “We’re in New York now, let us dress as New Yorkers.” Overdoing it was an understatement and the student’s choice in apparel was not met fondly by locals outside of the tourist zone. (Men wearing beads is frowned upon in Dublin. It isn’t New Orleans.)

Hungry, it was time for breakfast. “Two Guinness please and some bangers and mash,” the student told the bartender. It was going to be a long day of drinking so some food was appropriate. After receiving much-needed nourishment, the student and his friend began to wander around the Temple Bar area, a tourist ridden area of drunkards each celebrating the holiday in their own way.

Still exhausted from the bad decisions of the prior night, the student stopped at a coffee for some caffeine. At said cafe, the student encountered an unmistakable Irishman hurling insults at tourists as they stumbled past. A fan of taunting strangers, the student also took part in the festivities, mocking both the tourist and the Irishman. This good-natured fun lasted for a few minutes and was followed by the usual exchange of pleasantries, “Where you from, why are you in Ireland?,” culminating with the question the student was eager to hear, “Do you want to see how locals celebrate St. Patrick’s day?”

Moments later the student and his friend had left the tourist trap Temple Bar area and ended up in some strange dive bar somewhere outside of town. There were tons of people but no tourists, a welcomed sight.

In his distinctive Irish accent the student’s host asked if he wanted to sample the local drink. Without delay the student said, “Why of course.” “I’ve lost my vision,” the student called out after having a few gulps of this purple, perhaps it was blue, Red Bull infused mixture. He came to learn that the name of the libation was Buckfast, a devilish wine drunk by hooligans and degenerates alike. For American readers, Buckfast is most similar to the college favorite, Mad Dog 20/20 Kiwi Strawberry.

After more drinking, more dancing, and more Guinness, the student and his new-found friends returned to the Temple Bar to sing classic Irish songs, ‘make party’ with new German friends, and consume the obligatory St. Patrick’s day shots of Jameson that were presented.

Walking perfectly straight, the student and his friend returned home to sleep for a few hours before heading off to Amsterdam the next day.

Happy authentic St. Patrick’s Day!