Wow… it’s been a long time!

Unbelievably, my last blog post was from my last time in Dublin, way back in 2025. Well, I went back. This time, Celia and I took a much needed vacation and went to all the places that I’d gone to last year without her. We flew out from GSP, expecting to have a brief layover in CLT but it didn’t quite work out that way. Our flight from CLT to DUB ended up being cancelled and we were stuck in Charlotte for the night. We ended up with hotel vouchers at some hotel across from Carowinds amusement park. Thanks to a few flight cancellations/delays the next day, we ended up having less than 24 hours in Dublin before heading to our next destination. We tried to squeeze in as much as we could in a short bit of time, so here are a few photos from there. Because we were so rushed, I never quite got into a groove photography-wise. We just enjoyed the city, had some great food, and a good night’s sleep before boarding the ferry to Holyhead, Wales the next morning. Here are a few photos from GSP to the ferry to Holyhead. Stay tuned for the next blog post from Birmingham, England. Pease let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to sign up for the email list on the “about” page. I’d like to focus more on posting here rather than social media, and the emails will let you know when I have new content here.

Ready for takeoff at GSP

We didn't have time for roller coasters.

Random Car Wash

We had some time to kill at the hotel before heading back to the airport, so why not take a photo at the car wash next door?

First day in CLT

This was from when we first arrived at CLT, before things started getting crazy with our flight(s).

We finally made it!

We arrived at the hotel around midday. Light was less than ideal and rain was on the way, but we made the most of it. We were in a time crunch to get to our appointment at the Guinness Storehouse, but we made it with time for a few photos along the way.

Guinness Storehouse

We made it in time for our scheduled time slot at the Guinness Storehouse. It’s a great spot for photos. The Gravity Bar on the top level has one of the best views (360 degrees) in Dublin and the best Guinness 0.0 I’ve ever had. It’s one of my favorite NA beers anyway, but there’s nothing like having it served at the source.

Trinity College

After Guinness, we made our way to Trinity College where we’d had an early morning Book of Kells tour scheduled, but we missed it due to our flight fiasco. If you want to see a few photos from the Long Room there, see my previous blog post.

St. Stephen's Green

After walking around the Trinity campus, we made our way over to St. Stephen’s Green, a beautiful urban park in the heart of the city.

City Scenes

Soon after we walked out of St. Stephens Green, we encountered a street performer who was starting to attract a pretty large crowd. He was quite charismatic and was performing to some really good music. I snapped a few photos and we moved on to some random sightseeing and shopping spots throughout the city.

The Famine Memorial

This installation by sculptor Rowan Gillespie commemorates the Great Famine. These silhouettes don’t really capture the detail and emotion of this sculpture, but that’s the light that I had to work with.

On the ferry.

After our few hours in Dublin, (thanks, American Airlines) we embarked the ferry to Holyhead, Wales to make our way to Birmingham, England. More from there in the next post (soon, I promise).