Author: melsanpietro
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Howth: an easy day trip from Dublin City Centre
Howth is one of my favorite places to visit when I go to Dublin. We’ve always set aside a day or two to go to Howth on every trip. I ran into these two dogs on my last trip, having the time of their lives on the pier. Dogs always simplify things for me and…
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Guinness is good for you
There is just something about that first Guinness. After a full day of walking and exploring, not much is better than a pint of the black stuff in a cozy pub. I didn’t always like Guinness though. It was an acquired taste, and required a little something extra initially. I used to add black currant…
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Suck Less Tomorrow
“2004! Ready for War! 2004 Ready for War!” We chanted this as we waved our blue, class-colored baseball caps in the air.Other classes got less terrifying chants like 2001, fire it up! Or 2005, full of pride! “2004! Ready for What the fuck…?” The more we chanted, the louder we got. A wave that never…
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Old Grudges Die Hard
Cadet Flitterman sounded like her name. She was a flighty little thing with a pointy little face, mousy brown hair and beady soulless eyes that darted around restlessly. Not much more than 5 feet, she had a high shrill voice that went up an octave or two when she yelled, which was all the time. …
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Gloves on. Gloves off.
She leads the zig-zagged way down the block. I’ll clean the kitchen later. She finds a tree with berries to pick. I can skip a shower. We see a squirrel rustling in a tree and stop to watch. I don’t need to eat before my workshop. We backtrack a bit and she stops to kick…
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The Place that Means the Most
Ireland is where I’ve gone every year I’ve been alive. It’s the familiar smell of dampness, old musty pubs, and wafts of BO that you just don’t get in the states. It’s spending hours in town people watching and listening to the musicians on Grafton street, stopping every hour or two for a coffee or…
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Favorite Places and Nagging Feelings
It could just be nostalgia from walking the path for as long as I can remember, but the Clontarf Seafront, down to Bull Island and Dollymount Strand is my favorite place. It’s a little over a mile from the house in Killester where I’ve visited every year since I was born, and is the first…
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Hobnobbin’ With Crows
We hiked Slieve League on a bitter cold day in November 2019. We had the place to ourselves except for a sociable crow who I obviously shared my hobnobs with. He chose to sit with me long after they were gone while I waited for Patrick to finish his hike. This was my very last…
Somewhat Irish Girl 