Good Craic in Dublin
The long weekend in Dublin is behind us. This great city showcased its passion for beer, St. Patrick's Day and sport and we had a great time. The week began with a tour of the Guinness brewery on Robert's birthday, and to no ones surprise a pint of Guinness makes a great brunch. The remainder of the day and the following day were spent exploring the city (and landmarks like the Dublin Spire, pictured above) by foot and by bus tour. We went to Trinity College Library to take a look at The Book of Kells, described by some as the peak of Western calligraphy and illumination, and left very impressed with its detail and beauty. We also took a nice walk in St. Stephen's Green before turning in prior the St. Patrick's Day festivities the next day. St. Patrick's Day began with a trip to the city center and jockeying for position along the parade route. We and 500,000 of our closest friends took to the streets and cheered on all of the parade participants until our butts fell asleep from sitting on sidewalk railings. Then it was on to the pub to watch Ireland's 6 Nations (rugby) match away to Italy. Italy fell to the Irish 24-51 and the city was alight with anticipation of the France vs. Scotland match which, if the result came out right, would see the Irish claim the 6 Nations Championship. It wasn't to be and the French dominated the Scottish to win the title on points differential. The rest of the afternoon was spent in Malahide, a quaint seaside village North of Dublin, were we had Robert's birthday dinner two nights before. A short night's rest was had before we left Dublin early Sunday morning for Birmingham and Liverpool's visit to Aston Villa.

Aston Villa 0-0 Liverpool FC
We arrived in Birmingham shortly before kickoff and were battered with a combination of sleet and snow for a few minutes before the sun decided to come out. But the sun never came into our section of the stadium and we spent most of the match just trying to stay warm. If the play was any better perhaps that could have given us warmth, but quality football never came and were bored by a dull draw before returning home to Swansea. But we were, however, treated to a very impressive individual performance by Aston Villa striker John Carew, who kept Liverpool on their toes and kept Villa in the match.