Friday, April 15

We got up in time for a large Irish breakfast. Since I didn’t want bacon (because it sticks in my teeth) I got three sausages, alongside my two fried eggs, baked beans, fried tomato and toast.

The weather is brighter than we expected and this is a day of shopping.

We have walked down to the Spire and now we are walking along Henry Street. We have been into a number of shops and we can see Marks and Spencer in the distance. Four street artists are sitting in black outfits waiting for people to donate money. Their act seems to consist entirely of sitting still in costume and not much money is changing hands. I stand watching for fifteen minutes while Irma is shopping.

Later we will reach the end of Henry Street and stop for an afternoon drink at The Church. Half of Dublin will be in there and all of them will be ordering cocktails. We will be sitting at the bar by the cocktail station, and we will spend an hour or more watching things being shaken until they change consistency.

We will decide not to eat there and walk across the river into the Temple Bar area where we will eat gournet hamburgers at Bo Bo. On the way back it will start raining heavily and we will be forced to take shelter in a pub for a while.

And then another.