I loved the small town nature of Ireland, evident even in a bigger city like Dublin. Really, it was the thing I enjoyed most about our travels there.
I loved streets full of busy shops and eateries - each one was different and each one seemed to be thriving. Living in a small town here is entirely different. Over the years, small towns have lost their small businesses. Most downtown areas are struggling at best, shuttered at worst. Small town life in the US usually feels depressing, but there it feels...I don't know...rooted? And I loved that everyone walked or biked and that public transportation was so accessible.
Oh, and since this is a stitching blog after all, I know you're all probably wondering if any of the lovely towns I visited had a stitching or needlework shop. I would have thought that a city the size of Dublin might have a needlework shop... Sadly, no. Fabric shops that crossed my path were exactly that - fabrics. And not much of it. I know that there are quilt shops, but they were in cities that we weren't visiting.
I found one shop in Dublin that advertised lots of trims and fabrics
(The Woollen Mills) and I hoped to find some needlework supplies, but there was only one display of Anchor Threads, Aida on bolts, and a spinner rack of Dimensions kits. I thought I had a glimmer of hope when I saw one of the workers stitching. So I asked her if there were any shops that catered to needleworkers specifically. She was a little miffed that I didn't think that the Anchor display and spinner rack were adequate. Well, whatever.
So - here are some city and town pictures!
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| ONeill's Pub in Dublin |
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| HA! |
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| For Carol, my librarian friend |
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| Busy Half Penny Bridge. I'm up there, somewhere. |
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| Awesome little cafe outside Dublin Castle, where we ate this: |
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| Not exactly Weight Watchers fare, but it was VACATION! |
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| Busy street in Kilkenny |
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| Pub entertainment in Bray |
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| Pub fare |
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| More pub fare |
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| And more |
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| Yum! |
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| Kilkenny side street |
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| Also in Kilkenny. I mean, really. I pink shop that sells chocolate? What's not to love? |
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Tomorrow - typically touristy things.
I LOVE your pics from Ireland Lee!! How wonderful that you got to go there. It is on my list of places I would like to visit. Wonderful to see all the gardens too in your previous post . Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteSuch great pictures. I found that most Europeans get their stitching stuff from the US. Maybe I shouldn't say 'most' because someone will contest that but I've asked and that's what people have told me and someone even asked me to bring some things to Spain with me. Sort of takes the fun out of the hunt that we so love.
ReplyDeletePam
Oh my gosh. Seeing these pictures convinces me that I absolutely must live in Kilkenny. Or at least spend an extended amount of time there.
ReplyDeleteI'll build my life on running with the Harriers club, and drinking tea.
Thank you for sharing wonderful pictures
ReplyDeleteI love the character and charm of the buildings! This is now on my list of places I want to visit.
ReplyDeleteYou guys look so sweet in your photos together! Love your pictures, especially the ones of the beers. You know me...love my beer! And darn, I think I missed the "inappropriate" photo.
ReplyDeleteBeuatiful post. I have been enjoying seeing your travels!
ReplyDeleteYummy! Pub lunches are wonderful. The Queen of Tarts... hee hee. What lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteThis is me being extremely jealous in a good way! Looks like you had a fantastic time. Love all the pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi there. I really appreciate the points you made. I don’t think I’ve actually thought about it in that way. I can really appreciate how you approached the subject matter and what you said really gave me a new perspective. Thanks for taking the time to write this all out.
ReplyDeletewhen it comes to stitching shops it appears Ireland is very much like the UK - absolutely rubbish lol, a couple of kits in the corner does not an lns make! Hence everything gets bought over t'internet..which thankfully we have some good uk based ones.
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