Wedding in Kilkenny

After celebrating Thanksgiving we went to a wedding on Friday in Kilkenny. The wedding was at Mt. Juliet, a country estate. The next day we went on the Smithwick's brewery tour.

Bride and groom, Carrie and Anthony

Weston, Andrew, Richard and Lauren

Celine, Kelsey, Britta, Lauren

Smithwick's brewery tour

Because it's an active brewery, we had to wear safety vests and glasses

A sample of the freshest pint!

The wedding of Jorien and Martijn

Jorien and Martijn are our friends from way back, and we were very pleased to be at their wedding in Wales. It was a wonderful time, and we will attend all the anniversaries.

After the I do

Ready to paaaaaarty
 

The band

The team

Just a splash of Bowmore into the mix

Some never stop

To continue the celebrations, we visited the Great Orme the next day.

As always, the weather was stunning

And balmy

Near the summit

Near the sunset

Meet up with Leah, Patric, Julia and Ben

Better view from up there

Ffordd un trac

Seaside cafe

The top

Martijn's stag party

This is a partial recap of the somewhat improvised party for Martijn, before his and Jorien's wedding. We had a good team, from continental and island Europe, and what a gas it was...

Wet start 

Much better

Bye-bye, Poolbeg

Confusion about the ball

Talking tactics

Above water, below par

Everybody having tons of fun

Dancing shoes back on

A present from us: a wax figure looking just like Martijn. It was always going to be a shot in the dark.

And now to something entirely different: the beach BBQ. (Note how much fun everybody is having.)

The outposts of wine connoisseurship must yield to the unrelenting sea 

This will be tasty

This not

Now the outposts of wine connoisseurship must really yield to the unrelenting sea 

Passing on wisdom to the coming generations

A merry round

More wisdom, current generation

Nothing much happened during the rest of the evening. Trust me. The next morning,  we were all chipper and ready for some serious weddings.

Cork City

A while back, we made a trip to Cork city, often overlooked by people heading straight for the natural beauty of West Cork. We dined like kings in Cork, saw a comedy show, and generally had a fantastic time.

Better get a good start

University College

Intense sunshine Lee-side

Considering redecorating

Turned six this year

Costumes: Halloween and Hen Party

I had two reasons recently to wear a costume recently; the first for Halloween, and the second for a hillbilly-themed hen party (the name for bachelorette parties in Ireland and the UK).

The hen party happened in two parts, the first at Causey Farm in the Irish countryside where we learned to bake Irish soda bread, milk a cow, go bog jumping, play the Irish drum and do Irish dancing.  Later we cleaned up at the manor house where we stayed the night, had some spa time, ate a great meal and finished the night with the most amazing cheese board I've ever seen and s'mores made in the fireplace. The staff and Irish people were stumped by the s'mores but caught on eventually.

Mechanic and German beer maid

Showing Lauren my beer mug 

At the Bleeding Horse

Cows in the road on the way to Causey Farm

The hen group in the "hay taxi" on our way to the bog jumping

Bread lesson

Pouring the buttermilk

My loaf!

The hen (Carrie) milking a cow

Obstacle course over the bog

The weather was beautiful

Irish drum lesson

Carrie, the hen, with Annette and Lauren

S'mores