Friday evening
The purpose of this trip to Ireland was to take part in the FlyerTalk Shamrock Doo 2006, organised by GoldCircle (a.k.a. Ciarán). Although there had been an Afternoon Tea get-together for those who arrived earlier in the day, the first "official" Doo session was an evening meet-up in Dublin's smallest pub, which we all just about managed to fit into. Now don't ask me to explain the difference between a 'Do' and a 'Doo' - I can't. But I know for sure that this was a Doo In such cosy surroundings, the benefits of Ireland's anti-smoking laws were instantly apparent and very much appreciated
Saturday morning
For a few of the BA regulars, Saturday morning was given over to the Shamrock Shannon Run.
Saturday afternoon
Between the conclusion of the Shannon Run and the commencement of the next 'Doo' event, I managed to spend an hour and half in the afternoon seeing something of Dublin's Fair City. Considering that it was February, the weather was most co-operative.
Saturday evening
After a 'warming up' session in Café en Seine - sorry, didn't get round to taking any photos - the group had an early dinner at Wagamama, following a precedent established at the recent London Do. After that, most of us took part in the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl : a highly enjoyable, but tiring, two-and-a-half hour trek around the drinking haunts of some of Ireland's great writers, featuring tall tales, amusing performances and - of course - refreshment breaks
Sunday
There was an enjoyable Doo brunch on the Sunday but, as the crowd was numerically depleted and - dare I say it? - feeling just a little bit tender, I thought it best not to record the event for posterity The main focus of my Sunday sight-seeing was Dublin Castle, inside and out.