Some Hurling In Kilkenny…

After an evening walk and a good long sleep last night in Dublin, Yuri and I hopped another train this morning.  Now we are headed south to Dublin to Kilkenny to visit a family we have never met.  Andrea, my Peace Corps friend who serves in Ukraine with me, introduced me to her aunt in Kilkenny.  And her aunt invited Yuri and I to stay with her family during our one night in Kilkenny.

We had a blast.

    

First up was the food.  Anna and Andy…and Daniel (the 10 yeard old) were wonderful…and Anna did not stop feeding us.  She is an amazing cook and loves the company and people.  Yuri and I were fabulously spoiled during our short time in Kilkenny and can’t wait to go back.

    

Anna and Andy had a great house, and were very welcoming to us.  It was great to stay in a place with so much room and felt so much like home in the US.

The neighbors.  I love the sunny day and the clear lines of the house in the light.  The stone fence just completes the look for me.  Love it!

  

Hugginstown is a small village between Kilkenny and Waterford in the south of County Kilkenny.  Hugginstown is also related to Carrickshock GAA Hurling club, who play their home games in the village.

   

So, I tried to find the name of this church, but no luck.  It pictures came out well in the evening light.

    

Nice try, Yuri….but other side of the car in Ireland….

Daniel and Andy….too much fun!

    

    

I learned about hurling. The object of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small ball called a sliotar between the opponents’ goal posts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points.

No idea what we were laughing at, but we were obviously having a great time.

Daniel showing off his abilities….awesomeness.

   

And finally Yuri gets turn…keep practicing…

Loved this look.  This small church was right across the street from the pub we stopped at on the way home from the hurling game.  I couldn’t resist a quick run across the street for a few pictures.

   

Smithwick’s is a Kilkenny beer and was wonderful.  Cheers!!

And then there are those who love Guinness.

This family does not like to have their picture taken, but they are a delight.