| . |
 |
| . |
|
 |
 |
|
| After, After the Cork Show: CELEBRATING FRIENDS, MUSIC, AND IRELAND |
| Next Page, "Final Days in Ireland" |
 |
 |
| Josh Ritter Fansite Homepage |
| . |
| A perfect ending to my time with the band - and to my entire trip, for that matter.. |
 |
| THE TRIP WAS WINDIND DOWN, TIME TO SAY GOODBYE TO IRELAND: THE FINAL DAYS, TRAVELING HOME |
 |
| Even through a cloud of smoke, the camera can't help but capture something great: "Friends" first...."Band" second. |
 |
| Now, let me just say right now (with blunt, blunt honesty) that at this point that I....well, like I said: I had two bottomless pints of beer in front of me the entire night (fans near the soundboard who witnessed my grin, my dancing, and my moments of "air guitar" will confirm). Though I had a couple days left in Ireland after this night, THIS was my night to celebrate my visit to Ireland, the concerts, and seeing my friends again. Basically, I was having a BLAST. This had to be said to account for many missing details and information from this late-night get-together. You understand. |
| But for those of who following along: Yes, I DID finally do what I should have done the moment I set foot in Ireland: have a Guinness. Now, being in Cork, there WAS a little debate over whether or not my Guinness should actually be a Murphy's, which is brewed in Cork. So I did what any reasonable person would do: I got both. I've never been a big fan of "dark" beers, but these were DELICIOUS. Both of them. [Note: I was told that Guinness definitely wouldn't "taste the same" back home in the States - and I can tell you right now that I ordered a Guinness when I stopped for dinner on the way home from the airport and it is TRUE. The "Guinness" I had minutes after being home was NOT the same tasty brew I had in Ireland. So sad...] |
| This was a great gathering of friends that truly found it's tone when Sam jumped on the piano. Sometimes he was entertaining us, sometimes people would jump in and entertain each other. Some of us could sing well, some of us could not. But we all joined in for various songs, the pints giving us courage every step of the way. No song in the history of music was free from our late night butchering - and man was it fun. What kind of mood we were in? Well, when "Let it Be" by the Beatles, "Every Rose Has it's Thorn" by Poison, and "My Little Buttercup" from the movie The Three Amigos are among the songs that are sung - you know you're having a GOOD TIME.... |
|
| This was, without a doubt, the highlight of my trip to Ireland. Everyone I had gone over to Ireland to see or had met once in there were here,, laughing, reflecting on the shows, and having a blast. It was perfect. |
| One of the cooler things I had the pleasure to witness while in Ireland was the bond between Josh, Zack, Sam, and Darius. The pic above is about as truthful a photograph can get, I believe. Although they've just finished a leg of their tour - where they just played three straight shows, travelled, and stayed together - their happiest time just may have been the one captured above: laughing, playing, and singing some songs with other friends... |
| THE PHOTO OF THE TRIP |
|
|
|
| I'm only going to post one photograph from this late night... |