kilkenny – first in flight?

So as it turned out, Dave had a meeting in a town close to Kilkenny Thursday and he wasn’t adverse to skipping out on work afterwards and showing me around Kilkenny and I wasn’t adverse to him skipping out on work and showing me around Kilkenny either so I came with. He dropped me off at a quaint coffee shop where I sat with a nice cup of hot coffee and homemade caramel bar while I waited until he was done with his meeting (I would’ve explored the town but, bien soir, il pleur).


An hour later we made our way into Kilkenny and walked the town where Dave kept remarking about one of three things: 1. how everything looked so different when he’s sober (alcoholic much?) 2. how everything is “older than America.” (Look Kelly, see that building? It’s older than America. And see that fire hydrant? Also older than America. And the second hand dial of that clock? Older than America. Ok, America doesn’t have a long history. I GET IT.) and 3. How he is connected to everyone and everything in Ireland.

Not in a pretentious way, it’s just in a country of about 4 million people everyone/thing is connected in some way. There’s that theory were everyone is connected by 7 degrees of separation. In Ireland it’s about 3. For example Dave is connected to this manhole we came across on the street.

Dave played in a band with a guy who’s father owns the company that made the manhole.

Anywho Kilkenny is known for its castle so we headed over there to check it out. The castle is only available for group tours and the next available tour wasn’t for another hour so we had some time to kill. We decided to visit some old house (yes, also older than America).

It was in this house that the hands of fate pulled the wool from my eyes and showed me the light of truth.

If you can't read that it says:
“Kilkenny man claims prize for first flight in 1856
In 1903 the Wright brother’s achieved fame for their first flight at Kitty Hawk, Carolina. However almost 50 years earlier Lord Claringford, a Kilkenny eccentric had already succeeded – albeit for a few fleeting seconds. “

All these years I had lived my life under the false notion that the Wright Brothers were the first to achieve flight. But now I know better than to the believe that Smithsonian propaganda. Thank you old house that randomly houses the propeller involved in this historical act. Next time I go to the Smithsonian I shall paste this picture I took of you by the Wright brother’s display and let the world know the truth.

The propeller of the eccentric that achieved flight (albeit for a few fleeting seconds) is a tough act to follow but the Kilkenny castle was very nice. Got to see the interior of my very first castle and learn of its history which I can’t really recall except that cousins marry first cousins and boys dressed as girls until a certain age and for some reason there were several paintings of women with their right breast exposed in an otherwise normal portrait of a lady. Not their left breast, just the right one. I found this odd but didn’t want to ask the tour guide and risk looking like a pervert to notice such things.

2008 Kelly Pham achieves flight albeit for a few fleeting seconds

Afterwards we went to Kells Priory, a site of the remains of an old monastery my guidebook recommended since Dave had a car and the place is hard to get to otherwise. Very cool mostly because it’s not a touristy area and you could just hang out by the old ruins with the sheep.

That night we headed back to Dublin and over the Myles’ place so I could collect on my drunken promise of monkfish.

I arrived expecting to see take out menus. Instead I got an appetizer of salad with a vinaigrette sauce, entrée of monkfish baked with onions and mushrooms in a light lemon pepper sauce with a side of steamed potatoes and green beans, and fresh raspberries and yogurt for dessert.

Myles I hardly know thee.