Travel Tales
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| Jeff and his son Ben (pictured with Rose) discovered that getting to know the locals in Dingle was more fun than searching for the perfect pint of Guinness. |
Every month we feature funny, cautionary, or inspiring anecdotes from travelers. If you have a true (short) travel tale to share, send it to stories@ricksteves.com. If you have a photo that illustrates it, please attach it. And don't forget to tell us your first name and the city where you live. We'd love to hear from you!
Searching for the perfect pint of Guinness and finding Rose instead
My son and I did a week in Ireland looking for the perfect pint of Guinness (never found it) and good Celtic music. One afternoon we wandered into a quintessential Irish pub called Dick Macks. The patrons were spread out over several rooms, each with a peat fire. Rose (a local woman in her sixties or seventies) was playing the piano. When I told her my son Ben (age 28) played the piano, she said to him, "Then sit your fat arse down and play." After a couple of songs, I told her he played the guitar much better than the piano. She said "My son has a guitar and if you'll wait 10 minutes, I'll run home and get it." She did and my son played some songs for the folks, none of which Rose recognized. I then took the guitar and played "Country Roads" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Rose loved it! After she found out I also knew "Danny Boy," she asked me if I was married. I told her that I had been married 35 years to my son's mother. She made me promise if I ever got divorced to come back and see her. Great fun!
— Jeff in Hickory, NC
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