Gaelic: a useless language, a beautiful people

So, I went to Ireland AND I traveled by myself. This was a huge weekend: getting to see Max, my parents were dicking around near the coast, and Max's parents (incidentally, my second set) took some time off to return to their honeymoonland. I arrived in Dublin late Thursday night (missing an Italian quiz - whoops!) and then had to take a 3 hour bus ride to Galway on the opposite side of the country. How precious: it only takes 3 hours to get from one side of Ireland to the other! Seeing Max awkwardly hunched, waiting for me in the bus station was such a familiar feeling that sent chills up (or is it down?) my spine.
I got Subway - an Italian BMT. Hallefuckinglujah it was delicious.
Max took me to his apartment near the NUI Galway campus and we proceeded to watch some episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Completely nostalgic of our lives in St. Louis.
Next day bright and early Max's parents picked us up in their rental car and we proceeded to drive along the west coast of Ireland down to Abbey County. I had my first genuine Irish Guinness at McGann's Pub at 11 AM (which of course was documented) and we ate oysters and crab claws in Kilcogan. We went to the Cliffs of Moher (pronounced 'moore' not 'mo-hair', fools) which was SO fucking sweet. Google it or look on my facebook. Then we drove down to a beach in Lahinch. Max almost pissed his pants we were up so high and I made him climb down a brief cliff to the beach. Did I mention it didn't rain once in my 4 days in Ireland? The weather gods fucking love me.
That night Max's parents took us out to an extremely nice restaurant on 'shop street' in Galway. I was a little out of it mentally (sorry Suzan and Tim) but appreciative nonetheless. We parted ways so that Max and I could get a little drunk and not feel embarassed: Taaffe's Pub. We had the best seats in the house (NOT) quite literally onstage. A 4-part Irish folk band played the night away and my ears are still ringing.
Midday on Saturday Max and I took the bus back to Dublin as my closest compatriates from Rome as well as my parents were to arrive there. We met up and watched the rugby championship game Ireland vs. Wales at Malloy's Pub. Ireland pulled a win in the last few minutes causing massive uproar in the streets of Dublin. Fuckin' a! Many more things happened that night, particularly with my parents, causing it to be possibly my favorite day in most recent memory.
The beautiful part about Ireland is that as much fun as the city life is in Dublin and Galway, not 20 minutes outside are mountains, beaches, and green landscape for hundreds of miles. The treacherous winding roads look like they were mapped at random by a blind 7 year old, but they give you a perfectly enchanting tour. And sheep. So many sheep. If Max has't at least ridden one in his time in Ireland I'll be sorely disappointed.