On the 3rd day of Dublin, we began the site tours that we will be doing every day for the next two weeks. Our first stop was at Pearse Lyons Distillery, a history tour of Dublin’s booming technology industry, and ended the day touring Google’s European Headquarters.
When I look back at my study abroad trip to Dublin in 5 years, I will still have an appreciation for the Pearce Lyons Distillery tour. At Pearse Lyons, we went behind the scenes of what made Pearce Lyons what it is today, the church it supports, and how whiskey is brewed. Our tour guide was an amazing storyteller and had incredible history to tell. I will always remember how this distillery has been passed on for generations and the image of 100,000 people buried in their graveyard right behind the church. I loved learning about the process of making whiskey. Something that was incredible to me was how they keep the whisky for at least three years in barrels that use to hold bourbon. This helps create a bolder flavor. They can also be kept in barrels that held wine to create different fruit flavors! The distillery was filled with beautiful stain glass windows and the place smelled amazing.
However, the two other tour sites were just as incredible. It was incredible how knowledgeable our tour guide, Darren, knew about culture and street smarts. I could listen to him talk for hours because of just how intelligent he is. We talked about the recession Ireland went through in early 2000’s and about the buildings that now are occupied by some of the most prestigious companies in the world. Which leads me to our final tour of the day, which was Google. You always hear stories about how cool Google is and how fun it would be to work for them, but it is really something else to experience it in person. Our tour of Google included a view of Dublin from the building’s rooftop, an exhibition into their famous cafeterias, and a brief talk about their company history. Overall, today was a day full of history, adventure, and as always, laughs. I look forward to tomorrow where I am the group’s ambassador for Croke Park! Stay Tuned!
