Sunshine, mountains, and loads of sheep; it easily became my favorite day so far. We started the day off with eerie, foggy weather when we loaded into the mega-bus, but soon enough the warm rays of the sun showed themselves. The view was absolutely amazing, don’t get me wrong Dublin is also beautiful, but something about the green grass and clean air gives rural Ireland an advantage.

As we explored Kilkenny, we discovered a different side of Irish business. Everyone we ran into was so kind, and there was not a dirty look in sight. In Dublin, you can tell the locals are slightly irritated by the hustle and bustle of us loud Americans, and honestly, I don’t blame them. Comparatively, we saw several tents set up on the streets of Kilkenny offering handcrafted jewelry and paintings. I bought a watercolor painting from one of these vendors and later found out we were featured on their Instagram, which I thought was a clever form of marketing for the artist.

We also had the opportunity to visit a sheep farm, which was a one-in-a-lifetime experience I will never forget. The owner of the farm told us a little bit about how he runs the farm, and we got to see his herding dog in action. I even got to hold a baby lamb, which was personally the highlight of my year.

During our conversations today, it was clear that we all shared admiration for the farmer’s ability to run a successful business with minimal losses. In contrast to the large companies in Dublin that have affected many with layoffs and displacements, the farmer adapted to the changing world by offering farm tours 361 days a year. This was a great way to generate more business and be able to continue doing what he loved. Entrepreneurship can be seen all over Ireland, from start-ups in Dublins to farms in Wicklow.