Tag Archives: Ireland

Mar2

Halloween in Dublin

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31-Oct-2025

Editor’s Note: Ben is busy. Like… We can’t quite describe how busy Ben is, with this whole “Master’s Program” aside from pointing to the lack of updates, hiking, climbing, and even gym time. In short – Thank you, dear readers, for bearing with him while he get’s his world in order.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dublin is the home of Halloween?

Well, yes. You likely do know, dear readers, as I do believe I’ve posted a bit about it in my Rathcrogan, Cave of the Cats, post a while back.

But then… what does an American do, when in Dublin, for Halloween?

Well.

…

Not that much, as it turns out. From what I learned, Halloween here is a bit more of a “tribal” thing? Or at least, a more tightly-knit friend group thing. For Ex-Pats like myself, there really isn’t a ton going on. Myself, my Classmate Andrea, my friend Brian, and a whole slew of other classmates all huddled up and went to a nearby pub that was supposedly hosting a Halloween costume party (but clearly didn’t, because we clearly would have won).

For Dubliners, or especially the folks living in the neighborhood that I’ve made my home, it’s a bit more of an ancient affair. Which is to say – kids gather wood for a month or so ahead of time, storing it in vast quantities in hidden lairs. They raid other kid’s stashes, and protect their own from opportunistic raiding, in the dream of having the biggest bonfire.

Then, the evening of Halloween, the city burns. Seriously, see the link below.

Countless bonfires and fireworks go off, and parties are had, and people celebrate… all while those international personas, such as myself, wonder how exactly to break into those friend groups so that we too can dance around the fire…

Though, maybe, we can keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Just a thought.

Link to previous post = https://talesfromthehutt.com/2025/01/22/a-trip-into-legend-the-cave-of-the-cats-in-rathcrogan-and-the-origin-of-samhain-halloween/?preview_id=35587&preview_nonce=9400141bfa&preview=true

Some more info about Halloween and Dublin = https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4d40rwwyjo

How much did Dublin burn in 2024? Well… = https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/11/01/dublin-fire-brigade-experience-busiest-halloween-in-10-years/

Feb28

Dublin is beautiful

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Fall, 2024 (basically October through December)

Editor’s Note: Ben is busy. Like… We can’t quite describe how busy Ben is, with this whole “Master’s Program” aside from pointing to the lack of updates, hiking, climbing, and even gym time. In short – Thank you, dear readers, for bearing with him while he get’s his world in order.

I live in Europe!

And, if you haven’t heard, Europe has a tendency to be a bit beautiful.

From fancy dinners with farmers market mushrooms, to the River Liffey at night, to brunch dates with friends, and everything in between… Europe has been lovely, and is treating me quite well. I haven’t had as much time for pure photography, throughout this MBA program, but I’ve taken what time I can to appreciate these amazing new views as best I can.

Without further ado, enjoy:

Jan24

Limerick, the Cliffs of Moher, and Galway

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Saturday, 26-Oct-2024


Brian and I have been adventuring while he’s here! I had a week off from classes, and while I did have quite a bit of reading to catch up on… I was able to carve a few days off for us to get out of town and into the adventure.

After Oweynagat Cave, we took to the road again – this time, going a bit further out from my fair city of Dublin, all the way to the West Coast of the Emerald Isle. We started out early, taking a beautiful sunrise walk through Stephen’s Green on the way to pick up our rental car before hitting the road toward Limerick, where we aimed to grab some lunch.

A farmer’s market was an absolutely lovely surprise, and so fortified with snacks and mushrooms we hit the road again to the gem of the West Coast – the Cliffs of Moher!


We arrived in the rain – not a surprise, thankfully, and so after a quick armoring of rain gear we were well fortified against the weather and heading out toward the cliffs.

It.

Was.

Gorgeous!

I could try to describe, but… I took pictures. I’ll let them speak for themselves.


After the cliffs, we headed back onto the road, forging our way North toward dinner in Galway. The road met all the expectations and hopes that Ireland suggests; every turn was another glorious view, and every look out the window gave us a vista worth photographing.

Frankly, it made it a bit tough to make quick progress, and Galway saw us arrive a fair bit after dark… not a challenge this time of year, to be fair. It went well, though – we parked, wandered a bit, and even saw a huge art installation of a travelling newt before we settled in for a quick Guinness stew.

https://videopress.com/v/mec2aQX3?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true


The rest of the evening saw us driving home by headlights – taking our time, enjoying the music, and reveling in the mystique and fantasy of the Irish countryside.