#Heuston Station

[greenbagjosh]

[saintmurd0ck]

step aboard the saintmurd0ck express with a one-way ticket (multiple stops included) to see your favourites, across the world and across the galaxy! it may be a belated celebration, but it's a better time than never to unveil the newest subway station... connecting you to your dreams.

grab a ticket, sit tight and enjoy!

this will run from 12 AM AEST (10 AM EST) on September 24 for 1 week (closing on October 1) 💗

this is an 18+ event only, and anonymous asks/requests must abide by my request guidelines

To buy a ticket, please select your destination, choose a prompt, and decide who will meet you on the other side.

*Multiple stops and poly pairings are very welcome!

🚇 34th St-Hudson Yards: romantic confession

🚇 86th St: enemies to lovers

🚂 Atlantic City: domestic intimacy

🚈 Heuston Station, Dublin: i want you, so badly

✈️ Jedi Temple Hangar: folklore-inspired angst

characters include: matt murdock, frank castle, michael kinsella, charlie luciano, owen sleater, anakin skywalker

completed submissions | masterlist below

la douleur exquise - owen sleater x reader - 34th St-Hudson Yards and 86th St

all fired up - michael kinsella x reader - 86th St

glass ceiling - matt murdock x vigilante!reader - 86th St

[dduane]

...While getting ready to re-cover the short work "Herself" (as St. Patrick's Day is approaching...), and looking for a particular image of the tutelary Goddess of the River Liffey... came across this, entitled:

Anna Livia Has Got Herself A Fascinator

And plainly, so she had. :) ...NO idea who arranged that for her. It's gone now, which is a pity: it was a good look for her.

...This is the same piece of civic statuary that, when installed in a sort of granite bathtub in the middle of O'Connell Street, with water flowing down her, was routinely referred to as "The Floozie in he Jacuzzi."* Later she was removed and stored on North Quay for a while (...on a heap of wooden pallets, most undignified...) until moved again to her present position, in the Croppies' Acre Memorial Park near Heuston Station. There she lies on top of the water—more or less—in what looks like a really uncomfortable position for goddess or mortal...

*NB that this is the the politer of the two sobriquets routinely applied. (But then, as it says in the story, Dubliners have a fairly complex and routinely sardonic relationship with their civic statuary and art installations, and pretty much all of them have rude names. Usually several.)

[acourtofdragonsrp]

fiacla weyr

nagahound adviser --- Hili (pictured FC is Josh Heuston) weyrfolk adviser --- Straivan (pictured FC is Adeline Rudolph) wingleader --- Trezer (pictured FC is Lupita Nyong’o) bartender --- Lamol (pictued FC is Can Yaman)

Face claims, last names, ages and genders of these characters are merely suggestions so feel free to change them up. While we would like people to stick to at least the major points in the ad, you are free to make the character your own.

--- HILI

nagahound adviser. 400s year old. half fae/lesser fae.

When it was announced that Hili would be the NagaHound Adviser people were shocked. Although he is considered very young for his station, he quickly made it known that he was serious about the position. He feels very protective over his people and wants the best for them. He is very much a man of the people and listens to any and all complaints.

He has bonded to multiple NagaHounds, maybe from the same litter, which made things a little harder for him when they were young.

--- STRAIVAN

weyrfolk advisor. 800s years old. half fae/high fae.

Straivan was born at the Weyr and always says she plans on dying there also. She loves it and will do anything to serve. She was elected without knowing it and was very surprised when asked to become the Advisor for Weyrfolk. She is very knowledgeable about the Weyr and is a jack of all trades, able to step in and help whenever needed.

IF she is a High Fae there could be whispers of why she never became a candidate, both of her parents were/are riders? Does she have no desire to fly the skies, or does she not think a dragon would pick her?

--- TREZER

wingleader. 900s years old. high fae.

As a candidate she was top of her class, so it was no surprise when after she impressed she started moving up the ranks. She is one of the smartest Wingleaders and the Weyrleader has been known to go to her for advice at times. Her ambition knows no bounds and many were shocked she didn't impress to a Gold or Silver dragon. How does she feel about this?

Her dragon can be any color, but if Blue or Green we'd prefer they be on the bigger size for their color. Her dragon would also be older than 10 years old. Could be from the The Sisters clutch if you wanted her to ride a Green.

--- LAMOL

bartender. 700s years old. any type of fae.

Although often overlooked, Lamol knows all of the Weyrs secrets. He bartends sometimes towards the center of the Weyr where there are more riders, and sometimes towards the outskirts were it's more Weyrfolk. He knows just about everyone by name and always has something to say to make you smile. The thing is, no one knows where he came from. He has no family at the Weyr and he just showed up one day. He always has given different stories about his past and people really don't know what to make of him other than that he is cheerful and makes an amazing drink.

[toulousewayne]

Batman:The Last Laugh 🦇🃏✨

—///—///—///—

This is a concept for a live-action Batman film that would a theatrical release. This film takes place in my DCU extended started by the Dark Knight Series. This Film begins Phase 3. This is also one of trilogy of Batman films for this universe.

—

Synopsis:Batman has fought many villains, many were human, some weren’t. But none have been as dangerous as the Joker. The Bat and Clown have a showdown that will leave Gotham City caught in the crossfire.

Runtime: 2 Hour, 55 Minutes

Release:February 28,2025

Rating: PG-13

Theme: Arkham City theme by Nick Arundel

—

——

Returning Cast:

Bruce Wayne/Batman….. Oliver Jackson-Cohen

-

The Joker……………….. Finn Witrock

-

Selina Kyle/Catwoman……Shay Mitchell

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Alfred Pennyworth…….Pierce Brosnan

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Duke Thomas………Miles Brown

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Dick Grayson/Nightwing……Josh Heuston

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Barbara Gordon/Batgirl…Bailee Madison

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Jason Todd/Red Hood……. Wolfgang Novogratz

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Tim Drake/Robin…….. Charlie Bushnell

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Harley Quinn……….Samara Weaver

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Commissioner Gordon……Stanley Tucci

————

———-

Plot:

The film opens with shots of Gotham City during a thunderstorm. We see a couple in a warehouse chained to chairs beaten and bloody. They screaming for help but are gagged. A slender figure appears from around the corner and he laughs sends chills down their spine.

The Joker flips a switch and room fills with Joker gas. They laugh manically as we see the Joker in the background laughing with them.

We cut to a scene of Catwoman stealing a Chinese Vase from a museum. She escapes to the roof and is confronted by Batman. The two have a chase sequence throughout Historical Gotham until Catwoman ‘escapes’ and tells him she’s back in town for while.

Robin and Nightwing are investigating the crime with Comm. Gordon who tells them the identities of the deceased are Doug and Elaine Thomas. Robin uses a high-tech watch to read about the two and find out they have a son named Duke.

We meet Duke as he’s running from a group of older guys who are hounding him for money; he tells them the to get lost and the tallest guy throws him into trash cans, and then pulls out a gun.

The gun is disarmed by a batarang, and we see Batgirl on the fire escape. She makes quick work of the goons and asks Duke if he’s okay and he tells her he had it handle.

Batgirl gets a call on her comm from Robin about the situation and he tells her that he and Nightwing are looking for Duke Thomas. Hearing his name he takes off home and Batgirl tries to follow him but when he arrives home he locks the door and is unaware of Batman in his dark living room.

After hearing the news about his parents he breaks down and blames Batman, telling him had it not been for him the Joker would have never existed. Batman tells him Gordon is outside to take him to the station and he leaves.

Bruce is in the cave and we learn this is the third murder from the Joker within two weeks. Nightwing and Robin arrive out of the Batwing and Batgirl off her motorcycle. They ask Bruce what’s going on.

Before he can answer the Bat-computer flash with a live feed with a message from Joker claiming that he’s back and better than ever. He tells Batman that he wants 40 Million Dollars or he’s next victim will be more catastrophic.

Bruce brushes past everyone leaves in the Batmoblie and head to Arkham and demands to see the one person who knows the Joker. Harley Quinn.

Harley has been locked away in Arkham for the last few years. Batman enters her cells and asked her about the Joker.

She tells him,(in her own) that she hasn’t work with or seen Mr. J in a long time nor has he came to rescue her either.

Batman tells her that if she helps him he get her sentence reduced. He shows her the Joker’s broadcast and she tells him it looks like the old toy factory. Batman takes Harley with him and the enter the eerie building.

The Joker reveals himself and locks all the exits. He fills the room with poisons. And Batman puts a mask on Harley and himself. She reminds him she’s immune but he goes after the Joker.

Meanwhile, Batgirl and Robin are looking into a from the Thomas double murder.The lead is in a old apartment in South Gotham. The entire studio has little puzzles, riddles and rhyme painted on the walls. Robin uncovers a few lab notes that are encrypted. Batgirl find’s prototype of a question mark shaped staff.

Batgirl and Robin crack the riddle and it tells them that Mr. Thomas had been doing odd jobs for someone called the Riddler. And one of the last few jobs, that Alfred was able to find was a him going to the Monarch Theatre. Batgirl and Robin race to there.

Batman and Harley are trying to escape the gassed Toy Factory. The reach the rooftop where Harley lashing at Mr. J for how cruel he’s been towards her, and he yells her that’s had been the easiest pawn in his game for a long time. She breaks his nose and Batman arrest the Joker to take him away. But not before he tells Harley that this is only the beginning.

Back in Arkham the Batman and Gordon questions the Joker. And he only chuckles and laughs.

Finally the Joker turns to Jim and asks him for the time. And then. The building shakes and Batman and Gordon race to window and see series of explosions throughout Gotham.

Batman rushes back to see Joker has escaped from his cuffs.

Batman races back to the city to find several different buildings engulfed in flames and smoke.

Batman calls all the Batfamily in the city;(Nightwing,Batgirl,Robin) to help with city. Robin is told to go to GCPD and help Gordon with evacuation of South Gotham, Robin and Batgirl tell him about the leads they come across. He tells Batgirl to see if she finds and connection between Joker, Riddler and the Thomas. Nightwing tells Batman that had intel that the bombs were smuggled by Penguin.

Red Hood joins the call and tell Batman he’s going after the Joker with him no matter what he says.

Batman arrives at the Joker’s old Comedy club and spots Red Hood’s bike. He ventures inside find Joker on stage. Batman sees Red Hood on a vantage point and singles for him to wait. Batman walks into the room and Joker turns around,but it’s a man dressed like Joker with a bomb strapped to his chest.

Red Hood comes down and the free the man. He beings to tell them we works for Riddler when the collar around his neck electrics him to death.

The riddler speaks through the intercoms and tells them if they want to leave they have to solve the riddler. The doors, and vents are sealed and the room beings to fill with water.

They both still have to things to resolve and Batman tells Jason the truth. That he nearly did kill Joker for what he took from him, but didn’t because it would never bring his son back. And Jason tells him he wasn’t angry that Bruce didn’t kill Joker deep down, he thought he was being replaced.

The two with now water up to their chest decided to find the last clue and free themselves.

Red Hood and Batman meet the rest of the family in the cave. Alfred tells them that over 500 casualties and hundreds have been injured from Joker’s bombs.

Nightwing tells them that Joker stole the bombs and several military grade weapons from Penguin two nights ago.

Alfred tells them that they have a message. Joker tells Batman that it’s time for the Grande Finale. He want Batman and Batman alone to arrive or else he kill Catwoman.

Batman arrives at Amusement Mile where Catwoman is hung above a vat of chemicals.

He frees her and she tells him that she’s skip of the clown. Joker appears above them and olds a detonator to more bombs hidden under the city. Catwoman and

Catwoman helps Batman go after Joker. The three have a brutal fight, Catwoman get the detonator from the Joker and breaks it’s. The fight fight with a large explosion that Joker is caught in. Batman and Catwoman watch as the fires are put out. He asks her how’d she get caught.

And tells him she’s been stealing information and files for the Riddler. And he screwed her over and she wants pay back.

Batman asks her what files and she hands him the flash drive. She said it was filed from Argus.

The last scene is Batman over looking the city.

Post Credit:

Duke is seen in a Orphanage and a social worker tells him he has a visitor. He follows her with his stuff and it’s Bruce Wayne. He asks Duke would he like to go home.

[kermitheefrog]

the supermacs in heuston station even has the same gaa sports crowd mural we have in ours??? like what does it have to do with tasty and tempting food at.superMACS

[briansolomonauthor]

FujiFilm XT-1 view of the Sperry Train

On this day in 2016, I photographed Irish Rail’s ‘Sperry Train’ departing Dublin’s Heuston Station from my favorite location at ‘the Box’ at Islandbridge Junction—a short walk from my old apartment. This was exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 mirrorless camera with a Fujinon 18-135mm lens. I had the JPG set to the ‘Vivid’ color profile. This is a scaled view of the in-camera JPG, without changes to…

[azvolrien]

Ireland - Day 3

The day started out cloudier and cooler than the previous one, so as I set out for the zoo as planned I took my slightly heavier jacket rather than the sun-shirt I’d been wearing the previous day. This did not, in fact, turn out to be necessary.

There’s a convenient tram stop right outside the hotel, so I took the Luas along to Heuston Station and walked up to the zoo in Phoenix Park from there. The name of the park doesn’t actually have anything to do with the mythical firebird but is a corruption of the Irish fionn uisce, ‘clear water’. And now you know.

Dublin Zoo has a reciprocal arrangement with Edinburgh, so my membership got me in for free without even having to queue. After a quick detour to fill my bottle at one of the many handy water stations scattered around the zoo, I made for the Asian elephant habitat called the Kaziranga Forest Trail, I believe after a park in India where the zoo has been doing some work. There I unexpectedly ran into an old friend: completely unbeknownst to me, Chester Zoo’s bull elephant Aung Bo has been moved to Dublin to replace their old bull Upali. He’s looking well – I gathered that they’re giving him some time to settle in before they introduce him to the Dublin herd, but he seemed to find his new enclosure interesting and his broken tusk had grown back a lot since I last saw him a few years ago at Chester.

I left Aung Bo to his hay net and carried on up the zoo’s eastern path to their relatively recent (late 90s-early 00s) extension called the African Plains, which doesn’t actually limit itself to savannah-dwelling animals but also houses several denizens of the rainforest such as the bongo and the okapi. There is a sizeable savannah enclosure, which houses giraffes, zebras, white rhinos and some of the incredibly rare scimitar-horned oryx in apparent harmony. There are also ostriches, I’m told, but I didn’t spot any of them.

My favourite part of the African Plains was definitely the gorilla habitat. I had to watch for a while to get a good view of them, as their enclosure has a lot of plant cover for them, but I eventually got some great shots of the big silverback. I also got an interesting illustration of their group dynamics: during feeding time, the silverback lost his temper with one of the females and started beating her up, only to be pushed into an immediate retreat when the rest of the troop’s females ganged up on him and chased him back across the enclosure while his victim – apparently none the worse for wear – climbed a tree.

I then circled back down towards the zoo gate via the west path, which took me through the Asia section housing red pandas, snow leopards, Amur tigers and Asiatic lions. The tigers were hiding somewhere, but I saw all of the others and also stopped to listen to a keeper talk about the zoo’s California sea lions. All of the signage headers in the zoo are bilingual, and the Irish for ‘sea lion’ is apparently Mór-rón – literally just ‘big seal’ to my knowledge.

I’m all in favour of the point they’re making with all the bilingual signage, but I can’t help but find it a little ironic when Irish is not actually the first language of the overwhelming majority of people in Dublin.

I got a snack in one of the zoo cafes and went back around a few exhibits like the elephants, as well as checking out the reptile house I’d somehow missed the first time around, before I got a t-shirt in the gift shop and left the zoo at about 5 o’clock. I didn’t go straight back to the hotel and stopped for a while beside the colossal obelisk of the Wellington Monument to watch some of Phoenix Park’s free-roaming fallow deer, two normal-coloured bucks with somewhat wonky, lopsided antlers and a third dark-morph buck with a much more impressive, symmetrical set. I’ve read that the fallow deer is the closest living relative of the Irish elk. Fallows are one of the smaller deer species, but I can sort of see an echo of their huge extinct cousins in their palmate antlers.

After watching for a while, I was reminded anew that some people have no idea how to behave around wild animals. There are signs everywhere in the park telling you not to feed the deer and to give them space, but that didn’t stop a large group of people crowding around the trio trying to touch them to their obvious distress. The park’s deer are quite used to people, but they’re not pets, and I was starting to a) get genuinely worried someone would get gored and b) wonder if I should tell them to leave the deer alone myself when a park ranger showed up in a 4x4 to give them a row, mercifully saving me the trouble. Some things are best dealt with by someone in authoritative hi-vis.

I then followed the tram line back to the hotel for a brief rest before heading back out to an Italian restaurant I’d spotted the day before called Bar Italia, presumably not affiliated with the Edinburgh restaurant of the same name. Between the staff and the menu I gathered the place was run by some very proud Roman immigrants, and they served a delicious carbonara with a bit more of a peppery kick than I usually see, with a caramel-filled chocolate pudding and vanilla ice cream for after. I wonder how much of an Italian community there is in Dublin; the history of migration in Ireland tends to focus more on people leaving than arriving, but the city does seem to have plenty of gelaterias.

[warrenwoodhouse]

Dublin Holiday 23rd March 2024 Itinerary (Travel) (Itineraries)

Article and Itinerary by @warrenwoodhouse

Here’s the list in order of places visited. I would like to suggest that you pre-book transport arrangements as buses in Dublin require a Leap Card, these aren’t free and are quite expensive in Euros. The exchange rate between Pound Sterling and Euros comes with cost as well. Euro is weaker than the pound. Uber exists in Dublin, so you could always use that and the local metro rail instead.

Leave from: Newcastle International Airport

Arrived at: Dublin International Airport

Got Uber taxi from Airport to Fairview Park

Had breakfast at Bram’s Cafe on St. Aidan’s Park Road near Fairview Park

My sister Kirsty had her park run scheduled at Fairview Park

Me and my brother in law Sean walked around Fairview Park until Kirsty was finished

Got the local metro rail from Clontarf Road Station to Connolly Station

Walked on R105, then R802 then R105 on the same street as The Custom House

Continued walking down Abbey Street Lower

Continued walking down O’Connell Street Lower

Crossed O’Connell Bridge

Continued walking down R148

Visited Forbidden Planet on Crampton Quay

Continued walking down Bedford Row

Continued walking down Fleet Street

Visited Temple Bar Square

Continued walking down Fownes Street Lower

Continued walking down R148 to Bedford Row

Continued walking down Fleet Street

Had lunch at @hardrock Hard Rock Cafe Dublin

Continued walking down Fleet Street then down Essex Street East

Continued walking down Eustace Street

Continued walking down R137

Continued walking down Castle Street

Visited Palace Square at Dublin Castle

Continued walking down Castle Street

Continued walking down 53.3429905,-6.2686855

Visited Dubh Linn Garden

Visited Chester Beatty Art Museum

Continued walking down Ship Street Little

Continued walking down Ross Road

Continued walking down R137

Continued walking down High Street

Continued walking down Thomas Street

Continued walking down Crane Street

Continued walking down Rainsford Street

Continued walking down Robert Street

Continued walking down Market Street South

Visited Guinness Storehouse

Tour of the Storehouse

Continued walking down Market Street South

Continued walking down Grand Canal Place

Continued walking down Echlin Street

Continued walking down Thomas Street

Continued walking down Bow Lane West

Continued walking down Steeven’s Lane

Visited Dublin Heuston Bus Station

Leave from: Dublin International Airport

Arrived at: Newcastle International Airport

Total amount of walking distance achieved: 12.5 miles

What Links Here

Itineraries - Warren Woodhouse

[dougrobyngoold]

The World of Guinness - Dublin, Ireland

We are all about Guinness today - we had a fun time on our self-guided tour. We had to take the obligatory photo as we walked up to the brewery. The building was huge, we had to walk a full city block to get to the entrance.

Lots of people arrived for their tours in these little buggies - this horse was so pretty and well-behaved!

The Guinness Storehouse is impressive, it contains seven floors that offer an immersive experience in the history of Guinness and the brewing process. They have been brewing beer in this building for over 250 years.

Looking up and down, from about halfway up the building.

We learned a lot about the ingredients and process:

The displays were awesome, so much to take in, we were getting a bit thirsty.....

The tour continues, with a small taste of Guinness - just enough to get you through the rest of the tour!

The next portion of the tour was all about the Guinness brand and a collection of Guinness advertisements. It was very entertaining and concluded with a short video of some of their most historic commercials.

They definitely save the best for last on this tour, the seventh floor is a bar, where you get your complimentary beer and a 360-degree view of Dublin. It was a bit crowded, but we found a table and then we had a couple from Belfast join us. Great beer, great views, and great people to share it with!

After the tour, we returned to the huge store on the first floor - I bought my first souvenir, a fleece "jumper", and Doug added to his shirt collection. We finally exited the building - I think we spent over 2 hours wandering through that place!

We walked around a bit, just taking in a few sights and enjoying the pretty day:

St. James Catholic Church.

Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery.....I thought it was a church! Worship the Whiskey must be their slogan!

Heuston Station - Dublin's train station - looks like a decorated cake!

We had a late lunch at this beautiful old pub. Nancy Hands was the first female owner of a pub in Dublin and Ireland.

[fringing-with-mr-dennis]

Catching up after leaving Scotland

Day 32

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

We’re currently on a train roaming through the countryside in Ireland—I’m not quite sure of the exact location—but we’re heading south/southwest.  When I say “we,” I’m referring to me and my sisters (Renee and Carla).  We’ve been planning this trip for several months.  They came over to Edinburgh to catch my last three shows at the Fringe and then we are going to take an IrishRail Tour for the next 5 days.

When you’re on an island, you know you can’t get too lost—if you just go straight you eventually reach a coastline and that will eventually lead to a major city.

Tipperary seems to be the county we’re riding through at the moment—according to the tour guide (in the yellow jacket)—it’s known for its dairies.  The sun has broken through, so that’s a good sign—and the countryside looks lush and green!

To get you caught up on the activities:

Monday, the 28th, Renee and Carla leave for Ireland in the morning. I drop off the TVs that didn’t get used and I follow later in the evening.

Monday air travel through the UK/Europe was an absolute mess—as you probably heard on the news. Some air traffic system completely shut down. Flights were being cancelled all day long—particularly if flying to other UK cities and the European continent.  Fortunately, the flights to Ireland weren’t as affected—though some were. 

Arielle and Brandon were to leave Scotland on Tuesday morning—and fortunately, they had no difficulty in getting back to NY with the two big trunks.

I arrived in Dublin on time and proceeded to meet my sisters at the Trinity Hotel.

Tuesday, the 29th, I went out early to the Boots Pharmacy (having caught a nasty cold—probably from exhaustion) and then met the girls for the self-guided tour of the Trinity Library and the Book of Kells—always love that tour.

Later I went back to the hotel to grade papers and the girls continued looking around the city—Renee has never been here before.  At the end of our tour, we will spend two more days in Dublin before returning home, so it’ll be nice to see more of the city at a leisurely pace.

Last night, we dined at The Bank on College Green not too far from the entrance to Trinity College.  Our night was not late because we had to be at the Heuston Train station at 6:30 AM this morning to meet our tour—who’s guides all wear the yellow jackets.

This is the grounds to Blarney Castle.

[saintmurd0ck]

RHI!!! A million congrats on 2.5k, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more 🥰 and so glad you're back and feeling ok! For the train, I'd loveee to take a trip to 86th st with Mikey Kinsella and “please, for the love of god, shut up for once.” “why don’t you come over here and make me?” i think the way you write it would be SO gorgeous and interesting ❤️ and also because im a slut, i just know id LOSE it over a stop at Heuston Station with Fratt x reader and ❛ you want gentle? wrong fucking address. ❜ Anyways I'm so so excited to read everything you do for this event 🥰 congrats again!!

all fired up

join my sleepover | main masterlist

pairing: michael kinsella x reader

warnings: amanda slander, a tiny bit of spice (minors DNI), aggressive michael / reader, yes we're a little mean but dont worry he gets the upper hand ;)

a/n: christie my gorgeous, thank you so so so much for dropping in 🥺 i hope you like this one, and i am gonna post the fratt request in a separate ask >:) btw i am amending the prompts to better fit the characters i am writing for, so i hope you dont mind xoxo

Michael’s silent rage simmers in your periphery as he leans against the wall like a fallen angel, gritting his teeth, letting his chest rise and fall in short, controlled bursts. Everything in the room is setting him off: the clicking of your pen, the faint hum of the air-conditioner, and the distant noise of traffic from the main road. 

Unfortunately for him, you’re far from caring today; not when you’ve scraped together the business proposal of a lifetime. One that could easily retire you in the blink of an eye.

You’ve worked your ass off to coordinate this, so isn’t it only fair that Michael, being the other major stakeholder in this business, quits his grumbling? It’s as if he can’t — or won’t — comprehend what this means if this works out. If you negotiate your way through this successfully, with Michael there or not, the Kinsellas land on top. They’ll control Dublin, and possibly the whole of Ireland, with opportunities to plant roots and spread vines across all the major networks in Europe. And as you’re the only decision maker not married to — or even fucking — anyone in the family, you’ve had to prove your worth, a thousand times more so. Simply being Michael’s closest friend and confidante didn’t sit well with the others, but you’ve made yourself far more capable than anyone in this business. 

And this deal will cement you into the Kinsella hall of fame. 

You cut a glance to where he’s standing, a momentary pang of empathy softening your expression. He’s exhausted from today, and it isn’t just the circles under his eyes that demonstrate it. You know his tells better than anyone; in fact, you know him so well that just by judging his body language, you can deduce who he’s been with, what he’s been up to, and what he tries hard to conceal. Right now, and at your disdain, you can see Amanda written all over him. It’s obvious in the way he’s carrying himself, with his chin pointed downwards, the tension almost shrugging his shoulders. Even his skin gives it away, from the warmth in his cheeks to the flush at the tips of his ears. 

“Let me guess,” you sigh, breaking the silence, “Amanda thinks you’re not doin’ a good enough job, and you shouldn’t be workin’ with me?” Saying her name is enough to set you off, but you do your best to diffuse the situation, to bring Michael back to the present. 

His eyes flick to yours at the mention of her name, and you grimace inwards at the sharp stab to your gut. “Somethin’ like tha’.”

It confirms what you suspected; that he and Amanda had met up today, for purposes you try not to burden yourself with. It isn’t your business what they get up to, or how many times you notice her silhouette beyond the frosted glass of his front door. 5 times this week, and it’s only Wednesday, you think, chewing on your lip. 

Unease courses through your veins, and so you go to do what’s natural, and sweep the thoughts under the proverbial rug in your mind. You gesture at the mountain of paperwork in front of you. “Are you gonna help me, Michael?”

His only response is a delicate muscle feathering in his jaw, and for some reason, it sends a lick of angry heat up your spine. The deadline to the deal looms in front of you like a ticking time-bomb, and all he can do is stay silent, and God forbid, mope about Amanda?

Your mouth thins as you take a moment to decide if you want to add to his anguish. To deliver an insult worthy of his attention. There’s a rush that flows through you, a sick kind of satisfaction, that tug the corners of your mouth upwards. If it were Eric, or Jimmy, or even Amanda, he would’ve lost his shit by now. He’d probably have stormed out and sulked home, making sure his gun was accessible from beneath his jacket at all times. His heart would thunder in his ears, itching for a fight with some unfortunate soul who’d then be promptly taken out by none other than the Magician. 

Your voice rings out across the room, coming out more confident than you’d played out in your head. “She refuse to blow you today or what?” 

Michael’s brows furrow together. “What did you say?”

“I asked you something, Michael. Are you pissed because Amanda didn’t open her legs for you?”

His mouth twists into a sneer. “I’d stop talkin’ if I were you.”

But you return his glare, your blood thrumming with challenge. “Actually, I commend her for doin’ that. ‘Cause I wouldn’t want to fuck someone so miserable either.”

He’s in front of you in a couple of strides, seething cold fury as his voice drops an octave. When he talks, his breath fans your face. “I said stop fuckin’ talkin’.”

You swallow, feeling your chest heave as some unchecked part of you — the part that’s scared of no-one — takes over. “Or what?” You pout, cocking your head to the side. “Are you gonna run back to Amanda and tell her how mean I’ve been to you?” 

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up,” he spits, grabbing you by the collar, shoving you until the back of your thighs press up against the desk.

Your retort comes out just before he lowers his mouth to yours. Just before he wedges his thick hand between your legs. “Why don’t you make me?”

[umichenginabroad]

Week 2: Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Dublin Castle, Hurling, London!

Hi everyone! Wow it’s been a crazy week!

We got up early on Sunday to take the 8 am train to Galway. It only costs 8 euro for students, but we couldn’t figure out how to choose our seats so all ended up apart. We all wanted to sleep but most of us got stuck in loud cabins full of little kids, so maybe we should’ve tried harder to choose our seats. When we arrived in Galway, we grabbed take out breakfast from a local cafe and ate in Eyre Square. We booked a bus to Cliffs of Moher so we went to the meeting spot and it took about 2 hours to get to Cliffs of Moher. The bus driver told us it was the longest line to park he had ever seen(how lucky). We were able to explore for 2 hours and the view was breathtaking. The bus rides went by very fast because the bus driver played some really good music.

When we arrived back in Galway, we checked into our hotel, changed, and headed out for the night. We ate at a super yummy burger place, explored around the water with a drink in hand (there are no open carry laws in Ireland), and hit a few pubs. It turns out the Sunday before Bank Holiday’s there are people out everywhere so we all ended up having too much to drink and struggled to get up Monday. Anyway, we woke up around 10 and shopped around, stopped by the cathedral, ate delicious pizza, and then headed back to Dublin on the 3:00 pm train. We took the bus home from Heuston station and got back around 6:45 pm. We picked up some food at centra to make and all ate together before heading to bed.

Tuesday we had morning classes and a field trip to the National Library to see exhibitions of Yeats and Heaney. The exhibitions were really cool although some of them were more graphic then we expected lol. We were left on our own to get back to UCD so we decided to explore the city and grab a bite to eat at Hairy Lemon. The fish and chips were amazing and I officially ordered my first Guinness(kind of embarrassing 2 weeks in). We stopped for ice cream then headed back to UCD to do laundry and hangout.

Wednesday was another day of classes with another field trip to the Dublin Castle! The Dublin Castle was beautiful and we got a brief history of the castle as well as how it is used today. After, a few of us stayed downtown where we checked out The Bank for a drink, a Mexican restaurant, The Capital Cocktail Lounge, and Flannery’s. Let’s just say it was a long and very fun Wednesday night! :)

Thursday, I struggled to get up but it was another full day of classes. This day included a physics lab that was so incredibly difficult and ended up taking the entire 3 hours. We also learned the hard truth that getting a perfect score is extremely hard here as our 8/10 on previous labs were accompanied by zero red marks and a “very good.” After the lab, we ate at pi restaurant and headed to meet up with the summer at ucd team for hurling 101. Hurling was so fun a mix of lacrosse and field hockey (the two sports I played in high school) + baseball. Our friends ended up winning a lot of the competitions so a lot of us ended up winning Seamus(the summer at UCD mascot). Jessie even won the entire collection! I finished up the night planning and packing for London.

Friday morning we had classes and then we headed straight to the airport via taxi for a flight to London! I have been to London before but was so excited to be back. We took at taxi from Heathrow to the hostel we were staying at. It was my first experience in a Hostel and we had our own private room which was super nice. We arrived around 9:45 pm, changed quickly, and headed out to O’Neill’s which was recommended by Jessie. We had a super fun night and ended up staying out later than expected. Many drinks later, the night ended perfectly with McDonald’s Haloumi fries.

Saturday, we woke up at 8 and headed in a taxi to the Tower of London. We headed straight for the Crown Jewels which were stunning, then explored the rest of the sites. The whole experience was amazing! We then took a walk over the Tower Bridge and went to Borough Market where we had the most amazing food. The chocolate strawberries were perfection. Once we were stuffed, we went to see the London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We then headed towards Theatre Royal Drury Lane for tea. It was gorgeous and all of the food was amazing. We ended up staying there for almost 3 hours and enjoyed the tea and conversation(and the air conditioning). Once we finished, we made our way back to the Hostel and stopped by a tiny wine shop to get a couple of bottles for later. We rested until about 9:30 when we drank our wine, got a light dinner and drinks at a local greek place, then headed to a club we had researched. We had a fun night but were all exhausted from the day.

Yesterday, we got up around 9, which was a rough wake up call, checked out of the Hostel, and headed to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. I had seen this before but it was still super cool and the music they played(including parts of the Lion King) was great. We then grabbed brunch at a cafe on the way to Regent Street where we spent most of our day shopping. We finished the day with sushi and gelato before heading to Gatwick for our flight. Although our taxi driver was concerned that we did not leave ourselves enough time, we got there in plenty of time and our flight ended up being delayed about two hours(thanks Aerlingus). During this time, we bought Coronation Chicken crisps, Prawn Cocktail Pringles, and some other interesting snacks to try. They surprisingly all ended up being pretty good. Our flight finally took off and we finished our travel at 1:45 am this morning when we arrived back at UCD.

Because of my lack of sleep this entire weekend, I am writing this a little late from bed before we head on a field trip to Kilmainham Gaol.

Elsa Pater

Industrial and Operations Engineering

BIG 10 STEM and Irish Studies: University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland

[mytime2023]

Dublin, Ireland

-Heuston station

[doingthedirtydishes]

Dublin, Ireland: I visited, had tons of craic, and immense fun – I’m addicted.

As with most times I travel, I make sure to take advantage of national airlines and their home hub cities. My flight was destined for Amsterdam, Holland but I wished to visit Ireland on my way.  So I decided to fly Aer Lingus from PHL to AMS, knowing they would first fly to Dublin for a stopover, require a plane swap, and then depart to mainland Europe. Well, one can choose to continue on at the stopover city, paying only country taxes to exit airport; thus getting two trips in one. Each country has a limit as to how many days you can remain there, and so it pays to check first.  I had not arrived in Ireland yet and could already tell this country was going to be imbued with enjoyment. The flight was filled with craic.

Dublin was already having an effect on me and I had not even departed the airport. The feeling in the air was quaint and charming, just like the Irish people.  There is no subway or underground transportation system in Dublin, so coach is the best option for public transport. Uber is not allowed to operate in Ireland. The best bus service, Airlink, an express coach with the fewest stops, departs the airport every 15-20 minutes – so it is never a long wait to get to center of town. They are handicap accessible. The buses end up at Busaras Central Station before heading off to O’Connell Street in city centre, finally ending up at Heuston, one of Dublin’s main train stations.  I opted for a taxi. It was time to get my green groove on!

The distance from the airport to my hotel, located in Smithfield section, was approximately 12km. The bus fare was 7 Euro single, 12 Euro return – and a taxi, door-to-door, was between 25-30 Euro. Every taxi company is metered by law but also has other differences that can affect each individual fare. Do your homework beforehand. Being new to this city I opted to take a taxi ride, knowing this would also afford me a common gem of past globetrotting journeys: no one knows a city and its secrets better than taxi drivers. They tend to be a salty group; replete with enough stories to turns one’s head, in or out. As it would happen with my luck, my driver, Seammus McCafferty, was of the extremely colorful sort.

Taxi service paid, his business card with cellular phone contact in hand, convenient for future excitement and adventure reference, it was time to see what another Generator Hostel and new city had in store for me to boot.  As humans we tend to be creatures of habit – as well, having traveled all over the planet – I have learned a few tricks here or there. One invaluable lesson for travel and also life: When you find something that works, do not make any unnecessary changes – no need to reinvent the wheel. I had stayed at many Generator Hostels throughout Europe in the past and they always served me and my injury needs adequately.  The bar was set high for this location (pun intended).

Upon entering the hostel I was taken aback by how stylish it was. It looked very elegantly fashionable, very chic – my kind of place. There was a refined unassuming contemporary counter for check-in, plush chairs abound to relax and view any street walkers-by, with an eclectic and trendy colorful bar and restaurant in the background, with a Jameson bottle chandelier as the centerpiece. To the far right corner, with a clear view of the drunken shenanigans taking place at the bar, sat a beautiful pool table. To the back left was a veranda with sitting area for live entertainment and additional tables for more hobnobbing with newly made friends. The hostel was clearly setup to induce traveler interaction.

After getting my room sussed out, I decided to explore the hostel further.  I reserved a dormitory style room that slept twelve, although when I arrived I only saw four other bodies – all fast asleep at 15:00. I had a short distance to wheel over thick carpet but once out of my floor wing the floors were smooth. There was a dedicated handicapped toilet and sink room, but most times it was occupied by someone too lazy to walk the extra two meters to the common room. The showers were in a separate space. Both areas were very large, with enough sinks and showers to clean a small army. There was also a dedicated shower stall for those needing assistance, including a bench and low water controls. Splendid!

It was time for an obligatory pint of Guinness.  As the saying goes, when in Rome…. I headed to the bar and was immediately met with a set of stairs.  Two meters to the left was a dedicated lift to bring me down one level. I picked a table, ordered a pint, and within minutes was talking with some fellow voyagers. Sean Kennedy from Ottawa, Canada was the first, followed by Erika from Rotterdam, Holland, and then came Jacob from Perth, Australia.  Did I say just one Guinness? Oops, a Catholic white lie. A few beers later, minding our “Ps” and “Qs,” the group comfortable with one another, travel stories and laughter only increased round after round. We all decided to meet for breakfast the next morning.

For some odd reason no one made it to breakfast the next morning – must have been the Dubliner air. I enjoyed a delicious traditional Irish breakfast: eggs, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans and grilled tomatoes. Stomach overly filled, I decided to venture out and take my chances seeing the city on one of the many hop-on-hop-off bus tours. I chose the red line as they had a pickup only 30 meters from the hostel entrance. The bus pulled up, a foldable pull-out ramp appeared, I rolled on, paid my 20 Euro fare (unlimited rides for 48 hours), and off we went. Though it is a great bargain, as you get to see most the city’s best sites, it is only for the strong and fit – even with breaks on, the chair was thrown all over.

Being an exceptionally seasoned world traveler, having lived all over the planet for almost a decade of my life, international travel mostly comes easily to me – even the constant hiccups and curveballs the world throws my way are met head-on, and overcome with grace and laughter. No doubt travelling in a wheelchair is a much different experience, though mostly logistical, hence my injured traveler blog. But there is another element to what I do, one that requires that my wheelchair and its parts are all in the best possible working order. I am forever indebted to the people at NuMotion Mobility Company, especially Gary Gilberti and his amazing crew at my local office, including Christie, Jim and John.

By the time I returned to the hostel, sea-sick and bruised, the rest of the crew was already at the bar, and many pints ahead of me. By this juncture, a French doctor, Pierre, and Wouter, a quiet and witty Dutchman, had joined the bouquet – making for quite the assorted international motley bunch.  We decided to go out for dinner that evening – Kennedy had heard the food at Kingfisher’s was the best in town.  It was agreed the four of us would meet at 19:00 and taxi to O’Connell section of town. All taxi drivers, with one honorable mention later, were more than happy to get out and assist with the wheelchair breakdown and storage. I had the classic dish: fish-n-chips. It was amazing. Legendary!

By this time I had already made friends with the bartender, Milo, from Greenland – a country of 56,170 people – a fjord-lined Danish territory.  All the staff was very friendly.  As stated in my book, Unbreakable Mind, one must participate in life by Doing The Dirty Dishes: If meeting new friends or socializing with strangers is an issue, go where others are seeking the same: new friends and experiences. You are guaranteed both if you stay at a hostel.  I choose to stay at Generator Hostels when in Europe because even though they are the cost of a cheap hotel, they have better clientele. I have never once placed a lock on my storage bin. If in need of purple underwear – please, by all means!

The next few days friends went various directions and so I decided to venture out into the city where ‘streets have names’ alone.  The walkways and sidewalks upon first inspection looked smooth, until in the chair wheeling around town – they surely gave my kidneys a workout.  There are curb ramps but definitely careful attention to detail must be paid if one wants to stay in the chair. Drivers are not so quick to slam on their brakes for you when crossing the road. Also, Luas, the tram/light rail system, which began operating in 2004, extends throughout the city with Red and Green lines, thus providing many places for your caster wheels to get stuck, or dumped by not wheeling over the bumps properly.

That next morning I was up early so I could visit St. Stephens Green, a historic park and great inner-city escape with 15 statues and memorials of famous figures and events, a favorite of James Joyce. Soon after, I found myself at the Guinness Storehouse, Ireland’s most famous beer, with a guided tour that ended on a rooftop bar with free tastings. Best to reserve a ticket online as the queue can be a bit long. Just around the corner from the St. James Gate Brewery is the 200 year old Jameson Distillery Bow Street, the world renowned home to Irish Whiskey – even though Jameson was in fact a Scottish lawyer. Needless to say after such a day, finding stable ground key – the chair was wobbly for some odd reason.

The following day I decided to bugger off to Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, just a short distance from Smithfield, the district where my hostel was located. The castle, former seat of the British government’s administration in Ireland, played a lead role in the Easter Rising of 1916.  It helped set the stage for the Irish War of Independence, fought from 1919 to 1921, between the Irish Republican Army and British forces. It had a small incline and some cobblestones about but was surprisingly easy to navigate in a wheelchair. The Cathedral’s layout was expansive, including long verdant lawns and brick pavers, thus making for a smooth visit. Both buildings, heavily steeped in history, will leave you in awe.

My second to final day a few of us decided to visit the Dublin Zoo.  Kennedy and Wouter rounded out a threesome – our troop was complete. Before we even had a chance to observe the local animals, we had one of own for a taxi driver. We had inadvertently stepped into the wrong taxi and the driver, quite rattled and angry, Patrick Donegal, of Belfast, continued slagging us incessantly. He kept repeating in a deep Ulster accent, “You don’t understand!” It made for some fun local taking the piss before we were on our way to be accosted by apes and monkeys – two mainstays of the zoo, located in Phoenix Park, with 707 hectares of land, making it one of Europe’s largest parks. It was a roaring day. Classic!

My last night in Dublin I decided to head out to the famous party zone of Dublin’s Temple Bar District with some of my new friends. We all had flights out of Ireland the next day. They all headed home and were asleep by midnight. But to me, that is just when the rapture began.  Four hours later, a few locally sourced prescribed pints of Guinness down the gullet, it was time to find my way home to sleep before catching my 07:00 flight. Dublin is so rich in history, cultural delight and overall fun, with so much to see and on such a short visit, no doubt I will return to the Emerald Isle for another dose of some additional Ol, Craic Agus Ceol. You left me wanting more; I shall return, old friend.  Slán leat – Céad mile fáilte!

Travel Blog: Click here.

Spiritual Blog: Click here.

Book: Unbreakable Mind. (Print, Kindle, Audio)

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Travel Blog links: Covid-19 stranded in NYC JFK and Maine – also travel stories on Ireland, Spain, Sweden,  Belgium, Iceland, Colombia (Espanol version), Amsterdam, Germany, New Hampshire, TN and NYC.

Personal Website link where you can also find my book, photos of my travels and updates on current projects.

Thank you for your love and support.

[kermitheefrog]

still in the train station 😿 if you've never been to heuston there's a lil piano in there just for ppl to plink away on n this one lad playing it rn is actually really fucking good lmaoooo I'm actually so cold tho fml