Though it seemed like our trip had raced by, our final day of our honeymoon in Ireland in 2024 had finally arrived.
When we first booked our trip, we were due to leave on March 17 but my wife Farryn picked up that it was St Patrick’s Day so we decided to extend our stay by one day.
That decision proved to be correct, as we couldn’t come to Ireland around this time of year without experiencing this unique holiday.
On our way into town of Bray where we were staying about 40km outside Dublin, we bought a couple green things to make ourselves look more Irish. I picked a green Peaky Blinders style hat, complete with a giant bowtie. Farryn, meanwhile, bought a tiny green Leprechaun hat.
Capturing memories: A humorous beach mishap during the parade preparations
Looking the part with the new additions to our regalia, we headed down to the promenade where we knew the parade would come through.
We took some photos on the beach, but not before a massive misunderstanding saw me throw my bag of goodies at Farryn which klapped her in the face. Apparently when she said I must throw her my things before she took a photo of me on a rock, I should have waited for her to also give me the signal that she was ready to catch my considerably heavy bag and not lob the bag at her immediately.
After a mid-sized argument, and with a hint of tension lingering in the air, we proceeded on our way.
It also turned out to be the warmest day in Ireland of our trip with the sun out and the temperature around 14 degrees, which saw us strip right down to our t-shirts at one point.
Before the parade arrived, we again quite by chance found a Pakistani restaurant to have lunch. After an excellent, hearty, non-traditional Irish lunch we headed out for the festivities.
The culmination of our trip was finally here as we found a good spot close to the road where the parade was due to come through.
From tiny tots to war veterans, all ages were part of the parade from the various parts of Irish society. Although I’m not quite sure where the knights fully clad in chainmail, shields, swords and helmets fit into modern times.
A number of different types of bands slowly made their way through, with the Irish flag always prominent throughout. The first song we heard from a traditional flute, saxophone and drums band was a not-quite traditional rendition of YMCA.
Celebrating diversity: Jerusalema and the unexpected joys of a St Patrick's day parade
As a fire engine prepared to slowly make it’s way through, I noticed a sign on the dashboard which read “If it has tits or wheels, it will give you problems!”.
We also soon found out that it was not only traditional Irish cultures celebrated in the parade, but all the cultures and ethnicities present in the country.
It was also around this time that the South African hit Jerusalema started playing. Never did we imagine we’d hear Jerusalema playing during St Patrick’s Day, but this symbolises the unexpected joys you encounter on trips like these.
The highlight, arguably, was the traditional Irish dancing performed by some young girls near the end of the parade.
In fact, at one point, a rabid South African started ululating but it did not last long as he got a very dirty look from his wife. Poor guy.
Though it lasted for well over an hour, the parade soon came to an end and the most-talked about event on our trip had also concluded, much like the inevitable rising of the tide of the ocean just across from us.
And just like that, our long-awaited trip to Ireland was over. All that was left, was to take the long, slow stroll back home and prepare for our flight back to South Africa the next day. All the while though, we thought about what we had seen and experienced in these few weeks on our Irish honeymoon.
We spent the rest of our afternoon at home, first relaxing in the garden with some welcome tea and scones provided by our host.
It was indeed a magical honeymoon, filled with new exciting experiences interspersed by some silly arguments, but overall it was an unforgettable time in our lives.
Though we don’t know just when we will go back to this incredible country, we’re quite sure we will continue exploring this world together as long as we have breath in our lungs.
Here’s to an incredible trip, and to many more.
This post first appeared here: Our unforgettable honeymoon in Ireland