Jim Connely was not the kind of man you photograph.

My trip through County Galway & Offaly were enjoyable with numerous stops to photo and take in the sites. The closer I got to Kilkenny, the more hills that appeared in the horizon. I felt like the trip to Wexford was more downhill than up, and my muscles were much less sore today but overall I was still quite week and did the ride in a couple hours more than what it took me to go from Galway to Offaly despite today's run being a lesser distance. By the time I arrived at Wexford around 7pm or so after a roughly 8 hour ride, I felt a simultaneous feeling of excitement for making it to the ocean and also relief at the fact that I could now ditch the bike. Had I the option to do this again I’d stay at least 2 days in each town (not Banagher though!) This panoramic shot of the bay in Wexford felt like a finish line, click on it to blow it up to fuller size:

I left go in front of a church, and some of those racer boys that would speed by me on the highway are probably the undeserving sob’s that got my bike. C’est la vie, it got me across, it was fun, and now I was ready to get to what vacations typically are, relaxing. All day as I had been debating going on to France or back to Galway to see the Galwegians & listen to Bon Iver, I tossed around this quote:

Life is too important of a thing to be taken seriously.- Oscar Wilde

I took shots around town as yet again I searched for dinner in a rapidly closing city.

My hostel was absolutely empty, which was sad since I wasn’t able to meet people to go out like usual, so the lady working there suggested I check out “The Sky & The Ground” for some live irish music. I grabbed a quick fish & chips at yet again some fancy restaurant out of little choice, and it was actually the best fish & chips I ever had.. something I would have expected from France, not Ireland, with mashed-potato like Peas. When I arrived at the pub (pictured) it was one of the small town places where the record stops when a stranger walks in. I went to bar to grab a drink before finding a seat near the band and had some slight trouble getting served, getting some cold shoulders. Eventually getting a Guinness I sat down next to this guy that looked like he was born on that bar stool and had sat there drinking since he was born 70 years ago. The band was good, with an accordian player, a singer constantly switching between guitar, banjo, and other strings I didn’t recognize, and an old man who switched between several different harmonicas (why? I don’t know they sounded the same) and would hambone during other songs. I pulled out my camera to photo them (pictured):

The previously mentioned old fella next to me, gave this huge grunt when I took a photo like I had just kicked a dog. Feeling a bit uncomfortable I ignored him. He asked me if my camera was recording sound, and after answering he asked where I was from, when I told him NYC he lit up… apparently he used to do business there quite a bit. He proceeded to tell me jokes, half of which I couldn’t tell with this thick drunken accent what he was saying and the other half which were pretty terrible jokes. He did have a number of good stories about girls he used to date, and the time he was trapped in manhattan during 9/11 and had no place to go but an irish pub, living on fish & chips and Guinness for 3 days there. I guessed it wasn’t all that different from his life here in Wexford. He noticed the bartenders were ignoring me so he started ordering me drinks all night. I sat with him until the band quit, drinking & exchanging stories. It turned out to be a different, but fun night with him (Jim) and I would have pictured him had he not taken such offense to my touristy actions earlier. I went home, set my alarm for 7am and got prepared to head back to Dublin & then Galway to see Bon Iver. Still trying to figure out where I’m going to stay, and when to go to Paris since I do have a 1 way ticket from Paris to Shannon on the 31^st (and because I am slightly in love with Paris).