Writing about a city where I’ve never traveled to and know almost nothing about seems inherently foolish and naively arrogant — two qualities that I’ve undoubtedly mastered far beyond reparation. And now, here I am in Dublin.
Until now, Dublin was an ink spot on a map, a brief episode on Rick Steves Europe, and we all know of course — the home of Guinness, which I’ve been told is a popular brand of beer.
I also knew Dublin to be the substantive and spiritual muse for many great writers — including James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and George Bernard Shaw, to name but a few. It’s also the home of my own musical lion, Van Morrison. Oh, and U-2 also. Other than those Irish peculiarities, and a few castles, there isn’t much else here to see.
I’ve been granted both a gift and an opportunity to change that ridiculous previous statement and broaden my horizons. My dear friend Padraig Parkinson asked me to fly over the Atlantic and attend the 2015 Paddy Power Poker Irish Open, and celebrate the 36th-year anniversary of the Irish poker scene’s beginnings, which I’ll be writing about a bit more. The PPPO will be played here in Dublin over the next week.
READ MORE ABOUT PADRAIG PARKINSON HERE
Don’t expect any postcards from the edge, unless they’re from the edge of the bar and Padraig is buying (exceeding rare, nowadays). But readers can expect what’s least expected, which is what I expect. If that doesn’t make any sense, read it again. It will. I think. Warning: Don’t attempt to write following a 16-hour flight, with a layover.
One thing that immediately strikes me about Ireland: I thought they spoke English over here. Well, they sure as shit do not. My heavily-accented taxi driver provided a wonderful travel narrative between the Dublin International Airport and my hotel. It’s too bad that I managed to only understand about half of what he was saying. Ower der iza Guinness factory where me unkle used tah werk….that sort of thing. I also got an interesting earful on the taxi driver’s attitudes towards Northern Ireland, the Catholic Church, pedophile priests, abortion, Van Morrison’s girlfriend, the Irish Civil War, rugby, Oscar Wilde, and six other subjects which I had no idea what he was talking about.
Next, I’ve got to try and figure out what Padraig is saying. This brings me to tonight’s greatly anticipated activities. I’m participating in a seminar hosted by Padraig, where I will be joined on stage by the great Mike Sexton. We’ll be reminiscing about the origins of the Irish poker scene, the colorful cast of characters who brought poker (particularly No-Limit Hold’em) back with them from Las Vegas, and the unique relationship that exists between Americans and Irish gamblers. Tonight should be a blast. The fun starts at 9 pm (Europeans tend to start things later and play long into the night). The 2015 Paddy Power Poker Irish Open takes place at the Doubletree Hotel by Hilton, in Dublin.
I’m excited about all the things I’ll see and experience here in Dublin (and later the countryside) over the next week. But what most excites me is the things I can’t predict and don’t know, and even some of the lingo I can’t possibly understand.
Now, let this wonderful Dublin adventure begin.