Good Evening! It’s been a looong while since I last posted, however, (although not an excuse) I’ve been quite preoccupied with dissertation and leaving Uni! Just to give you a quick update…I now live in Ireland. Yep, right in the green, wet, remote part somewhere on the west coast. Although it is the epitome of rural and very different from the landscape i’m used to, I bloomin love it here!!
It’s been a week since I arrived and I believe i’m becoming fully accustomed to the Irish culture, I’ve had soda bread for breakfast lunch and dinner, I’ve walked through the streets of Galway as buskers perform Irish folk songs AND I’ve served Irish wine, along with a few Irish coffees at the Guinness family’s old pad.
Not just a random statement honest! I have secured myself a role as a Junior Sommelier at Ashford Castle, a 5 star country house hotel in the beautiful village of Cong. This now Hotel did used to belong to the Guinness family, so although a slight stretching of the truth, the statement is in fact true. Can’t get more of an Irish experience than that right?!
As I walk up to the castle for work in the mornings, this is the exact view that I get…not too bad right? Let’s be realistic though, it’s usually raining and on this particular day I caught the castle off guard for a lucky photo opportunity.
The bridge leading to the castle crosses over a loch which divides the two counties, County Mayo and County Galway. I am actually living in staff accommodation on the castle estate however, living in a different county, I love that fun fact!
And here are some other images of the short walk from the castle into Cong village that surrounds it.
This however, is where i’ll be spending most of my time here in Ireland, the George IV Dining Room. It’s the stunning fine dining restaurant that I will be working as a sommelier in!
Not only that, but I’ll also get to run down to this magnificent wine cellar to collect some of the best wines that money can buy!
So I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’m extremely happy here, this is my dream job in what feels like a dream location. I can’t wait to get to know my role and the surrounding area a lot better and feel like a true Galway/Mayo gal.
Head in a Glass 