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The Finnegans have arrived and are feeling RIGHT at home with Eamonn and Geraldine, with whom we spent a couple of days in San Francisco (remember?).

They live within walking distance of the Irish Sea, just north of Dublin. (See the next entry.)

They tell us that “any day with sunshine is a good day.” Even in early September, rain is as likely as not. No matter. It’s a grand sight, this green green green island. And they’re grand people, these Irish.

To a fellow with a name like Finnegan, it feels quite welcoming, on this first-ever visit.

We’re only here for two days, but we’ll be back for a week after our time in Italy. Then we’ll see about a James Joyce crawl of Dublin—and we’ll see about gambling on enough decent weather to merit a three-day excursion to Galway and the spectacular west coast.

When you consider the climate, it’s eye-opening impressive to know that Eamonn (pronounced like “Damon”) commutes into Dublin every day on his motorcycle. We’ll check out later what kind of equipment keeps a lad warm, dry, and safe in such a commuting life.