The M.Phil Graduate Reception

The really great thing about the Irish people is their hospitality. The English Graduate program decided to throw a reception for the entire major and the best thing about it was that it was totally free! We had a blast chatting it up with all of Cindy's fellow classmates. This is a picture of the roof at The Bank, which is now a restaurant housed in the former Belfast Bank. The vaults still exist downstairs where the restrooms are now located, and the teller stations have been converted into the bar. Here is a picture of the ceiling of The Bank in all of its 19th century opulence. Due to slight yet ever-increasing inebriation of the masses, we opted against posting any portraits.

Job Celebration Dinner

This week was a big week for us. I had an interview on campus for a Technical Officer position for the CRANN which stands for Center for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices. The position entails supporting the researchers and the equipment at the CRANN. the CRANN is one of two major research facilities that specialize in nanotechnology. The interview with a panel of four went well and Wednesday I got a call offering me the position. We are so stoked! This is a great opportunity for me to get into the field of Research and Development (R&D) and see if I like it. Now all I have to do is fill out the required paperwork and wait for the work permit to be processed and sent.

The news of the job offer cannot go without a proper celebration so Cindy and I decided to treat ourselves out to dinner. Along the way we took some night photos of downtown Dublin. We decided to eat at a placed called The Shack Restaurant and had some traditional Irish food which was scrumptious! The Shack is located in Temple Bar and boy is it full of tourists! We heard some authentic Irish music by a band called Mutefish and a sample of their music can be downloaded here (scroll to the bottom of the post for a streaming version). Let us know if you want to hear some more of it! 

A view of Ha'penny Bridge.  It got it's name because it used to cost a half a penny to cross it.

A view of Temple Bar

A view across the O'Connell Bridge.

Mutefish - Sláinte

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