We assembled in dribs and drabs but with military precision, first in Abu Dhabi, then Dublin Airport and finally coming together at Cassidys Hotel. Arriving on the first sunny day in Dublin since June 1970 (according to our taxi driver), it was almost warm enough for just a t-shirt. Our driver entertained us with one-liners all the way from the airport to the hotel. He should be doing stand-up somewhere. But we later found that most Irish have been to the same comedy school, all majoring in ‘the weather’.
We threaded our luggage through the narrow corridors of the hotel and reconvened in the mess hall for our first, of many to come, liquid refreshments.
I think we had dinner here…?