After lunch the girls walked around Temple Bar and Trinity College then headed back to their hotel. They had reservations for an Irish House Party that night and one of the Hop-on-Hop-Off tours the next day. The House Party was at the Landsdowne Hotel and started with dinner. Four musicians played various instruments and showed the attendees how to do some of the Irish dances. The girls were able to participate and gave it their all. Loads of laughs and lots of craic were had that first night.
The next morning after a full Irish breakfast, their first of the trip, the girls headed off to catch the Hop-on-Hop-Off bus. The day was spent stopping at Trinity College, St Stephen's Green, Kilmainham Gaol, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the St. James Gate Guinness Brewery. From the top of the Gravity Bar the older girls enjoyed a cold pint of Guinness and they all enjoyed amazing views of Dublin. It wasn't until they were at dinner that night after a full day that Mona came across the tickets that Paul had given them.
“Girls, since we really have no plans for tonight, how about we go to this concert?” Mona asked the group.
Briana an Caitlin were still having some trouble adjusting to the time difference and were exhausted from the day's sightseeing so they begged off. Darcy and Mona decided they would be going to the concert. The performance was at the Gaiety Theater just a few blocks from their hotel and easily withing walking distance. After dinner Darcy and Mona went back to the hotel to dress up a little for this concert. Other than looking at the theater and time Mona hadn't really looked at the performance information. As they walked up to the venue they stopped in their tracks and looked at each other as they saw the marquee at the theater:
Music From the Heart By Ireland's Premier Tenor
Featuring Paul Byrom
“Oh my goodness,” was all Mona could utter. Darla was the speechless one this time.
And then the two of them let out a small squeal so as not to draw attention to themselves. When they entered the theater, they realized that Paul had given them front row seats also! This was more than they had bargained for. As the lights started to lower, two young men seated themselves in the two the empty seats that would have been for Briana and Caitlin. Both younger than Paul, but some of Ireland's finest specimens to be sure.
The concert began and Darcy and Mona lost themselves in the music and Paul's voice. He had such control. In between songs he chatted a little talking about his song choices and throwing in a joke here and there. Every once in a while he would glance down at the two girls and at one point seemed to nod to the two men sitting next to them.
Intermission came and every one stood to stretch and go in to the lobby for a drink. Darcy and Mona decided they would stand by their seats and take in the remodeled look of the theater. As they stood, so did the men next to them.
“Ladies, Paul would like to invite you backstage after the performance for a little cocktail party he is hosting,” one of the men said.
When Mona looked at this stranger questioningly, he smiled.
“Sorry we are friends of Paul's. I'm Ryan and this is my brother Daragh,” the younger of the two explained. “We were in town and met up with Paul for tea today. He called a little while ago and told us about giving you tickets after we left him. Paul said that if you came, he would like to invite you to the cocktail party after the show. We saw these two seats empty, so thought it would be great if we came and sat next to you to make sure you were the girls he was expecting. And from his actions on stage, we knew you were the two he was talking about.”
The girls were flabbergasted, but extremely excited. Before they could even think about it they said “yes”. The lights flickered that the second act was going to begin and they all sat down. As Paul walked out on the stage Mona turned slightly toward Daragh and saw him nod his head to Paul, and Paul smiled back glancing over to Mona.
The second act was just as wonderful as the first. Paul's voice was in great form and he had such control. Mona was mesmerized by him. Darcy was enjoying the show, but realized that Mona seemed to be floating along with each song.
As the show ended and Paul received a long standing ovation, Daragh and Ryan told the girls to follow them. Darcy had tons of questions for Daragh and Ryan, but Mona was quiet at this point. They were lead backstage to a reception room. There were other people there when they arrived, but it was a small crowd. As Paul saw them enter he immediately walked over the Mona, hugged her and said, “I'm so glad you came tonight. It was nice to have someone to sing to during my performance.”
Darcy was busy chatting with Daragh and Ryan and didn't notice that Paul had put his arm around Mona and guided her across the room. As he visited with other guests at the reception he kept Mona close by. He either held her hand, or had his arm around her. Mona was beaming. Darcy bid goodnight to Daragh and Ryan and headed back to the hotel. She asked them to let Mona know she had left. She felt Mona was in very good hands.
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Dream Trip - Chapter 2
Labels:
adventure,
Celtic Thunder,
Dublin,
fiction,
Ireland,
Paul Byrom,
travel,
vacation
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