After being on-the-go for the last two weeks, I am very happy to have had some time in Galway. I am inclined to write about this past weekend, seeing as it was “Super Bowl Sunday.” The day may be a nationally-recognized holiday in the US, but it was nearly impossible to find a pub in Galway to sit and watch the game. This has been one of the biggest “culture-shock” moments for me since arriving in Ireland.
The problem that I kept running into would be that a place would have the game playing on the TV, but no sound. As a HUGE Chris Stapleton fan, this was very problematic because I would not be able to hear my idol perform the National Anthem. The television volume was turned off in most places (yes, we tried our luck at multiple different pubs) because of live music, but my friends and I were finally able to negotiate with the pub staff to turn the TV speakers up. There was a pretty decent sized crowd in The Dail on Super Bowl Sunday, with many Irish people locked in to the Chiefs and Eagles matchup, despite all of chaos that ensued before the game.
The crisis was seemingly averted, until halftime rolled around. All week my roommates and I were making our predictions for what song Rihanna would sing first. Would it be “Run This Town,” or “Please Don’t Stop the Music (Spoiler alert: she never even played this one)? Unfortunately, as soon as the clock ticked down in the second quarter, we all were asked to leave because the pub was closing. This meant that I was forced to watch the halftime show late and on my laptop, with live updates coming in through WhatsApp by my parents.
I did enjoy my first, international Super Bowl Sunday, but I would prefer the usual watch parties with all of my favorite comfort foods back in Massachusetts. Stay tuned for next week’s adventures!!
