The Guinness Book

We gave the afternoon to the Guinness Storehouse, which is less a brewery tour and more a seven-story cathedral to a single beverage.

There are barrels the size of small cars and an entire floor devoted to explaining that the fifth ingredient is, essentially, Arthur Guinness's vibes.

We did the tasting, learned to pour a proper pint, and rode up to the Gravity Bar at the top for the view out over the whole gray sprawl of the city.

Worth the climb.

Back at street level we paid our respects to Molly Malone and her barrow of cockles and mussels.

And somewhere in the afternoon, a ring got photographed on a hand. I'll just leave that there for now.

Then a long drive south into the dark, arriving in Kilkenny just before midnight — the kind of arrival that makes a town feel like a secret you'll unwrap in the morning.

Tomorrow we find out what Kilkenny looks like with the lights on.