Despite all the travails in getting there, I had a great time in Dublin. It was great seeing friends and family again and showing Jacqui and Mark around Dublin. Mum did a great job cooking up a storm, including my requested dishes of Pork Roast, Beef Wellington and non-baked cheesecake, and Dad made multiple trips to and from the airport without complaint.

Christmas Day was great fun too. Mark had arrived a few days beforehand from the UK, Clíona & Dave came over, along with Dave’s family, so we had a good gang around for dinner.

As for presents, Mum & Dad got me a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens for my SLR which was a big surprise. It’s great for taking photos in low light without a flash, as evidenced by the photo of myself and Jacqui above, and I got quite a few good photos from the day’s festivities. I’ll get around to sticking them up on the site in the next few days.