The trip home went fine. Until we hit American soil.

Travel abroad is always a bit of a coin toss, with long flights, customs, security, and the myriad snafus that can easily emerge when working on a schedule outside your own control.

When coming in to Ireland, customs took about 10 seconds--glance at the passport and interview went like this:

"How long are you staying?"

"Until Sunday."

"Have fun."

Cool. Grab the bags, change the currency, and go.

We did not have such luck on the return journey, which I attribute primarily to Dulles' monumentally inefficient design for processing international travelers. We deplaned ("De plane, Boss, De plane!") with two hours until our flight to Cinci was to depart and immediately formed a line to load up into what looked like a semi-truck trailer to be hauled across the tarmac to another terminal. This put us in the line for customs, which was formidable. Then baggage claim, another line for baggage check, agriculture check because I said I'd been to a horse farm (didn't need to do anything when I said I'd used the boots on location), then - and here's the rub - we had to leave security, go upstairs and recheck our bags for our transfer to Cinci.

An unmoving line at the counter was luckily bypassed by direct check. Then to security. Which was the longest line I'd ever seen. It literally circled the entire terminal. We plead to bypass, citing our now imminent departure, but found no luck. So our plane for Cinci left as we were waiting among the masses.

What followed is one of the most frustrating travel experiences I've encountered. Between the jet lag, miserably high temperature in the terminal, yet more lines, another ride in the semi-trailer, and attempts to rebook through several different carriers, I was on the verge of Getting Uppity a couple times but Chad's diplomacy helped smooth the way to get us back in the sky. (Go Chad!)

We finally made it to Cinci by way of Charlotte at midnight, to find our bags had preceded us on the earlier flight and were snugly secured in Bag Jail. (Finding someone with a key for Bag Jail in the wee hours of Monday is no small feat.)

But in the end, we made it home with fabulous photos, fond memories, a few extra pounds (both luggage and selves - I blame the butter, which is amazing), and several nice videos.

Here are some new photos of our time at the National Stud, the Curragh, and Mount Juliet, courtesy of Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, which provided a photographer to chronicle parts of the trip.

Stay tuned for another collection of my favorite images, and some advice for those planning a trip.

I could have spent a week happily exploring the city on the Liffey. But since I only had a day, you're getting just a peek at the bounty this city offers travelers. Whether you want food, theatre, history, architecture, or just a rolling good time, you can find it here.

On our final day in Ireland, Chad I said goodbyes to our hosts and most of our traveling companions and set off to explore, accompanied by the French contingent of our tour group, Thomas, Claude, and Laure.

We were provided with tickets for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour and since we didn't know where to start, we figured that was the best way to get our bearings.

Hop on: St. Stephen's Green

En route: Dublin Castle and a statue of Molly Malone, famous fishmonger and lady of the evening. As the tour guide described, "The dish with the fish, the trollop with the sco'llop. It's said she was celibate--she'd sell a bit here, sell a bit there."

Hop off: Christ Church Cathedral. Christ Church is in the center of the medieval part of Dublin. The massive building features gorgeous masonry and stained glass. Sites of interest, including the purported tomb of Strongbow, are scattered throughout.

It also has a crypt. Which is wicked cool. Its dark, stone interior is delightfully creepy, an impression aided by the intricate carved memorials that line the walls. Then you turn a corner and find a mummified cat.

Yes, a mummified cat. And a rat too. (My camera didn't want to work down there due to overwhelming spectral presence, or maybe the lack of light. But you can see a picture here.)

It seems the unfortunate feline followed its prey into an organ pipe, where both perished and were mummified by the air blowing through. They're famously remembered in James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, in which he describes someone as being "...As stuck as that cat to that mouse in that tube of that Christchurch organ."

Hop back on.

Turn the corner and pass St. Patrick's Cathedral (also lovely).

Hop off: the Guinness Storehouse

As a Guinness fan, I was pretty excited about this tour and it certainly didn't disappoint. They start you out the base of the world's largest pint glass--the building itself is formed around the seven-story atrium structure--and you wind your way up and learn about the brewing process, including stops for tasting direct from the line and seeing some of the great Guinness advertisements from the past. (If you filled the glass, it would hold 14.3 million pints of Guinness, or, presumably, whatever liquid you prefer.)

And at the top, you hit the Gravity Bar, which features a 360-degree view of the city and a free pint. It tastes better there. Really.

Hop back on and find something tasty.

En route: Was intrigued by the Kilmainham Gaol, a disused jail turned museum, and would have stopped in had I not been ravenous and wanting something to balance the Guinness.

Cross the River Liffey and learned about some of the rather photogenic bridges, including the Ha'Penny Bridge, which until 1919 required a fee for crossing (you can guess how much).

Hop off across from Temple Bar, Dublin's Bourbon Street.

Temple Bar is the tourist center of Dublin, and is a good place to find sustenance and souvenirs, the two things I was after.

During our tour we were treated to some incredible cuisine, but, well--I like fish and chips. So I got some. And they were exceptionally good.

After that we wandered, saw Trinity College and Dublin Castle, and shopped a bit before returning to the hotel for a little siesta.

Evening took us back to Temple Bar where we enjoyed a light dinner and incredible street performances, both intentional and alcohol-induced. I am happy to report that I did at this point also get my long-awaited piggyback ride from Chad! (Let the record reflect that alcohol was not involved.)

If you go, give yourself a couple days to soak it in. I wish we'd had more time but, well--just guess I'll have to come back!

I posted a few photos yesterday while sitting at the airport (see those), but here's the real report.

The Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show has been going on for 106 years. Show director Peter Hanly told us the show began as a way to support country's horse breeders and producers. The competitions, from working hunters to Connemaras and colo(u)red cobs, to mares and foals, highlight the quality animals produced and trained in Ireland.

He said the competition has given rise to the concept of "a Dublin horse"--a phrase used to describe the quality of animal you could compete with here.

The four-day show features more than 1,400 horses and ponies in 12 international show jumping competitions, 35 national jumping competitions, and 95 showing classes. They offer more than €900,000 in prize money.

I caught the Draught stallions, as well as ladies' sidesaddle and several other flat classes.

What struck me was the traditional style--this is not a "trendy" show, with the latest in blingy browbands and tail extensions. As you can probably see from the photos, it's decidedly old school--and I loved it. There's something right about suits and bowler hats, plain tack, and spotless horses, all displayed on a field of stunningly green turf.

In at least some of the flat classes the riders showed their own mounts before lining up and handing their animals off to an official rider, who then worked each horse in a set pattern. I'm not sure if this person was a judge or other type of steward, but the riding displayed by them was consistent and soft--I wouldn't hesitate to hand mine over to any of these individuals. Actually, I'd quite like to see him go for them! It was really very interesting to see how differently (and also how similarly!) some of the horses went for the official rider than for their own. I'd sure be interested to see this approach employed at some of our national-level shows!

A new class this year, "Racehorses to Riding Horses," highlighted some of Ireland's former star racehorses now excelling in other careers. Judged by Ian Stark, 20 racehorses including Kicking King, Moscow Flyer, Brave Inca, and Colonel Rayburn.

The class parameters were:

"To be judged on the ride, manners and conformation. Judges will ask the class to gallop. Judges may ride some of the exhibits and then may require individual shows from as many as time allows. The individual show, if required, must not exceed 1.5 minutes and to include the walk, trot, canter, simple change at canter, rein back, strike off on required leg, gallop on, halt and stand still. There will be a strong emphasis on manners, ride and training."

Although we didn't attend on the day of this class, I checked the results: Brave Inca was the winner.

A very good idea, I think.

Despite an abysmal exchange rate, the tradeshow was a dangerous place for me. I emerged with a new riding raincoat (it even has a butt flap; woo-hoo!) and two traditional ribbon browbands to give as gifts ... and I'll admit, I broke down and got a tastefully blingy browband too.

The shop where purchased the coat offered buckets with any purchase over €30, so I ended up with a bucket as well. Did I need it? No. Was it a pain to pack? Yes. But I think it's just really wicked cool to have a bucket from the RDS! And I bet it gave the TSA agents a pause when they saw it on the X ray!

The main event of the show on Friday was the final leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup, also known as the Aga Khan. Teams from Italy, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, France, Belgium, the United States, and Germany competed for both the day's honors and final standing in the series.

The Irish team, particularly Denis Lynch, received a rockstar's reception every time they stepped into the ring. This was both a boon and a liability, as a gasp from the crowd after a downed rail could easily break concentration at the next element.

It was quite fun to watch the Cup with our traveling companions, as everyone had a team to cheer for, gossip about, and shoot photos of.

Italy ended up winning the day, with France receiving top honors for the overall series.

I think the best riding I saw all day might have been during the victory lap--keyed-up jumpers walking behind the bagpipers of the Irish Army Pipe Corps made for some impressive airs above the ground!

(This could have ended very badly but did not--the rider corrected in the air, landed smoothly, and carried on to clear the next.)

Beezie Madden riding for the U.S.

Denis Lynch and Latinus, crowd favorites.

While it might not have been the main draw, my personal favorite event was the National Pony Championship.

Held in the main arena during the break between Nation's Cup sessions, we saw kids on ponies rocketing around, negotiating obstacles that seemed a good bit larger than some of the ponies!

I can see why Ireland's eventers are held in such high esteem--they get an early start. These kids were talented and utterly fearless. The little kamikazes didn't seem to have any gear other than the top one and practically flew around the course. Should a pony balk, they were quick with a tap of the stick and went for it again and again. I was so impressed by them!

I often describe horse shows as my "natural habitat." But while I've had the pleasure of attending a diverse array of equine events, including the Kentucky Derby, Breeders' Cup, Rolex, and the Olympics, nothing compares with the beauty of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show. It's the most photogenic horse event I've seen, and I hope you'll agree.

As I'm posting this, I'm on hour 20 of a return journey that's contained more than a few bumps along the way (one word: Dulles), so I'll save the details for the next post, in which I'll add yet more photos of the main event, the final leg of the Meydan FEI Nations' Cup, as well as my personal favorite, the national pony championship!

For now, enjoy the photos!

Turf racing, while not the main focus at American Thoroughbred tracks, is the marquee event at many Irish racecourses. Neither of the courses we visited (The Curragh and Leopardstown) even offered a dirt oval!

My Irish heritage probably shows when I say I prefer turf racing as well. The structure of turf horses, with their solid build, heavy bone, and big strides, appeals to my own personal equine aesthetic a bit more than the lighter dirt horses. And there's just something that feels right about a herd of horses sweeping along on the green, divots of grass flying behind.

We arrived at Leopardstown Racecourse ready to see a Thursday night program chock full of turf racing on the flat, including the Group 2 Debutante Stakes. The course's communications staff could not have been more accommodating to our little group and were only too happy to set up video interviews.

And what a job they did! I asked for a trainer and someone who could talk about sales and the international market--and boy did I get the cream of the crop: Aidan O'Brien; bloodstock agent Bert Kerr of Kerr & Company (the oldest bloodstock agency in the world, he said); and Damien McElroy, racing correspondent for the Irish Independent.

All three were just lovely to speak with. We caught Aidan between accepting the trophy for the Group 2 win and saddling another, so had to be quite quick there, but he couldn't have been nicer or more generous with the little time he had! As I wasn't expecting to speak with him specifically I didn't have any questions prepped on his own runners, but I certainly hope we'll get to talk with him again at this year's Breeders' Cup in California.

Bert had some really interesting insight on the international Thoroughbred sales market, particularly the reduction in Irish foals born this year (reports put it at around a 30% reduction), which he sees as a positive correction to past overproduction, as well an opportunity to refine the gene pool by reducing the market for the progeny of sub-standard breeding stock. He also spoke about opportunities for buyers on both sides of the Atlantic given the current economic climate. It was a substantial chat and I look forward to getting that one posted online!

Damien was kind enough to give us some comments on the Irish outlook for this year's Breeders' Cup, including of the big contests yet to come in their season and some of the names we should start watching for as potential contenders.

Overall I couldn't have been happier with the evening's work. I'll add a note when these three are posted on our sister site, BloodHorse.com.  

Because we were filming during much of the evening's race program, my comments on Leopardstown are on the brief side!

The track is live on Thursday nights, with races prior to concerts. The arrangement is known as the Bulmers Live at Leopardstown, and the pairing seems to work well, with a healthy crowd including a large contingent of the college-age set. With entry priced at 15 euros, it's not a cheap enterprise, so it's great that they've found a draw to get young people in the gates. (If you didn't catch news about it, Churchill Downs is trying to achieve similar, particularly through some trials of night racing under lights--that seemed to be a success as well, as attendance exceeded expectations).

The betting was a bit different than what I'm used to--individual bookies line up between the grandstand and track, offering their own odds to any who fancy a flutter.

The facility has a cool style to it, with mountains rising against the horizon behind the backstretch and a quiet, shaded walking ring. Horses are also brought back to the paddock for unsaddling following the race, which I hadn't seen before. I quite enjoyed watching them come down and catch their breath and observing the reactions of owners, jockeys, and trainers in the immediate moments following the race. The bright turf footing in the paddock made for some nice photos, and the winner's presentations were made right there as well so the horse could be immediately untacked.

I did make a couple bets and, as usual, failed miserably. But had a good time regardless!

Enjoy the photos.

The walking ring is quiet and calm.

Odds posted along the track.

I thought Dandy Erin sounded like a winner. I was wrong.