My first trip to Ireland was in the 90s and I was a big Guinness fan. Guinness lore said nothing compared to a Guinness poured in Ireland and I enjoyed confirming this for myself. In the name of accuracy I gathered as large a sample size as I could from across the country.

I also toured the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. At the gift shop I hesitated to buy a t-shirt, thinking I’d do that later. It’s Guinness, they must sell them everywhere. Nope.

As the last days of my trip approached I resigned myself to not bringing back a Guinness souvenir. Then I spotted this at a tourist information centre! Without thinking I bought it on the spot. It was only afterward I noticed it was entirely in Gaelic! I was bummed.

One day quite a while later going through my closet I saw the t-shirt and everything changed. This t-shirt was kind of amazing and I loved it! It has been a fav ever since.

Sadly the day has come to retire this beloved souvenir. The moths have fed and the seams have given up the fight. Happily, the memories of a trip around Ireland and this lucky find are still with me.