“Such a wild, iron-bound coast – with such an ocean-view as I had not yet seen – and such battling of waves with rocks as I had ever imagined” – Charlotte Bronte
This was my first trip to Ireland, to attend the 34th FIRST Annual Conference in Dublin. I had assumed the Emerald Isle would be much like Scotland; I found it to be so in some ways, but uniquely Irish in many others. This island country, with its winsome narrow streets and cobblestone roads, had so much to enjoy. On almost every walk, you encountered either a church or a castle, separated by sweeping grasslands enjoying the daily dance between sunlight and rain.
Arrival
After a red-eye flight, my first stop in Dublin — following a quick hotel drop-off — was the famous Guinness Storehouse. My attempt to stay awake all day in order to adjust to the new time zone was moderately successful.
The day became almost exhausted in what I can only call “infoxication” — an overload of information about Guinness beer-making. I squeezed in a short visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral before slowly sleepwalking along the River Liffey back to my hotel. So ended the first day — and night.
Monday Night Fútbol and Sláinte with night Goblins
The FIRST conference began with sobering discussions about the overwhelming work ahead for the international community in protecting children from ever-increasing internet-based criminal networks. Monday was packed with activity, peaking with a sponsor-organized soccer game that lasted about two hours starting at 8:00 p.m. For Dublin, however, the night was far from over. After being dropped off at the Convention Centre Dublin, we marched on in search of food — and a taste of Dublin nightlife.
 In front of Beckett Bridge lighting |  |
Led by the fearless Nicole Daňková, our small international crew of five walked along the River Liffey, passing the illuminated Samuel Beckett Bridge. We wandered through the famous Temple Bar district, grabbed some surprisingly authentic Chinese food (as convincing as Chinatown in New York), and paused to admire bridges, buildings, gargoyles, and statues.
It was striking to see so many young teenage girls — perhaps under 15 — safely wandering the streets late at night. Perhaps the leprechauns and the genii locorum still offer their quiet protection. As tourists, we too felt welcomed, despite our awkward questions to locals.
Grafton Street’s Busking
One evening, I met my college classmate Poornima, who has lived in Dublin for nearly 19 years. We met on Grafton Street and enjoyed the lively busking performances and shopping frenzy at this vibrant crossroads.
The narrow streets around the area seem to form every possible type of intersection — three-way, four-way, roundabouts, and curious angles — all leading you in looping wanderings. Unlike Rome, where streets feel designed around destinations, Dublin feels designed around discovery.
There is also plenty of spots to stop and try some whiskey (Uisce beatha – the local “water of life” as it is known) and beer (Beoir) tasting the flavors you may have never imagined. I also found a stop to try Bailey’s Irish Cream – which I got introduced as “Ye can dink it huht or culd ar an’time o’de day” because it is made “finely from d’em localz cowz that grraze all day on our gr..reen lands.”
A tribute to Art
Occasionally, a work trip turns into an unexpected one-on-one walk with a colleague. This time it was with Art — a walk to Dublin Castle (in Gaelic, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath).
Art spoke of his decision to leave his current work at Carnegie Mellon University and carry his 20+ years of passionate cybersecurity experience into a new realm. Art is an enigmatic character whose passion for cybersecurity occasionally sweeps me along with it. My own focus has leaned more toward software architecture, perhaps believing it holds keys to building more reliable applications for our brave new world.
The castle itself — now functioning as part government complex, part conference center, and part tourist attraction — stands just off Dame Street, quietly layered with centuries of history.
WWe shared reflections on our work, revisiting achievements and the promise of the two years we had collaborated. Now both of us step into new points on the map of our careers — distinct from each other — navigating unfamiliar but hopeful terrain.
Return to the Promised Land
On every return flight — whether from work or vacation — I find myself in a reflective mood. As our plane curved around Ireland, like the gannets hovering over the smaller abandoned islands to the west, I thought about early Irish migrations, especially to the United States.
We took off from these millennium-old British Isles and into the vast Atlantic — once marked on medieval maps with “Here Be Dragons” (hic sunt dracones), signaling unexplored territories. Irish monks once built beehive huts on remote islands before seafaring advances made longer journeys possible. Later generations crossed the Atlantic toward what they imagined as a Promised Land.
The Irish carried more than whiskey, poetry, dance, and laughter. They carried resilience — a spirited life that conquers odds. After all, were not the words “Here Be Dragons” an invitation to some?
Now it is time to softly hum Auld Lang Syne — to bid farewell to the past and welcome the path unfolding ahead.