A group of kids probably around twelve were jumping off of a tower on a ship docked at the Liffy. They were very obviously not supposed to be there, cheering each other on to jump off of each level of the tower. We all sat and watched them for a bit, wondering what they were even doing there and where their parents were. But they were seemingly only with each other, and they looked like they were having the time of their lives. They even scaled the side of a restaurant by the river and got onto the roof before running and making the jump off of it, too.

When we’re doing tours and riding the bus through the city, sometimes it’s easy to forget that I’m in someone’s home and not just a place here for me to look at. I’m walking the streets where kids go to school. I’m crossing bridges they jump off of in the summer for fun. I’m drinking in pubs families have owned and loved for generations. I loved seeing these kids all run around in their wetsuits, jumping off of any elevated surface close enough to the water that they could find, screaming and laughing with each other. I captured this photo of two of the boys walking with their arms around one another to another bridge to jump from. They were smiling and laughing, and they looked so happy to be there. Experiences like this are such valuable ways to see the city beyond history or buildings. It seemed so authentic, like we were catching a glimpse of something exclusive.