The second last stop in South America was to the amazing country of Argentina, which boasts a great mixture of European cultures and more importantly succulent steaks for less than €8! See how we got on below…

Buenos Aires

The journey across from Uruguay to Argentina was plain sailing. After some quick stamps, we arrived in the port of Boca in Buenos Aires about an hour later, along with a big group of American tourists who were very impressed by the flags sewn onto our back packs. “Where do you buy those things?”...”Eh any shop in South America.” We grabbed a taxi and headed to a friend’s apartment in the Recoleta part of the city to stay for a few days and save a bit of money.  Straight away we checked out the local cambio places to change our Dollars to Pesos. We got rate of 9.8 pesos per 1 USD which is much better than the official 5.5. Thank you US Government shutdown for driving up the rate! To celebrate our arrival and excellent exchange rate we headed straight some juicy steak and a bottle of wine which were out of this world!

We were up early the next day to take advantage of the hot weather and get some tannage on. We strolled around the local park and then visited the famous graveyard in Recoleta which is the resting place of Eva Peron (allegedly) and William Brown (Irishman and founder of Argentinian Navy). After an evening run, greasy empanadas were on the cards and an easy night in. 

The following day, after another early start, we walked to the Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires to get in some Irish dancing and then headed down to Plaza del Mayo to see the Mothers of the Disappeared, who protest weekly about their missing children who were never seen again during the military dictatorship in the 1970s. Afterwards we were lucky to get a behind the sense tour of the Irish embassy in Argentina, thanks to our friend Lisa who works there. All the office there are now huge fans of our Irish dancing skills! That evening we headed out for a couple of scoops in what can only be described as the Coppers of BA. The place was jam packed and beer was spilling all over the place. Just no Rihanna tunes!

After a not so early morning we jumped in a taxi and went over to the Boca area of the city which is famous for its colourful buildings and of course Boca Juniors. After an hour or so of walking around and taking some snaps, we picked up some Boca jerseys and headed to the stadium. En route, I got a random stomach bug and was all over the place for 4 hours.

Damn you Starbucks Blueberry muffin! With the stomach bug eventually gone, we headed out for some steak for €6 which was amazing! We were all placed into a self-induced food coma after. Somehow we managed to make it out that night and went to a huge outdoor party in the KONEX Cultural Centre, with drum music all night long. 

We chillaxed all day Sunday in Recoleta and cooked some pizza with some disastrous consequences. Let’s just say one of us left the plastic base under the pizza in the oven and we were left scrapping it clean for a few hours. Delish!

Early the next day we strolled to Palermo, the posh district of Buenos Aires, and visited the Evita Peron museum and had some traditional Fish and Chips in an Irish run chipper close by. That day we also decided to head to the party hostel of Buenos Aires, Milhouse for a few nights of madness. The hostel was an almighty session, so we could only stick out 2 days there before some much needed rehab was called for! 

We did however take a tango class there. Chris took it up pretty fast, but I on the other hand had a mare and when the teacher asked “have you ever danced before?”, it was the final straw. If only she knew about DWIC! Speaking of which, our boy band videos are going down quite a treat in Argentina with the majority of people thinking we are wash-up has beens….class! 

The next day I headed to a Boca Juniors game after paying through the teeth for a ticket, but it was well worth it. The atmosphere was incredible and the 2-0 score line to Boca sent all the mad feckers home delighted! I tried my best to fit in as a local, but got a few dodgy looks throughout.

On Saturday, we got the chance to visit Celtic Argentina, the biggest Irish dancing school in Argentina. While there, we got a tour of the Fahy Club where they practiced their incredible Irish dancing skills and we also got a tour of the club itself. It was very interesting to see photos from the 1930’s of the local hurling teams made up of players such as Julio Murphy and Enrique Gibbons. The school shall be visiting Ireland next summer and hope to perform at a few festivals during their stay. You can read our interview with the director Celtic Argentina, Dominique Dure, here.

Sunday was as dead as Dublin City on Christmas Day due to the elections so we just strolled around the town before booking an evening bus to Cordoba, located 10 hour to the west of Buenos Aires.

Cordoba

We arrived in Cordoba very early the next morning but headed straight to the hostel where they let us chill for a few hours before taking a stroll around town. Chris had been having some tooth aches for a few days (sneaky choccy every night) so we went to the local dentist where they said he needed a root canal. When they said it would only cost about €50, I nearly felt like signing up for one myself. They said to return the next day so we spent the day walking around Cordoba, which is a beautiful city with approximately 500,000 students. We decided to waste no time and went on the hunt for Halloween outfits as the big day was only a few days away. Some tourists! We kept the heads down for a couple of nights in anticipation for the few nights of Halloween and also Chris was on some antibiotics. 

A few days later and the big day was upon us. The not so intimidating Irish front row got dressed up and got some scoops in the hostel. Unfortunately we were the only people dressed up so guests were not sure if we were in fancy dress or actually just going for a game of rugby. As we were heading out, a torrential rain storm hit and the streets were flooded, so the Boys in Green had to sit it out for a few hours before legging it down the road to the local, where there were about 3 people dressed up. A few line-outs later and we headed back soaked.

The next night was the official Halloween party in Cordoba so we decided to mix it up and get new costumes. Kev pushed the boat out and went as a plant, Chris went down his infamous route of a cowboy and myself as Wally. A decent party in the hostel followed by hundreds of people dressed up at the bar made it a decent night. 

With weary heads, we arose mid-afternoon on Saturday and headed straight for some spag bol which helped significantly. As Saturday doesn’t come around every week, we decided it was our moral obligation to head out again, but took it a bit easier and were back circa 5am this time.

We could take no more on Sunday and bought some night bus tickets for Mendoza, the wine district of Argentina and we were on the road again after a few amazing days in Cordoba.

Mendoza

We rolled into Mendoza bus station at about 9am after another Jason Statham classic of a movie during the journey. We jumped into a taxi and took the short trip to the hostel which luckily allowed us to have some brekkie for free. Sweet scrambled eggs! It’s the little things that are important when money is tight. We met up with a friend Lisa, with whom we had stayed with in Buenos Aires and set about seeing a bit of the city, which was quite small. Mendoza is renowned for its famous vineyards so there is not a whole lot to see in the city itself. That evening we were treated to a huge Argentinian BBQ at the hostel which came with free wine…Success! The food coma had the Boys in Green knocked out by 11pm.

The next morning we got up early and grabbed the bus to the Maípu region and went straight to Mr Hugo, who is world famous for his bike rentals in the area. With the bikes ready we proceeded to swerve around the town visiting a total of 5 vineyards during the day, consuming God knows how many bottles of wine and picking up a lovely tan in the process. We even managed to get into the most famous vineyard completely free as they thought we were part of some tour group. Game ball! Once back at Mr Hugo’s he donated 2 bottles of wine to The Wirld drinks fund and we were off for a night out back in Mendoza.

Needless to say the next day was quite chill, but in the evening we took part in a Mate Tea class where they explained the basics behind the phenomenon that is Té Maté in Argentina. Rule number one we were told was never move the straw, as it insults the person who gives you the mate. Immediately Chris and I flashed back to Buenos Aires, when we were offered a cup by a girl and instinctively stirred the tea. She was off in 10 seconds. After the mate class another Chorizo BBQ was on the cards before we retired to our living quarters.

On Thursday we headed back to Mr Hugo to grab some bikes and finish off the rest of the wineries and also learn some stuff about olives of all things. We were just listening until we got the free shot of absinthe at the end. After another 4 vineyards we headed back to drop the bikes back. Without doubt we are now serious wine experts, being able to tell the difference between a 3 year old bottle of Malbec and a bottle of Buckfast.

The next day Kev and I went off to play some football with the locals and went to the nearest “astro” pitches. The pitches were interesting to say the least and looked a bit like the Roland Garros tennis court except with a few rocks. But the game was good craic and the beers after even better for rehydration purposes. 

We didn’t get up to a whole lot during Saturday apart from strolling around the city and spending the last of our money, leaving enough for a night on the tiles and a Subway of course. A few scoops were had in a bar with some English friends before the dinero finally met its maker. Up early the next day we headed to the bus station and got the first bus to Santiago de Chile, which we were told would be only 6 hours by bus.

After an amazing 4 weeks in Argentina, we would like to thank all the cool people we met along the way for making our stay so enjoyable. We tangoed, mateed, played football like Maradona himself, ate steaks to our hearts content and drank wine until there were no more grapes. Argentina well and truly ticked off the list!

The Lads

While in Buenos Aires, we had the chance to meet Dominque Dure, the director at Celtic Argentina. Celtic Argentina is an Irish dancing school in Buenos Aires and currently has over 60 members. We were invited to see the group in action and then asked Dominque a few questions about the school.

Iain: Hi there Dominique. Firstly could you tell us a little about yourself?

Dominique: Hi! I’m Dominique Dure, I am 24 years of age and I am from Buenos Aires. I am a student and Irish dancing teacher here at Celtic Argentina.

I: For how long have you been involved with Celtic Argentina?

D: Since I was born because my mother was the founder of Celtic Argentina. She went to Ireland in 1978 and learned a lot about Irish dancing and when she returned she set up Celtic Argentina. 

She began teaching in schools in the Buenos Aires area, in particular St Brgids school, and the group has grown significantly over the years. I am now the lead teacher at Celtic Argentina.

I: Does your mother have an Irish background?

D: Yes, we do have Irish heritage in our family. We are both Scottish and Irish and for that reason she had first went to Ireland.

I: Could you tell us a brief history of the organisation?

D: Celtic Argentina started in 1979 and has grown over the years. It hasn’t only focused on Irish people in Buenos Aires but others who are interested in learning about Irish dancing. The group has grown over the past numbers of years. We now have 60 members of the school of all ages, from young children to older adults.

I: A bit off track, but how do you get Irish dancing shoes for new members?

D: That is a bit of a problem, because they have to be made in Ireland. So it takes time and is expensive. They can cost up to $120 not including sending costs!

I: Ouch! So what kind of activities does the group partake in?

D: At the school we have classes every day for our members and we also perform at festivals and important events around Argentina. The classes take place at the Fahy Club in Buenos Aires.

I: Speaking of which I saw you recently performed at the Oktoberfest in Cordoba. Could you tell us about some of the events you have performed at?

D: Yes we performed at Oktoberfest just outside of Cordoba, where we performed both traditional Irish dancing and more modern styles also to keep it relevant to the crowd there. We have also performed at a festival recently in Rosario. Most of the festivals are generally in towns that have many European communities.

Also once a month we organise a Ceili in Buenos Aires, so that people who want to learn a bit more about Irish dancing can come and try it out.

I: Have you had the chance to perform in Ireland?

D: Yes I was in Ireland last summer to take my exam to become a professional Irish dancing teacher which I passed I am pleased to say. I was there for one month in total, so did lots of dancing as you can imagine.

I: So long-term, what would your dream be? Riverdance or something different?

D: Well when I was in Ireland I had the chance to do master classes with Riverdance. I also had the chance to meet Michael Flatley when in Limerick. But being honest, that is not my main aim. My main passion is teaching so I want to be an Irish dancing teacher here in Argentina.

I: Do you see many similarities between the Argentinian and Irish people?

D: I think there are a lot of differences between the two people. The culture here is a lot more continental European. One thing they do have in common is their love for a drink or two.

I: Are there many similar schools in South America?

D: Yes there are a few here in South America. But not all are dedicated to Irish dancing like we are. Lots of them are dancing schools, who offer classes of Irish dancing. Whereas, we are exclusively an Irish dancing school.

I: What’s next for Celtic Argentina?

D: Well obviously we will look to grow the school in terms of member numbers. Also, we are organising the first Gathering of Irish dancing in South America next year.

A big aim for the coming year is also to travel to Ireland next summer, taking a number of our students to learn about Ireland. We are hoping to perform at a festival or two to show Ireland what South American Irish dancing has to offer.

I: Sounds great. See you in Dublin then!

You can read more about Celtic Argentina at: http://www.celticargentina.com/