Raining in Athlone

After spending a rainy day in Athlone, with wind gusting to 30-40 mph and temperatures in the 40sF, I have come to the conclusion that malls in Ireland are somewhat different from those in the States. It is much more likely that you would find a proper meal in an Irish mall. Typically, Irish malls are located in the city center, rather than in the surrounding suburbs, thus preventing the blight that became common in the downtown sections of many American cities. And, it is doubtful that you find a full service butcher in an American mall; much less one that advertised that the shop sourced the meat from their own abattoir.