Dublin Weekend!

Back at Murlough House! I made it without the GPS! And in 1 hr 55 min….not that I was out to set a record but pretty good time for 96 miles, ½ at 75 mph, ½ at 30-40 mph except for the few miles behind a tractor at 10 mph!! Interesting how flat it is around Dublin but then the Mournes!!  It was nice to have the sun to my back instead of in my face as it was on Friday when we went down.

The house is busy with preparations for tomorrow’s One2Four…still some furniture arranging to be done and the food to prepare and lots of details. I need to unpack and go help a while, then get ready for dinner at the castle tonight at half seven. 

Our weekend was great! We left Murlough at about 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, made two stops, one to top up the cell phone and one for a break and a scone before we entered Dublin. We arrived at the hotel (after missing a turn and calling them for further directions) at about 10. The Holiday Inn Express shares the drive and carpark with Crowne Plaza but there is no sign about Holiday Inn on the main street. It is rather hidden!



After checkin we had a cup of tea and then asked about the bus to the Town Centre. The advertised two minute walk to the bus stop was more like five minutes but we endured! It was a forty minute ride to O’Connell Street . And there in the center of Dublin was a sand sculptor!! Youwould expect one on a beach but in Dublin??

 We saw him from the Hop On Hop Off double decker for the trip ‘round Dublin. It was 12 Euros and about 90 minutes. After that we checked out the Tourist Info centre, then had lunch.

8-10 Euros each

 Because of the time, we would have to do the Trinity Walk on Sunday. It was getting colder so we opted to ride the bus again, this time on top! We saw the same sites but had a much better guide/driver so this time was more interesting. And COLDER!! We did get better pics from topside! We passed St. Patrick’s Church, Christchurch, Trinity College, Mollie Malone’s statue, Parliament, Guinness, Jameson’s, Dublin Castle, St. Stephen’s Green, and lots more statues of famous and perhaps infamous Irish ancestors. We also passed a monument to the Vikings.

Old Parliament Building

Viking Monument

The Guinness story is interesting. The Guinness Stout comes from folks bringing a beverage called Extra Stout Porters to Guinness. He perfected the beverage, dropped the Extra and Porters and voila…Guinness Stout! The logo of Guinness is the Irish harp (and the Republic of Ireland is the only nation in the world with an instrument as the emblem) but it is reversed so as not to denote Ireland proper. Guinness provided housing for his workers. There are ambulances in Dublin marked Guinness…these are for the family and employees should they need a delivery to the hospital. Any retired employee of Guinness is welcome to come to the brewery for free lunch in the cafeteria for the remainder of their lives. The original Guinness had 21 children. Either he or a descendent gave a great amount of funds to Trinity College for upgrades in the 1800s. And finally….of the 4.5 million pints of Guinness produced each day, only 2 million are exported. As the guide said, Guinness has been good to Ireland and Ireland has been good to Guinness!

Guinness

By 4:30 we were queuing for the bus back to Northwoods Park where the hotel is located. There was a fifteen minute wait, and then the forty minute ride, and then the five minute walk back to the Holiday Inn.  The menu was very limited. Bebe ordered pizza and I found the vending machines for cokes. I was still chilled so wrapped up in the duvet and after two slices of pizza, promptly fell asleep. I woke at midnight to change into pajamas and back to sleep!

Sunday breakfast at the Holiday Inn, and then the bus back to the Town Centre. Bebe wanted to walk in St. Stephen’s Green but I opted out. We would be walking most of the day and I wasn’t as interested in the Green as she is. I did some window shopping and then at 10:30, we made our way to Trinity College for the walking tour of the city. It was 10 Euros (for seniors) and led by a Trinity grad. He wasn’t a history prof but was well versed with facts and stories. He said he would give us 9,000 years of history in the next 2 hours. I’m sure he only hit the high points but he did have lots of information.  Trinity College was established in 1592 and for many years only admitted male Protestants. Now it is open to all and more of a secular school than religious.

The original Irish Parliament building is now occupied by the Central Bank. It’s an impressive structure and the whole Parliament story was interesting to hear but impossible to recall!! We walked down to the Dublin castle area with stories about the Normans, the English and the Irish. There is a doorway with St. Peter’s bust over the door and Jonathon Swift’s (Gulliver’s Travel fame and the dean at St. Patrick’s)  above that…with Jonathon looking rather dour! We  heard stories about the entry of the Vikings to Dubh Linn (Black Pool), theft of the crown jewels and more. It was built in the 1600s.

We passed a “camp out” of “Occupy Dame Street” with those protesting the various inequities of employment and resources. They also had a “no fracking” sign. I have followed that somewhat in the US. Fracking is a method of reclaiming gas but in the meantime, contaminates the water supply. Good for those who have investments in gas; bad for those who live in and near the communities/lakes.

Our guide, Peter, told many stories of the Irish and their attempts over the years to separate from England. He also spoke of The Troubles. He quoted James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and many politicians. We went to the gate of the old opera house…all that remains of the place where Handel’s Messiah was first performed. Handel had asked for the St. Patrick’s Cathedral choir to sing in it but Jonathon Swift would not allow it….too secular!

Gate to Opera House

Note: Jonathon Swift seemed to be a stern type but in his latter years, he felt he was becoming mentally ill. He had seen how those were treated so he left a large portion of his estate to establish a humane mental hospital in Dublin.

More to follow...couldn't get pictures to load....