Summer was absolutely glorious in Dublin this year, especially after such a harsh winter. In fact, Ireland had a heatwave with the hottest temperature recorded for 40 years – 32 degrees Celsius! The heatwave actually caused widespread water shortages as reservoir levels dropped alarmingly. The lush green countryside quickly turned yellow and we even had a grass fire outside our apartment building. Everyone made the most of the warmer weather taking to the outdoors as much as possible, with people stretching out on the park lawns and teenagers once again jumping off the bridges into the Liffey and canals.
In May, a referendum was held to repeal the eighth amendment of the constitution, which made abortion illegal in Ireland unless the pregnancy was life threatening. If we thought that the debate around legalising gay marriage was ugly, we soon learned that was nothing compared to the hysteria that would surround this debate. Every single light post in the city centre held placards either for or against abortion, with the ones against displaying either graphic, distressing images or widely exaggerated statistics. My daily walks around the city became stressful as I tried to dodge the endless propaganda leaflets being handed out (usually by middle aged, white men). There were men on ladders with megaphones regaling passers by and a never ending round of protests and counter protests. No one seemed able to have a civilised debate without it quickly degenerating into a slanging match. It was an absolute relief when the referendum was finally held and the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of legalising abortion (66.4%).
June saw hundreds of Magdalene Laundry survivors gather in Dublin for a two-day event. Magdalene Laundries were institutions run by the Catholic Church, which took in so-called “fallen women” and gave them manual labour to do. Women came from all over Ireland and abroad to discuss how the experiences of the women who were housed in those institutions should be remembered. Many women were cruelly treated, brutally beaten and abused.
The last remaining Magdalene Laundry owned by the state is just a short walk from our apartment. The site was to be sold to a Japanese hotel chain but protests persuaded the council to reject the proposal. Now it remains to be seen what will happen to the site, which only closed as recently as 1996. I personally think that the building should be preserved and opened as a museum showing the working and living conditions that these women endured. What is truly shocking about this particular laundry was that it wasn’t hidden out of sight in the country but is actually in the heart of Dublin. People are quick to point to the church’s culpability (and they were to blame for the suffering of these women), but society was just as guilty with people at all levels of the community and government fully aware of what was going on but choosing instead to turn a blind eye. It was a very dark chapter of Irish history that should never be forgotten.
The last remaining Magdalene Laundry owned by the state is just a short walk from our apartment. The site was to be sold to a Japanese hotel chain but protests persuaded the council to reject the proposal. Now it remains to be seen what will happen to the site, which only closed as recently as 1996. I personally think that the building should be preserved and opened as a museum showing the working and living conditions that these women endured. What is truly shocking about this particular laundry was that it wasn’t hidden out of sight in the country but is actually in the heart of Dublin. People are quick to point to the church’s culpability (and they were to blame for the suffering of these women), but society was just as guilty with people at all levels of the community and government fully aware of what was going on but choosing instead to turn a blind eye. It was a very dark chapter of Irish history that should never be forgotten.
Dublin has seen some noted visitors in the past few months. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited in July. I would have liked to see them, however I was in London at the time. The visit was a resounding success by all accounts and now the Irish press is speculating that their baby was conceived here!
His Holiness Pope Francis also visited Ireland and many people lined the streets of Dublin to see him. It was actually nice to see how genuinely happy people were, waving their papal flags and cheering as he passed by. 152,000 people attended the papal Mass in Phoenix Park with a further 80,000 attending a World Meeting of Families at Croke Park. There were, of course, a number of counter events held in memory of those affected by clerical abuse, but both groups were respectful of each other and the pontiff’s visit was without incident.
The Dublin Minstrel Boy
James came to Dublin for a flying visit, as Amber was undertaking a weekend course at Oxford. It was lovely to see him and Dublin turned on a perfect autumn day in his honour. We took him to our favourite day-trip spot, Howth, and arrived just in time for a seafood lunch washed down with Guinness. Next it was off to find the seals and sure enough, we located a couple of playful pups swimming in the harbour. We spent the next few hours exploring the docks before walking up the hill to the old town, admiring the view along the way. It was the first time that James had been outside of Dublin and I think that he enjoyed a small taste of life outside the city. We finished with a visit to the market and then it was time for the train journey home. We hadn’t realised that there was a big rugby game scheduled for the evening and the train was absolutely crammed to capacity. Not exactly a relaxing way to end the day!
Dinner that evening was at my favourite restaurant in Dublin, Urban Brewery. We had taken Tim and Jess there when they visited and they had told James all about it, so he was pretty pleased that we were taking him there. The meal was fabulous and it was lovely to spend some time with James and hear about his travels and London life. Michael was very happy to have someone to share his whiskey with, so we returned home and father and son enjoyed sampling a couple of special bottles.
The next morning was spent wandering the parks and streets of Dublin, sampling coffee along the way. We had time for a Guinness at Toners Pub, one of Dublin’s oldest and most famous traditional pubs (it has been named as the best Irish pub in the country for 2018) and then it was off for a roast lunch at FX Buckley. We have taken James there every time he has visited us, however you just cannot beat their roast beef. All too soon it was time to say goodbye. It is amazing how quickly the weekend passed. At least we know that we will see James again in December.
