Down By The Liffeyside

We moved out of our little workers cottage into a modern apartment at the Grand Canal Docks.  The area is full of brand new apartments and is very similar to the Docklands in Melbourne.  We have a view of the River Liffey from our balcony and it is nice to watch the activity on the water including the occasional tall ship docking. They even put a band on for us or maybe that was for the LE Samuel Beckett was being commissioned on the river next to us. Irish naval ships are designated LE for "Long Eireannach" = "Irish Ship".

Dublin has begun to feel like home, so much so, that I find myself getting annoyed with the meandering tourists and then I remind myself that I am a tourist too.  The days are getting longer as it stays light until almost 10.00pm now.  There have even been a number of sunny days although mostly you just take it for granted that it will rain for at least part of the day.  It doesn’t stop us from getting out and about though.

In one of my previous blogs, I mentioned the Lady on the Rock statues, which can be seen in areas of Dublin.  When I first saw them, I thought that if I had one, I would like to paint her robe a different colour.  Well, great minds think alike as Michael discovered a shop full of “pimped up” ladies.  There were gothic ladies, glow in the dark ladies and psychedelic ladies.  They were actually very good.

 

The Giro Italia came to Dublin, which was very exciting.  The race started in Belfast and continued to Dublin.  I felt a little sorry for the cyclists, as they had to endure some pretty heavy downpours along the route.  Michael and I waited for about 90 minutes near the finish line to cheer them home.  Just as the cyclists came into view, the entire crowd lifted their arms to take photos with cameras, iphones and ipads.  I could barely see a helmet whizzing by.  Nevertheless, it was exciting to be there.  It wasn’t until the following day that we heard on the news that police had found a bomb in a car along the Dublin Giro route.  That was a little unsettling!

A short trip from Dublin is Malahide Castle, which had been built upon receipt of the royal warrant from Henry II in 1174 and had been a family home for over 800 years. The last Talbot left in 1977, as she was unable to pay the property taxes and sold it to the government. Subsequently she moved to the family estate in Tasmania. It is the oldest castle in Ireland. Lord Talbot de Malahide (Milo to his mates) was the last owner and was rumoured to be a spy for the British Government serving in Asia. One of his hobbies was collecting plants from the antipodes and he set up a special garden of the plants he collected. It was nice to smell eucalypts and see Australian plants. They had a few hot houses to cater for them as well as huge gum trees and an oak over 350 years old.

Omnia Pro Deo

Once again we hired a car, this time to take a daytrip to Glendalough.  Our boys attended St Kevin’s College and the junior campus was named after this medieval monastic settlement, which was founded by St Kevin.  The ruins are nestled in the most beautiful countryside and it was peaceful walking the tracks alongside the river and lakes.  We even saw deer grazing totally oblivious to the people walking by. 

We drove for some time around the area, just winding our way through the valleys and stopping when we saw something interesting, which was often.  Feeling hungry, we stopped for lunch at the village of Avoca and were pleasantly surprised to discover that this was where the television series Ballykissangel was filmed and the pub where we had stopped featured heavily as the bar in the series.  The food was delicious and the whole time we were entertained by the television showing re-runs of the series.

Home Of The Late, Great Jimmy Stynes

The bank holiday weekend (yes, another one) afforded us the opportunity to travel around the Ring of Kerry.  This is a spectacular circular tourist route in County Kerry and it certainly lived up to its hype.  Michael drove and even though we got lost a couple of times, it didn’t matter as we were surrounded by beautiful countryside. We passed through many old villages, each one more lovely than the next.

Killarney is where we stayed which of course was where Jim Stynes, the Melbourne football legend was from.  The Irish are very proud of Jim and the fact that his statue is being erected near the MCG received wide coverage here. 

We saw a number of jaunting cars, which is the local form of horse drawn carriages.  It would be a lovely way to see the countryside (provided the weather was fine) however there were so many of them that they caused quite a traffic jam at the end of the day when they were all returning. 

Killarney is also famous for the Vatican Pimpernel Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who
rescued prisoners and Jews from the Germans by hiding them around the Vatican and frustrating the Nazis to the point that they painted a line around the Vatican and declared that if he stepped over it he would be shot. Ireland has little WW2 history, as they stayed neutral during the war. 

The Lobster Bar in Waterville was where we stopped for dinner, which was very tasty.  It is a funny little town on the sea and there is bizarrely a statue of Charlie Chaplin.  It appears that he had spent some time in Waterville.  There is also a statue of Mick O’Dwyer, the most successful Gaelic football manager of all time.  They like their statues in Ireland.

We headed to a bar after dinner to listen to some Irish music.  Ireland is definitely the place to be if you are a musician as I am sure that you would never be unemployed – especially if you know how to play Irish music.  Just about every pub has a band playing nightly and you can hear music wherever you walk.  This night the crowd was in the mood for a sing a long, so many Irish ballads were played including the Irish Rover, which seems to be mandatory, as I have heard it played in every pub we have visited (Galway Girl is also popular).

The next day we headed out to drive the ring once again, however the weather was very poor and we couldn’t see much due to the clouds sitting low on the mountains.  It didn’t worry us too much as we were happy just driving around and stopping at villages along the way.  One thing that we could see was the magnificent purple rhododendrons, which carpeted the mountains.  They were absolutely everywhere and were spectacular.  When I researched them later, I discovered that they are an introduced species and the government spends hundreds of thousands of euros each year trying to eradicate them, as they are highly invasive.  You wouldn’t suspect that something so beautiful could be so destructive.

 

Another thing we have noticed on our travels around Ireland, is the number of roadside monuments to people who have been killed in car accidents.  In Australia you will see wooden crosses erected alongside country roads with floral tributes.  In Ireland, they are full on engraved marble headstones, usually with a pile of fresh flowers on top.  They are a sobering sight.

The sun shone gloriously for our final day, so once more Michael drove the ring.  This time the views were absolutely spectacular, particularly from the top of the mountains.  The sheep filled valleys are the most amazing green, which is then fringed by the vivid blue waters of the Atlantic – simply breathtaking.  We stopped to walk up to the top of the beautiful cliffs on the Skellig Ring and were rewarded with a stunning panorama.  It reminded me a little of the Gap in Sydney but even more dramatic. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Ireland and hope that one day we can return here, as there is still more to see.  Tomorrow we head of on a new adventure.

   

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

We continue to enjoy our time exploring Dublin and, the longer we stay, the more the city grows on us.  One of the main thoroughfares is Grafton Street and it doesn’t matter what time of day or night the sound of buskers and street performers fills the air.  It is a very happy street to walk along, as there is always music to hum along to.

One thing that we have noticed as we have walked the streets, is the number of houses with the same statue in the front window.  Michael enquired at work as to the significance of the statue and no one knew what he was talking about.  A little online searching discovered that the statue is called Lady On The Rock and there seem to be a number of theories as to what she represents from denoting a brothel, gang connections or a heroin supplier.  Interesting how myths form around something so innocent. 

Good Friday was a surprise.  I had assumed that with Dublin being such a Catholic stronghold, most shops would be closed, just like Melbourne.  I was staggered to find that 95% of shops were open and trading – even the butchers!  The one exception was that pubs were closed however everywhere else was doing a roaring trade.  There was even a game of rugby being played which Michael and I went along to.  Everywhere we looked, people were drinking Guinness and eating hamburgers and hotdogs.  It was quite extraordinary.

In keeping with our literary walks, we undertook one on Ulysses.  The walk was very interesting and took us to parts of Dublin that we hadn’t seen before.  We lunched at a pub where Michael impressed the publican with the fact that he was reading the book.  The publican remarked that not even the Irish read Ulysses! Michael has now finished the novel and I also undertook the herculean task of reading it as I couldn’t have it said that Michael read it and I didn’t.  I could write an entire blog entry on my thoughts of Ulysses but I won’t.  Suffice it to say that I did not enjoy it one little bit!

We took a train to Waterford to have a look at somewhere outside of Dublin.  The most interesting part of Waterford is obviously the crystal showroom.  We spent quite a while admiring the different pieces of crystal and there were many items that we simply do not get in Australia.  I was a little worried that Michael’s backpack was going to send a few shelves crashing down however we managed not break anything.

On Anzac Day we attended the dawn service at the Grangegorman Military Cemetery. The service was very well organised and very moving.  It was also surprising to discover that 7 Australians are buried there.  The Anzac address was delivered by a professor from the University College Dublin, and it was interesting to learn about the Irish connections to Gallipoli.  The hymn singing was lovely and I am sure that Irish voices are second only to the Welsh when it comes to singing in harmony.

Michael hired a car and we spent a weekend driving through the countryside to the west coast around Galway.  I was amazed at the different terrain we passed through as I had always imagined Ireland to be a mass of green hills.   

Pound Stone

There were plenty of green pastures however there were also vast plains of peat bogs, which were wildly beautiful in their own way.  We spent the night in Galway, a lovely and picturesque town.  It was very relaxing driving and stopping off wherever we felt to look at the scenery or spend time wandering through the beautiful craft shops.

 

On the way there, we stopped at  Tullamore and found the Tullamore DEW distillery and on the way back the Kilbeggan Distillery (oldest in Ireland, however there is a running dispute with Bushmills in Northern Ireland over the title.)

Kilbeggan Distillery

Tullamore DEW

My Father He Was Orange And Me Mother, She Was Green

Bank Holiday afforded us the opportunity to spend the long weekend in Belfast.  The train journey took just over two hours and, despite the train being full, it was a very comfortable trip.  The train station is smack in the middle of Belfast so when we alighted we were able to go straight to St George’s Market to find ourselves a bit of lunch.  The market was built in the late 1800’s and has won many awards for its fresh food and atmosphere.  We wandered the market for a little while and then we dropped our bags at the hotel.

The Italian Giro is starting in Belfast this year before heading down to Dublin, so the city was full of pink jumpers (Maglia Rosa ) with signs and bicycles in all the shops. Dublin has a bit of catching up on that side and we will see some of it on the 11th May.

We probably didn’t pick the best time for a visit to Northern Ireland as Gerry Adams had been arrested in the days leading up to our arrival and was being held for questioning by police regarding the brutal murder of Jean McConville in 1972.  Nevertheless we decided to take a long walk to Falls Road and Shankill to see the murals of Belfast.  There are over 300 murals in Belfast and they used to be renowned as the most violent in the world.  Over the years more peaceful murals have emerged as the city tries to move away from its violent past. 

 

  The most famous ones still exist such as the one of Bobby Sands.  Anyone who is my age and older cannot fail to remember the publicity surrounding his hunger strike and ultimate death.  It was sobering to see such a poignant reminder.  We saw a number of memorials to those killed during the “Troubles”.  It seems an innocuous word to describe such a terrible time in history.  

 

 During our stay in Belfast, Gerry Adams was released pending an investigation as to whether there is enough evidence to be charged in relation to the murder.  The press conference was huge and there were incidences of rocks and petrol bombs being thrown by loyalists.  A new mural has now sprung up of Gerry Adams and an elderly man was assaulted while photographing it.  One begins to realise what a tenuous hold on peace Northern Ireland has.

 

 

It was our wedding anniversary so we decided to celebrate in style at Molly’s Yard, a wonderful small restaurant in a rustic mews.  It was a perfect setting to reflect on our travels whilst enjoying lovely, fresh food – with potatoes of course!

The main attraction in Belfast is the Titanic Experience.  Unlike the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, this relates to real life!  The Titanic was built in Belfast and over 15,000 people were employed to help in the construction.  The Experience is a series of interactive displays looking at just about every aspect of the Titanic, from the building plans, construction, fit-out and of course, the sinking.  The exhibition is truly well thought out and there is even a shipyard ride that takes you through the construction of the vessel.  There is also an area where you stand and look down as though you are in a submarine passing over the wreck of the liner.  It was a very impressive exhibition.  The Titanic is to Belfast what James Joyce is to Dublin – just about everything is Belfast is referenced to the Titanic.

 

 

The Cathedral Quarter of Belfast is a lovely area to wander around.  There are numerous laneways, many of them sporting murals of everything from music to history to just plain fun.  The buildings themselves are very old and it is nice to see a city, which has kept much of its heritage.  The architecture is quite lovely, especially when compared to Dublin.  Dublin’s buildings are mostly plain and they appear to have lost many of their old buildings.  There are many grand buildings in Belfast with nice wide streets to show them off.

A visit to the Ulster Museum was next on the list.  There were some fine paintings and I particularly liked the Lavery Collection especially Lady in a Green Coat.  There was also a stuffed Irish Wolfhound and it was astounding to see just what  large dogs they are.  

All in all, we were very impressed with Belfast.  It is a very attractive and interesting city and everyone we spoke to was extremely friendly.

  

In Dublin’s Fair City

I said farewell to my beloved London and boarded the boat train to join Michael in Ireland.  The train journey took about 4 hours and was very pleasant.  I didn’t have anyone sitting next to me, indeed there were hardly any passengers at all, so I was able to spread out and make myself comfortable.  I arrived at Holyhead where a short bus ride takes you to the ferry to cross to Ireland.  The ferry, which is called Ulysses (a name that frequently crops up here), is huge and carries both passengers and vehicles.  The crossing took approximately 4 hours or so and was very comfortable in fact if you didn’t look out of the window to see the receding shoreline you would not know that you were moving.  I arrived in Dublin where another bus took me to the city centre to be reunited with Michael.

 

We spent the first week staying in an apartment in Temple Bar.  This is a very lively district full of backpackers from every nation that were there to drink at the many, many bars.  It was a fun place to be as Irish music could be heard as you walked the cobbled laneways.  Unfortunately, Michael and I were about 30 years too old for this scene.  Our sons would have loved it though.

 

Michael took me for many walks around the city.  One of the major attractions is the statue of Molly Malone or, as the locals call her, the tart with the cart or, my personal favourite, the trollop with the scallops!  Ah, such a way with words the Irish have.  Yes, apparently the lovely ballad that we have all sung for many years was written about a prostitute.  The things you learn. They have names for all of there statutes that we have seen Thin Lizzy is the ace with the bass, James Joyce the prick with the stick and Oscar Wilde is the queer with the leer.

Oscar Wilde

 

Dublin Castle is an interesting place.  It is not as grand as many others we have seen however it does have a charm to it and there is a wonderful painted ceiling in the hall.

 

The number one tourist attraction though is the Guinness Storehouse.  Naturally Michael was keen to visit so we spent an afternoon wandering through the brewery with some ex workmates of Michael’s who happened to be working in Ireland.  Not being a beer drinker of any sort, I didn’t expect to find much of interest however the exhibits were fascinating and very well displayed.  I even sampled a brew however I am still not a convert.  The tour finished upstairs in a bar, which has the best views over Dublin.

 

Something far more appealing to me was our visit to the Jameson distillery.  We had intended to take a tour of the complex however the queue was so long that we decided to just pull up a seat at the bar and try the goods instead.  We spent a leisurely afternoon sampling some very fine whiskey indeed and then finished off with a lovely Irish coffee.  Michael enjoyed the afternoon even though he is not generally a whiskey drinker.

 

We attended two games of Gaelic football, which was fun. Michael had been given premium tickets to the game so we ventured off to Croke Park Stadium to spend the afternoon cheering the teams on.  The game is similar to Australian football with the main differences being that it is played with a round ball and there is no tackling allowed.  The funny part was that at the end of the games the victorious teams’ songs were played.  The first was Danny Boy and the second was Molly Malone however the lyrics remained the same and did not reflect anything to do with football.  Still, it was a fun afternoon, even if it did make me miss my beloved Hawks.

Kilmainham Goal (good tour)

We are now staying in a nice two-bedroom cottage in the suburb of St Kevin’s.  This is a much quieter location compared to Temple Bar and much more suited to our lifestyle.  At the end of the street there is one of the many canals, which wend their way through Dublin.  We have adopted the habit of an evening stroll along the canal bank and it is very relaxing watching the swans and ducks glide by with the occasional barge.

It took me a little while to warm to Dublin, literally and figuratively.  When I first arrived the weather was damp and quite cold and the city seemed a little dull when compared to London.  Now that daylight savings has kicked in, it stays light until 9.00pm and the days are full of sunshine and the city seems to have been given a new lease of life.  There are a number of large parks and gardens, which are now bursting with colour.  Tulips are everywhere and azaleas are now starting to bloom and the grass is greener than I have seen anywhere else. 

 

The local cuisine is nice as long as you like potatoes.  Every meal comes with potatoes and quite often, with two styles of potatoes.  It is nothing to be given a roast with both mashed and roast potatoes.  The soup of the day is invariably leek and potato and of course fries and wedges are served everywhere.  I think I am starting to look like a potato! There is also a dish that we have seen advertised which consists of hot chips served with rice and curry sauce.  They certainly like their carbs here!

 

The Irish are very proud of their famous authors with James Joyce being their all-time number one favourite.  Michael has ambitiously embarked on the reading of Ulysses and, as only a Herring male can, has become an expert.  The tale is set in Dublin and wherever you go there are references either to the novel or to James Joyce.  It looks as though Joyce drank in every pub in Dublin, as there seems to be a plaque or notice in the pub windows stating that either Joyce drank there or one or more of the characters of his book drank there. There is even a plaque on one of the houses for the birth of the character Leopold Bloom from Ulysses.