Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Dublin Thursday July 25, 2024

For reasons that can only be imagined and because of a life-long desire to visit the Emerald Isle, I decided to enrol in the summer Irish Harp School held every year in Kilkenny at the end of July. I also decided this would be a good moment to return to my blog. So, here we are! I landed in Dublin on the morning of Wednesday July 2024. A half hour bus ride later, I was in the heart of the city and ready to explore. The goal was to wander and see what would happen. There was no specific destination , no predetermined site to visit. The weather was cool, overcast but a fine day, for all that. After about an hour, the rain began to fall and I happened to be in the vicinity of the Museum of Archeology so decided to pay a visit and get in out of the wet. What a lovely surprise. The building itself is a Victorian structure that uses the latest engineering technology of the period to create an incredible exposition space. The collection, too, of early human artefacts found in Ireland is fascinating .

Wandering the streets of the heart of the city one encounters thousands of tourists at this time of year. The street traffic is endless but it seems to be a remarkably safe and clean place to explore. Came across a statue commemorating Molly Malone, street vendors selling flowers, and so much more! I’m happy that I will be spending four days at the end of my trip in this wonderful city.

The clouds lifted and the rain relented and I set off once more to see more of the city. i soon stumbled upon St Stephen’s Green and Park. it has a long history of roughly four centuries and played a role in the battle for Irish independence. During the Easter rising of 1916, members of the Irish Citizens Army set up tactical positions in the Green. Under the direction of Commandant Michael Mallon, his second in command, Kit Poole and Constance Markievicz, they blockaded traffic on the surrounding streets and dug defensive positions in the park. The British Army took up a position in the Shelbourne Hotel overlooking the park from where they could shoot down into the entrenchments. The Army Volunteers withdrew to the Royal College of Surgeons on the west side of the park.

After a lengthy sojourn in the park and a brief brunch across the street at an all-day breakfast joint, I decided to head back to Temple Bar Lane and check into the hotel. My body was demanding sleep!

Two hours later, it was time to head out again in the general direction of Dublin Castle. Found a lovely memorial garden that is part of the castle grounds but it was too late to see the interior. That will have to wait until later. However, here are some shots of the garden. There were two women laughing and chatting and darting about. One of them looked at me and said, “I have to get out of here,” referring to herself. So, I asked why? She replied, “I’ve collected too many seeds to carry” as she ran to catch up with her companion. It was delightful! I remember my grandmother collecting “slips” off of plants when she hoped no one was looking and taking them home to grow. She had a “green thumb”, but I digress.

Dinner was a tasty experience at Salamanca, a tapas bar and restaurant with a distinctive Spanish flavour and motif. And then it was time to return to the hotel and then sleep some more. Tomorrow is a train trip to Kilkenny.