Where the strawberry beds sweep down to the Liffey…
I must again apologize for my negligence in the maintenance of this blog. As I said last time, too many things with which to occupy myself and not enough to document them has contributed to its fall from grave. I will attempt, however, to tell you my tales of Eire. Before I start, I wish to inform you that I will include various links throughout the blog to songs of Youtube. A curiosity for Irish folk music was cultivated when my father long ago gave me “The Sounds of Irish Folk” and I found a soft tune often stuck in my head as I wandered about Dublin and Wicklow. Please listen if you are so inclined; I think you will quite enjoy it!
I was quite excited when the plane touched down at Dublin airport. My heritage is almost completely Irish- I dare offer that Austin William Carroll Keeley, an Catholic from Massachusetts, is a fairly Irish identity- yet growing up, our Irish heritage was never celebrated. From from being shunned, ethnicity was simply overshadowed by religious devotion and intellectual pursuits in my family. As such, I was eager to encounter the land of my ancestors, yearning for a pint of Guinness and with a copy of Dubliners in my breast pocket.
Our group- at the moment consisting of eight persons, but would eventually fluctuate to eleven- caught the bus at the terminal and got off at the O’Connell St. stop, a short walk from our hotel. The weather was perfect; blustery winds swept sheets of rain against our coats and splattered our shoes. I would expect nothing less. My spirits were not dampened; far from it! For the first thing I saw as I hopped off the bus was a bronze statue of James Joyce, leaning against a cane. Ecstatic, I whipped out my copy of Dubliners and proudly posed with the genius figure. More on Joyce and Irish literature later.
The hostel was around the corner from the bus stop; we quickly dropped our things off and and went out in search (at 1:30 AM) of a celebratory pint of Guinness. We wandered straight into THE Temple Bar, the very place I had been warned of and proceeded to buy the most expensive pint (6.10) of the trip. Still, I couldn’t help but be pleased as I worked down the first real beer I’ve had in quite some time.
The next day consisted of a lot of sightseeing. I was fortunate to have a three-page list of suggestions of things to do, places to eat, and pubs at which to drink; he spent a year studying at Trinity last year and his suggestions proved to be most helpful! (Note: I know you’re reading this, Matt, so thanks again and sorry that I took so long to post this account). In short we saw:
- Christchurch
- Trinity College
- The Long Room
- St. Patrick’s
- Book of Kells
- Guinness Factory
The Guinness Factory was an extremely fun tour! The exhibitions were not only cool, but also informative. The tour finishes in the Gravity Bar, a complementary bar seven stories above Dublin. Glass panes, on which are written various James Joyce quotes pointing out locations noted in his works, provide a 360 degree view of the city. Joyce is a figure that fascinates me. I read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as a senior with Mr. Novick and found it to not only be beautifully written, but to be hauntingly acute as well. Dubliners, a collection of short stories which provides poignant views of the desperation and hope in the lives of various people around the city, both lifts and depresses the reader all while demonstrating Joyce’s mastery of the short story. Yet my favorite quote, because I understand not a word of it, comes from the opening of Finnegan’s Wake:
“riverrun past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay”
Armed with my copy of Dubliners, Guinness in hand, sporting my U2 concert T-shirt, and surrounded by the sights of Dublin, I felt myself falling in love with the city. (That song, “The Ferryman” is my favorite folk song. Give it a listen! The chorus gets me every time!)
That night we took on a host of bars and tried to experience the culture. We eventually landed in-alas!- a club. After a short while I called for “a breath of fresh air” and stepped outside. We were situated between Grafton St. and Dawson St., just across from Trinity College. I looked around and saw the statue of Molly Malone, a classic figure in Dublin. I walked over there, took a seat at her feet, and proceeded to read another of Joyce’s stories. The night was beautiful.
Saturday the group arose at 9AM, early for any college student, let alone a student on vacation, to make the bus for a guided tour of Wicklow County. Renown for its natural beauty, Ireland’s countryside was a must-see on the trip. Here, props must be giving to Valerie Brown for prompting us to buy tickets in advance; the trip proved to be most wonderful and a highlight of the excursion to Dublin!
It’s difficult to relay the beauty of Ireland. Emerald Isle, God’s Country, whatever you call it, it is well deserved. First, our guide took us up into the hills above the city for a beautiful view as well as a bit of a history lesson. We proceeded to follow Military Road (so named because the English military built it to drive out Irish rebels that were living in the hills) through rolling hills, fields of peat, quaint villages, lakes, rivers, and forests. How beautiful it all was! Standing atop a cliff overlooking the Guinness Lake, I felt as though I finally knew why Bono dubbed his homeland “God’s Country” (that is aside from the obvious religious/political tension present in the region).
Another highlight from the Wicklow tour was at the ruins of an old monastery. The rain finally picked up and we trudged through the mud following our guide learning about the practices of medieval monks. The monastery was situated in a gorgeous valley. Trees lined the surrounding hills, and their leaves wove a magical tapestry of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, and golds. At the conclusion of the monastery, we were set loose to follow a path in the woods to the collection point. We strolled through the trees, past calm lakes, and under the shadows of sheer cliffs for three quarters of an hour before the car was ready to leave. I took my seat, drenched to the bone, and yet not wanting to leave at all.
Saturday turned out to be nothing short of magical. Even looking back on it- only a week ago!- I am awed by the majestic scenes I saw. I can only hope to return again someday.
That night Sylvie Rosseau and I went on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl. Led by two actors who performed various scenes from Irish literature, we visited four pubs visited by and featured in the works of various Irish authors. The combination of literature, pub culture, Guinness, actors, and good company made this one of the most worthwhile experiences of the trip!
I was sad to wake up on Sunday for I knew I would have to depart that afternoon. Yet, I was determined to see that which I had missed on Friday. Joined by Annie Alpers and Dana Sherne, I made my way to Grafton St. This street is a popular shopping center that also features prominently in the movie Once. If you have not already done so, I highly suggest you see this film and also listen to the soundtrack. It follows a singer-songwriter on the Dublin streets through the course of a week as he falls in love with a pianist and they cut a magnificent album. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
After walking the length of Grafton, our trio entered St. Stephen’s Green, a park in the heart of the city that is quite beautiful. I was once again pleased to see find a bust of James Joyce… Matthew’s reading habits are getting to me! We proceeded back up along Dawson St. (which runs parallel to Grafton) stopping at some bookstores, and then proceeded to sit down to some lunch and coffee. I left Annie and Dana around four to catch my flight; they were fortunate enough to be able to stay another night in the city.
On the whole, Dublin was a truly remarkable trip! The company was fantastic, the city beautiful, the locals welcoming, and the countryside immaculate. So much occurred that only in retrospect can I realize how truly amazing the whole adventure was! I only hope that someday I am fortunate enough to return and once again enjoy the beauty that is Ireland!
