Prior to this trip I would have said that we (or at least Jim) have the "luck of the Irish" in terms of the wonderful weather we have had. During our Monday tour, we heard a lot about the many twists of fate in Irish history that were really more about bad luck. But for us, the good news is that they are having the warmest summer since 1994, so wonderful weather in which to walk and see this beautiful city. We forced ourselves to stay awake until 9 p.m. Sunday night so that we would be on Europe time and off we went after breakfast to see what we would find. On Sunday we explored the north side of the Liffey river (where our hotel is) so Monday we crossed over the bridge. Like the Seine, each bridge is different, with a unique design and history.
While walking through the rotunda of City Hall, we happened upon a free walking tour (Sandemans New Europe) with a wonderful guide - Peter - and spent the next several hours wandering the streets and sights of south Dublin enthralled with his stories. Here you see him sitting outside the door of the birthplace of Jonathan Swift ("Gulliver's Travels") telling us about Swift's "Modest Proposal" to deal with the problems of Ireland at the time. Swift identified the three problems in the society (too many children being born, poverty, and the upper class not having enough protein in their diets) could be resolved by three simple solution: the poor could sell their children (solving poverty) to the wealthy, who could then eat them (solving the other two issues). Just a small "taste" of how our tour guide went beyond the standard facts and stories! And a bit about the dry wit and satire of the Irish.
Here is Temple Bar - block after cobblestone block of pubs, clubs and restaurants. There is no trouble finding a beer ANYWHERE in this town. You will hear more about Temple Bar in another post that Jim will author...
Our tour guide also provided a rich history of the British/Irish conflict particularly as we walked through Dublin Castle.
This grassy area was once a black pool harbor and was how Dublin got its name (Dubb Linn means "black pool"). The pattern in the grass is representing the river eels, and the area is actually the helicopter landing pad for dignitaries. The structure at the back of the lawn is the Carriage House - but was not really used as that, but rather it was built so that when the Queen visited she would not have to view the slums surrounding the castle.
Flowers are everywhere - the fuchsias are brilliant
This is Trinity College, the oldest University in Dublin founded in 1592 (and the Alma Mater of our tour guide). We departed the tour at this point because we had family to meet!
So off we went back to to our hotel. Just have to share one of the many quotes on the side of the building next to our hotel, outside the Living Room club. We are apparently quite lucky that World Cup is over - because apparently it would have been quite noisy and wild.
Before I launch into the "family" part of this post, I want to explain that Jim had never met or had contact with any of his relatives in Ireland. A few weeks before we left for the trip, Jim contacted his cousin Chris in Long Island who has visited Ireland several times and he put us in touch with some of the cousins who live here. We exchanged a few emails, and arranged to meet his cousin Andrea at the Dublin hospital where she works as a cardiac care nurse Monday afternoon. Now, Chris had sent us a photo of her, so we had some idea of who we were looking for - but she had no clue about us. We did connect up, but only after she first approached an elderly gentleman thinking he looked like he could be a "James" from America. So she went up to him with a tentative "James?" only to have him look at her with a blank and irritated stare. She was very relieved that her next guess was the correct "James" from America.
She was completely dear and welcoming as we piled in to her car. As we began the drive to the coastal town (Skerries) where she lives, she asked "so who are you and how are we related?" and admitted she doesn't check her email so hadn't seen the detailed explanation Chris had sent to her about the family connection. There were some tentative moments during the listing of who's who in the McCormack family (Jim's maternal grandmother's side) where there was confusion (was his name Peter or Patrick??) where we all began to wonder if there was any truth to the story that we were related. Fortunately, when we arrived at her house, out came the photo albums and Jim was able to clear up some mysteries that she had about who the people were, and any doubt was erased. Yes, we are related!
At her house we were met by her two daughters, Iemer (age 29, back living at home and looking for work), Deirdre (a high school PE teacher in Coventry, England), her husband Mike (a professional Rugby player), and their little guy, James. We had a great time - lots of stories and laughs. We felt at home, as if they were cousins we had known for years.
We have tentative plans to join Mike and Deirdre on Thursday to drive out to Longford, the town where Jim's mom was born and raised.
So, that was our VERY full Monday in Ireland.
Stay tuned for the Temple Bar adventure of Tuesday...
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