We've wrapped up our 4 days in Dublin. We've walked 'til we dropped. We've seen a number of places and things we didn't see on our earlier trip, and we've revisited a couple favorites as well.
We visited the national museums, which are mostly clustered just north of St. Stephen's Green. The National Gallery was largely closed for renovation, but they had a series of rooms filled with a selection from their collection and another area with a temporary exhibit of a contemporary artist.
We made a point of visiting the National Museum of Archaeology to give some historical context to some of the sites and monastic ruins we expect to see as we tootle around the countryside. We saw some very interesting displays, but were almost more taken with the building's architecture than its collection.
We went to the National Library of Ireland (NLI) twice. First, to see a Yeats exhibit. We will be in Yeats country later and wanted to get our toes wet concerning his works and his life. We made a second stop there to work with a family research advisor in the library's genealogical resources area. We were lucky to get to spend some time with Mary, a very nice and knowledgeable woman. As we feared, we really didn't have enough information to get us very far. But Mary gave us a lot of suggestions and advice on what kind of documentation would be the most useful when it comes to Irish ancestry. (Jerry's great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland.)
The NLI, too, impressed us with its striking architecture and stained glass. We were allowed to silently visit the stunning Reading Room (I.e., peek in from the side). It is filled with old individual wooden desks and reading lights, which has a very old-fashioned feel. But what stops you in your tracks is the ceiling--a large powder blue dome with amazing white plasterwork scrolls and figures. Quite a setting for one's research!
Located on the north side of the River Liffey and just outside Phoenix Park, we saw the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. Period furniture, clothing, jewelry, and a jaw-dropping collection of Irish silver. There was also a temporary exhibit of a master wood turner that was very interesting. Here again, the building housing the collection was a high point of the visit. It is a former military barracks and riding school surrounding a vast parade ground.
We also took a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, which presented a rather sobering background on various Irish rebellions and the infamous executions after the 1916 Easter Rising. Nothing warm and fuzzy about this visit, but it was highly recommended by Rick Steves for its insight into a big aspect of Irish history--and it really did turn out to be quite impactful.
Then there was some time spent at Trinity Colłege and in the presence of the Book of Kells, followed by a visit to the impressive St. Patrick's Cathedral. These, we had done on our long-ago visit, but they were well worth a second look.
So, as you can see, we had a busy few days here. Now, if you've read the preceding post, you know the highlight of our Dublin time was the Mark Knopfler concert. But we certainly enjoyed steeping ourselves in Irish history, literature, and art. If not in Dublin, where?
As a counterpoint to all our running around, we also tried to make time to do some "down time" kinds of things. We stopped to have a Guiness at a quintessential old corner pub. And we tried to go to Bewley's on Grafton Street for tea, but it is no more. (The landmark building is still there, but there's a big sign saying they've moved. We learned they hope to reopen in a smaller format and without their upstairs tearoom. It just won't be the same.) So, instead, we had coffee and a pastry at a little coffee shop on a side street off Grafton. It was some of the best coffee I've ever had, plus it provided the perfect venue for watching the Saturday afternoon crowds in the Grafton area.
We walked through St. Stephen's Green so many times I thought the pigeons and ducks might start to recognize us. Saturday morning, as we strolled through on our way to the National Library, we stopped to watch a Qi Gong group going through their moves. On our way back to our hotel in late afternoon, we stopped in the same area, where the nearby gazebo was filled with couples dancing the tango. This park is an Irish version of a central plaza--children playing, families picnicing, couples strolling, fountains, ponds, flowers and trees--everything under the sun, all in one place.
So, all in all, we had a wonderful combination of busy times and more quiet times to savor some of the heartbeat of Dublin.
Now we're off to the countryside.
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