Dublin Pubs

We spent 3-4 nights doing the Dublin pub/music thing, mostly in Temple Bar, but not entirely. The best place, considering architecture as well as the music and dancing, we discovered at the end of our Dublin days, and it warrants a separate post.

Cobblestone is a bit of a neighborhood place, north of the Liffey,
in Smithfield

It is a bit of a purists' hang-out; apparently if you know Trad
music (as the Irish call it)(they are into the whole brevity thing)
you can just bring your instrument and join in; there are
instrumental numbers, solos, recitations, solo songs; it is not
fast paced, since much of the time is devoted to deciding what
number to do next; not everybody joins in on every number;
the quality was exceptional: not amateur hour

Indeed

Fleet St., Temple Bar district, early evening; over the weekend
it was loaded with stag and hen parties, nearly as much fun to
watch as the musicians

At The Temple Bar

I had no idea there are that many Irish whiskies

Much of our time was at Oliver St. John Gogarty's, where we
heard two groups

As at Cobblestone, and everywhere else, we were persistent
and lucky enough to get front row seats, or, as here, seats with
the group

A couple hours later, upstairs, another group

This guy, Stephen Leech, seated by his poster/painting, a
popular promoter of Trad, did things on the banjo I didn't  know a
banjo could do

[Reserved For Trinity U And The Book Of Kells]

Coming soon...

Dublin Joyce Walk

My interests in Irish literature are limited to James Joyce, though I readily concede there is way, way more to Irish lit, much of it among the world's greatest literature. Anyhow, while Vicki did a tour of Trinity U and the Book of Kells, I did a 90 minute walk under the auspices of the James Joyce Center.

As observed earlier, you can learn a fair amount about Irish lit just reading the signs
on  various buildings in Temple Bar

Or noticing the sculpture at various pubs

Or reading the sidewalk plaques that are all over the old
city; Dubliners are justifiably proud of their literary heritage,
even including the silence, cunning, and exile bits

The Joyce Center's circle walk was ably led by this young woman, whose
knowledge of the city, Joyce and his writings, was impressive; nor was she
one of those who simply venerates Joyce; here she is telling us about
Belvedere College, Joyce's most formative years, and Stephen's

7 Eccles Street is one of the most famous addresses in literature

Alas, the flat occupied by the Blooms is no longer there (there's a plaque to Joyce
on the building's lower left)

Now a hospital, although someone has helpfully hung a small banner for tourists

Similarly with many of the addresses associated with the Joyce/ Daedalus family,
whose frequent removals kept them a step ahead of the creditors 

One of their addresses, on Hardwicke Lane, now also gone

The house in which Gogarty (Buck Mulligan) was born; Joyce and Gogarty were
friends and rivals, early on; in a more conventional sense, Gogarty was the more
successful...if wealth and public approval count...

The Gresham Hotel ("Ivy Day in the Committee Room," Dubliners; the Parnell
statue is nearby)

"The prick with a stick," as Dubliners now call it, just off the
intersection of Henry and O'Connell

Interesting observation, in an exhibit at the art museum on the subject of the
Irish Diaspora; it took Joyce a while to get to the generosity stage...

Doors Of Dublin

Georgian residential architecture does not provide many options for expressiveness or creativity. Just the entry-way and the door. There are postcards, calendars, and books featuring the "doors of Dublin." Here are just a few, near St. Stephen's Green.

Georgian residential architecture

OK, this one is expressive; if I owned one of these places, I'd
probably do the door in camo or better, QR code; Vicki observes
the door thing is obviously an acquired taste

Dublin Scenes

We've been in Ireland more than two weeks now, and this is my first blog post about the place. We have been busy, especially nights in Dublin, but also elsewhere, and I've had a debilitating cold, now better enough to get out of bed. But I'm ready to start catching up. It may be a long process. We were here in May, 2009, car- and tent-camping while our RV was crossing the sea from New Brunswick to Bremerhaven. Blog posts from that time can be found on the blog archive or by searching "Dublin" or other relevant place names. We were in Dublin a week this time, including an administrative day or two, and I've decided it may be best to organize the posts by site-types, e.g., pubs, museums, literary sites, etc. We spent most of our time in pubs, with museums coming in second. The music in the museums is not so good. Also the beer.

The Molly Malone statue; Dubliners are very big on statues;
well, I think it was a statue, not a mime; Dublin's answer to The
Little Mermaid

Your can learn quite a bit about Dublin and Irish history just
by reading the signs on buildings, especially in the Temple Bar
area

Remains of Dublin Castle

I heard a guide describe this as the Castle's Google annex

Landmark, sort of, on the Castle green

Also on the green, a yoga master (a yogi? wait, no, that's a
baseball player)

His students; we were there to see the Chester Alan Beatty
Library..another post)

The only Art Nouveau we saw in Dublin

The Liffey

Classic Guiness ads adorn many of the pubs

Dubliners are getting serious about dog poop
and irresponsible dog owners

It's the centenary of the 1916 Rising, and there are memorials
everywhere

Parnell statue

Another leader for independence

The O'Connell statue

The Dublin Spire, aka The Erection at the
Intersection; nearly 400 feet high; replaced
the Nelson monument which the IRA had
blown up in 1966

Last Day in Ireland

After County Meath, we drove on west of Dublin and found a campground in Clondalkin. Squalls continued through the night, but, as in previous nights, lifted enough for us to set up the tent.

Sunday was our last day in Ireland. We had a signature Irish breakfast at a nearby hotel. I particularly enjoyed the black and white puddings and sausages. After breakfast we drove into the city and explored a bit of Phoenix Park, another storied Irish place. It is Europe's largest city park, centuries old, many hundreds of acres, enough to support a long-standing deer population. In addition to all the monuments, gardens, zoo, equestrian center, etc., the Park also contains the US embassy and the residence of Ireland's head of state.

We next drove through the CBD out beyond the port to Sandycove, site of the Martello tower where Ulysses begins. (Twenty-some such towers were built around the bay in the early 1800's to defend Dublin from Napoleon). It is, since 1962, the James Joyce Museum. We toured it at leisure, savoring every letter, first edition, cigar case, guitar, vest, and all the rest. It is actually a very small place for a life so full of reflection and experience. But as with any author, I suppose, the main monuments and museums are the creative works.

We drove back to the CBD and, while Vicki read, I ventured through Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Nassau Street, and beyond, in search of a book. I found the bookstore, but not the book. Story of my life. The downtown was bustling despite the continuing downpour. We drove back to our campground and commenced packing for our next removal.

Despite roughing it in often rough conditions, we thoroughly loved Ireland. We earned our enjoyment of the place. I'll post some Irish out-takes sometime, some further observations on a wonderfully rich and interesting place.

The Phoenix Column, Phoenix Park

The Wellington Testimonial...he was Irish

Phoenix Park scene

"April 3. Met Davin at the cigar shop opposite Findlater's church. He was in a black sweater and had a hurley stick. Ask me was it true I was going away and why. Told him the shortest way to Tara was via Holyhead."

Sandycove

Sandycove Martello Tower, James Joyce Museum..."Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed."

Second-floor interior

The gift shop; the cartoon above reads "The Buck stops here"