We Interrupt This Blog...

...to register our shock and dismay about the Brexit we awoke to this morning. We have spoken to many Brits these last two months and encountered none in favor of leaving. Most wanted to talk rather about Trump, whom they find appalling. The entire debate, as we traveled the south and west, seemed sufficiently low-key as to discourage alarm. But the polls were wrong, and the world is different now. We expect no sudden changes for travelers such as ourselves...except an immediate boost in our dollars' purchasing power. We've been visiting the Isles since 1979, and the GBP right now is at nearly the lowest we've ever seen. As some twit twitted: "All Britain on sale...10-15% off...steak and kidney pies for all." There will be a few days of chaos and more dire predictions, and then things will begin to find a new, uncertain, and volatile "normal." The one conclusion I draw is not to underestimate the attraction of nativism, bigotry, and jingoism. Perhaps the Brexit will serve as a lesson to us across the Pond.

Powerscourt

The estate of Powerscourt lies some miles south of Dublin where the Wicklow mountains begin. Powerscourt has remained private, or corporate, adding a 5 star hotel, a golf course (can Lion Country Safari be in the future?), turning the great house itself into an Irish shopping mall (how many Avoca Mills stores are there?) and restaurant with a view. All a vast difference for us from the National Trust homes and gardens of April and May. The Powerscourt garden is still there, thankfully, and open for a modest entry fee. It comes with high recommendations; signage everywhere reminds you Powerscourt is #3 on the National Geographic's list of top ten gardens in the world.

The entire complex is rather smaller than one might imagine

The main view from the House; gigantic, largely unplanted
terraces, looking down to the pond and fountain; very formal,
Italian; no attempt to bring the mountains into the landscape
(the Japanese concept of "borrowing")

Thus

The pond, quite large

Looking back to the House

On the Rhododendron path

Very nice specimen trees all around; one of the
things we liked about Powerscourt was the great
variety of plants

The pet cemetery

Interesting specimen

Rhodos and azaleas past prime

Nice color, but rather less of it than most of the British gardens
we've seen

Flowers in the walled garden; only 1/3 of which is planted

Rose garden, up by the greenhouses

Back side of the House; the ha ha has been converted into a
golf cart path

Still effective, however, keeping golfers out of the House and
garden

Other side of house, more color

Other side the garden

Specimen trees everywhere

Artsy shot by Vicki

Atop the seeming folly

More great trees

A few more rhodos

Looking over the Japanese garden; a staggering number of Asian
plants (plus innumerable trips to Pier One)

Unlike any Japanese garden I've seen...

Corkagh Demesne, Corkagh Park

Camac Park campground is actually a municipal campground (a pretty nice one, too) since it's part of the very large Corkagh Park in South Dublin. The Park originally was part of the Corkagh Demesne, a great house, gardens, park, etc. The House and most of the buildings are now long gone. It all came to the South Dublin city council in 1986 and has been transformed into a wonderful public park. Within its 300 acres are cycling tracks, many walks, 4 lakes (including two fisheries), many sports courts and fields (including the only purpose-built baseball diamond in Ireland), fields, forests, playgrounds, a fairy wood, a children's zoo, a rose garden, an arboretum, many fine old specimen trees, and the campground. We thought we'd just go for a walk one day, not knowing there was far more beyond the fields and walking paths by the campground entrance.

Apparently a rent-a-fairy sort of scheme; at least they're Irish
fairies, not Disney

Thus; the fairies are the ones with the wings, I presume

One of the two fishing ponds, this one for the coarse fish (the
other for trout)

In the parklands

The place laced with gorgeous paths

A giant old Copper Beech

In the large rose garden

Things coming along well

In the children's zoo

Extremely rare striped Irish pig

Part of the Famine Memorial Arboretum: specimen trees from
each of the continents to which the Irish fled the Famine

The carnival setting up next door: time to move on

Clondalkin

Our campground, the Camac Valley Camping and Caravanning Park, was located very near the south Dublin suburb of Clondalkin. While Clondalkin appeared nice enough a place, prosperous-looking here and there, a big shopping center, it was the older stuff that interested me, so on an administrative day walk, I ventured into town to see the Clondalkin Round Tower and St. Brigid's Well. Both have pretty well stood the test of time.

The Clondalkin Round Tower; one sees these
all around Ireland, always at abbeys, generally
12th century; said to have housed relics: more
likely to have defended relics during visits of
brigands...; most approaching 100 ft high;
Clondalkin among the largest and best
preserved

Closer up

Of equal interest was St. Brigid's Well; St. Brigid was a Druid
personage who converted to Christianity and proceeded to live
a life of such holiness as to become a saint, indeed Ireland's
patron saint (along with St. Patrick); details are somewhat
lacking...we're talking 5th century here; she was named after
the Celtic goddess Brid, goddess of fire, one of the Celtic
pantheon St. P couldn't replace with some Christian figure;
anyway, legends abound about St. Brigid; allegedly, our term
"bride" comes from the Celtic goddess...

There it is, just behind the large potted shrubbery; probably so
protected to keep it from being profaned (it is just feet from a
busy thoroughfare); "bring us a shrubbery"

One of the more lavishly decorated local sites I have seen; note
gnomes; according to lore, St. B stopped on her holy travels; if
you dip your hankie in the well water and hang it on the tree
three days, then wipe your eyes with it, you'll be cured of any
eye-sight problems; right...

In addition to being (a) patron saint for the island, St. B is also
patron saint for "bakers, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle, chicken
farmers, children whose parents are not married, dairymaids,
dairy workers, fugitives, infants, Ireland, Leinster [one of
Ireland's five historic regions], mariners, midwives, milk maids,
poultry raisers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travellers,
watermen, Creativity, Scholars, Poets"; busy lady

Best Church Renovation, Ever, So Far

So there we were, walking down Henry Street, minding our own business, when up pops this interesting 18th century parish church and interestingly encased tower...

The tower

Someone's else photo

The fine print; really no sign on the outside to indicate what was
within

We stepped inside, and there it is, a faithfully and perfectly
restored 18th century church; Handel played the organ during
his time in Dublin; OK, some minor alterations have been
made; there was no question we would spend the rest of the
evening here

We took seats in the chancel

And the band; cracked me up they were seated right in front of
the "This do in remembrance of me" sign; the wind instrument
is an Uillean, the Irish bagpipe--the bags are squeezed by the
elbows, not blown

Dining in the nave as well as in the upstairs

"I wonder if we might have a table over there,
near Rev. Black?

The set menu; there's an a la carte menu; and
of course the usual pub grub

The place was rich with history

Especially Dublin history: Arthur Guinness, founder of the black
stuff, married here

Later, we moved over to the other side of the chancel

The band was great; better, there was traditional dancing too--
I'll post a video as soon as we have better cell reception than
here in Sligo; if you're in Dublin, don't miss