Dublin - Day 3 — Patti Part Two

The weather has been so great here but nothing lasts forever. I expected rain and today we got it - but just a little. Nothing like a Midwest downpour. More like a Seattle mist. Is that normal? I’m not sure but it didn’t stop me from doing what I planned.

First I headed for breakfast to a place that was recommended to me on Grafton St. It’s called Bewley’s Oriental Cafe but it was all Irish in there. Had a delicious scone with clotted cream and a latte.

Very pretty inside with stained glass windows.

Next I did a walking tour from the O’Connell Bridge north of the river using my good friend Rick Steves travel guide. He never disappoints me and you can move at your own pace. The River Liffey runs through Dublin and divides the city in half. I have spent the majority of my time south of the river as most tourists do, but there is a lot of history north as well. The bridge is named after Daniel O’Connell who I have mentioned on both previous posts. Famous for being one of the key organizers of the Revolution of 1916. So of course there is a statue of him on the north side of the bridge. There are a number of statues on the walk but I’ll just hit the highlights. You also walk by the General Post Office where the Proclamation of Irish Independence was read in 1916, and then by The Spire which is basically 398 feet of stainless steel that no one likes. It cost a lot of money and really has no purpose so there are quite a few pet names for it - none of them flattering.

Clockwise from the top left - O’Connell Bridge, statue of Daniel O’Connell, General Post Office and the Spire.

Next a walk through the Moore Street Markets where the locals shop. Many of the shops have been staffed by the same families for decades. Definitely had a different feel than south of the river. A stop at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral to say a prayer and light a votive. Pro is for provisional because it’s being used as a Catholic Cathedral but is really just a parish church. Contrary to what you might think Ireland is not very Catholic anymore. The dominant religion is Anglican and both big Cathedrals that used to be Catholic are now Anglican - Christ Church Cathedral that I was at yesterday and St. Patrick’s Cathedral which unfortunately I didn’t make it to today.

Moore St. Markets and St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral

Gate Theatre where Orson Welles, Geraldine Fitzgerald and James Mason had their professional debuts.

Last spot on the tour was the Garden of Remembrance. It honors the victims of the 1916 Rising because it was where the rebel leaders were held before being transferred to Kilmainham Gaol. The park was dedicated in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the revolt. The pool is in the shape of a cross and there is a beautiful statue at one end called Children of Lir.

The Irish flag flies above the statue. Green for Catholics, Orange for Protestants and White for Peace to live together.

Conveniently right across the street from the garden is the Hugh Lane Gallery - an art museum I really wanted to see. It was started by Sir Hugh Lane who was an art dealer, and it’s just the right size to spend a nice hour browsing some really great art. They have a few pieces of artists you would recognize, and they have an exact replica of the studio of Francis Bacon in addition to a number of his completed and partially completed works. They didn’t allow pictures so you’ll have to take my word for it.

After the museum I headed south back over the bridge and walked through the Temple Bar area of town. Dublin and Temple Bar are pretty much synonymous if you talk to anyone that’s been to Dublin, so I figured I should at least walk through the area. It was pretty quiet in the middle of the afternoon but I hear it can get wild at night. Lots of bars, restaurants and live music. It’s very quaint with cobbled narrow streets and I can’t even guess how much Guinness is consumed in an average night there. I’ll save that for my next trip to Dublin.

My last stop of the day was at Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty Library. You have to walk through a little bit of the castle to get to the library, and I heard the castle tour wasn’t that great so headed right to the library. The library was really the highlight of the day for me. Alfred Charles Beatty is actually from the United States, and made his money from mining. He lived in England for many years but fell in love with Ireland and retired to Dublin. His hobby was collecting rare ancient manuscripts and beautifully illustrated books from around the world. Much of his collection is religious in nature - Christian, Moslem, Buddhist etc. His collection includes 1,800 year old manuscripts and some of the original letters of Paul! Mind blowing! That’s A.D. 180-200. And I got to see them! I’m still so excited about it. I love books and writing and paper so much - and to think I went there as almost an afterthought. Paul’s letters were written on papyrus and it was really thick - the original paper obviously. No pictures of course but so incredible.

A few pics of the castle as I was walking through to get to the library. And the library is free!

And finally I ate a real meal! I actually had a hard time finding a spot for just one person. With holiday festivities in high season everywhere my hotel recommended was packed. But it was cute because everywhere I went they apologized and sent me to a place they recommended and said to use their name. Anyway finally place number 4 was packed but did have a bar I could eat at and they went really out of their way to be so kind to me. The manager and various other servers kept asking me how I was doing and if everything was ok. Maybe they just felt sorry for me but who cares. The food was delicious! It was called Bull & Castle and I had delicious roast chicken with Parmesan polenta. Glass of wine and all is good in my world.

I am intrigued by the blue bottle of Gunpowder Irish Gin.

So that was my day. Dublin has been amazing! I know many people come here and spend their time in the great pubs which is fine, but there are also so many great historic sites to see, and I’m leaving knowing so much more about the history of this great place. Tomorrow I’m off to my second destination of the trip. Check back soon and see where in the world is Patti!