Dublin | Writing My Life

I doubt we have had more than a handful of sunshiny days since our return from Ireland nearly two months ago! The republic knew how much I loved our visit and so the climate followed us to the western desert we call home.

Ireland comes to Eagle Mountain!!!

Every cool rainy day reminded me I hadn’t posted the photo essay I have planned, and so now, as the sun is fighting against wind and clouds, I feel prompted to finish what I started. Sit back and enjoy the FACES and PLACES of the Emerald Isle.

Dublin – March 26-28, 2015

: This creepy leprechaun is the only little green man we found and he tried to steal OUR gold!

: Trinity College Library, home of the Book of Kells. To learn more about these illuminated manuscripts from the ninth century, go to this site: http://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/home/index.php?DRIS_ID=MS58_003v

: Meet Jackie on the left and her friend who are all decked out for the Irish Cancer Society’s “Daffodil Day”on March 27th. They win the prize for “Most Daffy-dil Spirit!! Adorable Irish ladies!!!

: Jackie’s sister Patsy came in second in the spirit contest! This cute volunteer hails from Cork! Such fun women!!!

: Cutting across St. Stephen’s Green, a beautiful Victorian garden in the middle of Dublin. We were lost, but didn’t care because the day and the park were so lovely!

: Meet Dylan – “Brilliant” young man – very “enterprising”, too, who took us through the paperwork of renting a VW Golf. Convinced us to upgrade the car AND the insurance coverage! He knows Americans may struggle with driving in LEFT lanes from behind steering wheels on the RIGHT!

: G.E.’s left profile. Not used to that view when he’s driving. A little scary as we trimmed bushes on MY side of the car. “Hug the line” and “Keep left” were our catch phrases!!!

: The Liffey River was one of the reasons the Vikings settled Dublin as it gave them access to the sea. The boardwalks on both sides of the river make for interesting people watching!

: The Ha’penny Bridge is one of 3 foot bridges that cross the River Liffey, and built in 1816, it was the first iron bridge. It is a lovely bridge!

: “Feed the birds, feed the birds” sang my brain as we watched this cute grandfather take care of dozens of pigeons! At times he was dressed in birds as all his attention rested on his feathered friends. We interested him not in the least!

: We missed the history walking tour I wanted to take, but Adam, guide at The Little Museum of Dublin made up for the loss. He chatted with us until past closing time about many interesting tidbits. I would volunteer to work here if I were a Dubliner!!!

I know Dublin town is crowded and bustlin’ at most hours, but who cannot appreciate the cobbled stones, the cathedrals and pubs, the River Liffey with its Ha’penny Bridge, its viking origins, and the beautiful, friendly people. Walking the winding streets for two plus days was enough to start the love affair, and here are some of the reasons why!

Our Georgian accommodations where we had to read instructions on how to open the room door with an actual key and how to flush the loo with “gusto”!

A Welcome Site!

Quirky and Quaint

Charm Plus

Faces of Dublin:

Devlyn Taylor – Our Irish Elvis – drove the “hop-on/hop off” tour bus and he broke out in song whenever the mood struck him or the traffic jammed. He had a great voice, and he really could sound like Elvis! He belted out “All Shook Up” and “Danny Boy” among others. And when his voice tired a bit, Devlyn loaded the CD player so we could hear his original compositions recorded in a studio. My favorite was a lullaby he wrote for a grandson who passed away in January. Intermingled amongst his songs, he shared an occasional historical tidbit, but I especially liked his tales of growing up as a “true blue Dubliner.”

FOOD! GLORIOUS FOOD! I RELISHED the food and tried different sorts of yummies in all kinds of pubs where folks don’t just stop in for a pint, but they eat and chat and play games and listen AND dance to Irish bands when they can. We enjoyed the BEST FISH & CHIPS EVER at Leo Burdocks, est. 1913. And Keith and Cedric (if that’s their real names) kept us laughing. You can see their pics on the Leo Burdock website, but these poses were just for me!

Aren’t they just too cute?

Temple Bar is the “happenin’ place” when it comes to the “Traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl”. G.E. and I dropped into a few to hear Irish tenors, guitars, and fiddles and watch a little Irish 2-step. Gogarty’s was the most festive pub we visited as guests sang along with the performers and one husky patron finally convinced a visiting miss to join him in dance. It was delightful. And one more thing – “Temple Bar”, a seemingly oxymoron to people of faith, refers to Sir William Temple, Provost of Trinity College in the 1600s. who owned a home in the area back in the day. The “bar”could be a play on words as the district is located on the Liffey River, thus referring to a sand bar as well as the pubs themselves. But there is nary a fact to back that theory as it’s my own.