Final Day in Dublin

Molly Malone- the Tart with the Cart

Posing with Molly Malone + Carroll's Bag = Tourist

Unfortunately, on my last full day in Dublin I had a final exam in The EU and the Business Environment, so I sent my sister into the city with Brittany and Stacy while Stevie and I took the essay test. Grace was going to go to the restaurant Queen of Tarts with them and then head to the Jameson Distillery while I wrote all I knew about Copenhagen Treaty.

After Stevie and I finished with the exam we too decided to get lunch at Queen of Tarts, while Grace and the other girls finished up at the distillery. The food was very good but the service was slow. After we finished (and Stevie was kind enough to treat me), Brittany, Stacy, and Grace arrived and we divided and conquered Dublin, but only after we did some shopping.

Stevie, Grace, and I opted to go to what most Irish considered "Ireland's greatest treasure," the Book of Kells. It is an illuminated manuscript made by Irish monks and housed in Trinity College in the centre of Dublin. The three of us arrived in the gates of Trinity kind of late in the day and I was worried (shocker) that we were too late to see it and I threatened to use tears (another shocker) to make sure that they let us in. Things turn out better than expected, though, when we were waiting in line and a women walking by with some poster board asked if we were American. We replied yes in our obvious American dialects and she said "Don't worry, we'll get you in." I thought that this meant that she would make sure we got in before it closed but it turns out that she works for Trinity and used her employee powers to get us in for free. Let me say it one more time, I love the Irish!

The manuscript itself was amazing (through not 8 euro amazing so I'm glad that we didn't have to pay)! It was so intricate and amazing that someone could do that with their own hands. I am really glad that I went and got to show it to Grace.

After that (and a stop at Supermac's) the three of us did some more shopping before the farewell dinner planned for that Wolf Pack that night. I had to go to Carroll's, the Irish souvenir shop that is on every corner of Dublin (not an exaggeration) to stock up on everthing Irish I could. The thing I found when I was shopping, though, was that none of the souvenirs really captured my time in Ireland. At least I have all the pictures, memories, and jewelry.

And then it was time for the final dinner at our favorite Irish restaurant O'Neill's. Grace was very excited to be back at an Irish carvery and both of us got corned beef. I also had cabbage for the full Irish effect. After dinner the complete Wolf Pack headed out in the streets of Temple Bar in search of live traditional Irish music and found some in Gogarty's so we stayed there a while singing along to all the songs that we learned by heart after four months in Dublin. After "Wild Rover" we decided to try a find another place to go, but were unsuccessful and we were faced with something that we knew was coming since Day 1- goodbye.

Little JMatch

Flash forward to all six of us (and Grace) standing in the cobblestone streets on Temple Bar crying and hugging. It was rough to say the least. Those five other girls were the only ones that knew what it was like to live at UCD for the Spring 2010 semester and I will always have a special connection with them (and an excuse to visit Melbourne and White Horse).

We all headed back to UCD and I started the impossible task of packing my life away before Laura, Grace, and I left to tour Ireland the next morning. Luckily, I was coming back to the apartment before leaving for good so it all didn't have to be packed away, although I wanted to make a good start.

Farewell Dinner

Tonight we went to a farewell put on by the Quinn Business School for all the study abroad students. It was at the Arlington Hotel downtown and a lot of good craic.

We got treated to a three course meal which worked for me. One of the highlights was when the waitress came around taking drink orders. I ordered a coke and she asked if I knew that drinks were being paid for by the school and then asked why wouldn't I get an alcoholic beverage. I told her I would just stick with the coke, thanks anyway. Then she felt kinda bad. Everyone at the table thought that was pretty hilarious. I did however try a Bailey's with dessert and that was delicious!

We also had entertainment during dinner. First a band came on stage and played some traditional Irish tunes, which always make me smile (unless its one of the really tragic ones, and there are quite a few of those). After the band four Irish dancers took the stage and preformed. It was a great show, although they may not have been up to Riverdance standards. They did play "Lord of the Dance" quite a few times which had Stacy and I singing along. Here are some videos:





After dinner we tried to meet up with some classmates at The Porterhouse but there must have been a change of plans because they we're there so we took the bus home. And we have Farewell Dinner II tomorrow.

Farmers Markets and Footy

Sunday was not the beautiful sunny day we had gotten accustomed to but it was nice enough for Stacy, Brittany, and I to venture to Dun Laoghaire for the Sunday farmers market. We got on the bus and took an hour ride into the quaint little seaside town of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced "dun leery").

The farmers market was in People's Park (which kinda makes it sound communist). It was a really cute farmers market with fresh produce, jewelry, and all sort of different foods, including falafel, pizza, and crepes. After browsing around for a while I got a crepe with gruyere, black forest ham, pesto, and sundried tomatoes; needless to say it was delicious. Brittany got a pizza and Stacy got some muffins and we headed to the harbour to watch the waves crash and eat our food. We had girl talk and once we got too cold while sitting we took a stroll down the pier.

After w had our fill of Dun Laghaire we headed back into Dublin. We were set to meet the other girls at The Woolshed to watch the Australian Football game. We got into the city very early so we hit up Penney's, a great store that is super cheap because they use child labour (not kidding, there is a lawsuit). I had actually bought a bikini and blazer (of course not to be worn together- one is polka dotted and the other is stripes) the other day but Stacy had yet to witness Penney's so we browsed around. It was a good time and hard to resist all the cute clothing but I'm still on a budget. After a bit of shopping we headed over to the Woolshed.

We got there about an hour before the other girls (Stevie and Laura) were getting there so we got a table near the TV and ordered some food. Eventually the two others got there but we were in for disappointment- the Carlton footy game was cancelled! I still haven't got the whole story but we couldn't watch it that night. What a bummer, Laura was seriously looking forward to reconnecting with her Australian heritage. We had to buy her chocolate so she could get over it.

But the excitement wasn't over yet. I went into my kitchen that night to make myself some nutella on toast (a new favorite) and there was a puddle of milk on the floor which smelled awful. I got Laura because she has been on a passive-aggressive crusade ever since our other roommate literally threw her trash on the floor when the bag was full.

We started cleaning up the sour milk and then realized that the milk expired March 10! That's 5 weeks late. It must have corroded the bottle and was leaking from the fridge. We had a good laugh and then tried removing the spoiled milk smell from our kitchen. I'm sure that someone put the milk in there and just forgot about it but, coupled with the garbage that no one takes out and the missing silverware/dishes, it was reason to write another note.

Dublin Doors

Today I went around town and took pictures of the Georgian doors in Dublin. Legend says that when Queen Elizabeth I died England ordered all the Irish to paint their doors black. Because they are Irish and rarely obey Britain we now have colourful doors to enjoy.

Week in Review

While I have been writing about my adventures in Paris other Dublin adventures have been happening without recognition. I need to change that.

Monday- My favorite Canadian decided to host a Easter dinner for the Study Abroad Family. After arriving back to Dublin that afternoon we went over to Stacy and Jen's apartment. I brought deviled eggs because what is Easter without eggs? Jen was going to make a whole ham but when she found out that it was 81 euro she opted to just make fettucini with ham and peas. Yum! And as if the pasta did not satisfy my palette enough Jen's French roomies made crepes. Yum squared! Good discussion, good friends, good food, and excellent Easter dinner away from home.

Tuesday-  JMatch's birthday! My favorite Canadian turned 21 (still a big deal for a Canadian) on Tuesday and that was cause for celebration. Brittany and Stevie came over to our apartment. When Jen arrived we put the candles in the cake that Laura bought and sang "Happy Birthday." After sharing some cake we get ready to go out. It was kinda like getting ready for the dance in eighth grade because we just all sat around the kitchen table painting nails, doing makeup, and chatting. I was meeting a friend from high school downtown and wanted to look nice because this boy had not seen me in three years so the girls helped me look my best. I wore my new blue polka dotted dress and Tom said I wore it well.

First the girls (Britt, Stevie, the Birthday Girl, and me) went to O'Neill's to get Jen's favorite, Irish stew. We chatted, took in the music, and enjoyed each other's company. After spending time there we went to The Quays in Temple Bar to meet up with Tom. It was so nice to see him after three years and catch up with a friend from LT. While we chatted the girls went upstairs for dessert and whiskey. I actually tried some whiskey myself because I had been waiting for someone to try whiskey with since arriving in Ireland and Tom seemed like the guy. Now I can say that I have had Irish whiskey in Ireland and celebrated JMatch's 21st birthday with her.

Wednesday- My big day of classes. I had a debate in Cross-Cultural Management about diversity in the workplace and I felt like such a mean person arguing against it, especially when my debate group consisted of another American, two French boys, and a boy from Singapore. I had a couple more classes and after Irish History Brittany came over for some fried potatoes.

Thursday- Didn't do too much during the day besides take a three hour nap (which I'm guessing I needed). After bumming around most the day, Brittany and Stacy came over for some tacos that me and Laura were making. We needed to book hostels for our trip to Italy at the end of our semester so Stacy, Brittany, and I got on that and we officially have a place to stay in Rome, Florence, and Venice.

Thursday night means one thing- karaoke at the Wicked Wolf! Just when you think the good ol' Wicked Wolf can't get any better we go last night and have the best time. Highlights include:

• Singing both "Say a Little Prayer" and "Oops, I Did It Again" 
• Meeting a new friend named Dean who taught us his dance move called "Feed the Chickens"
• Dancing like crazy to "Don't Stop Belivin'" with my pal Deano
• Getting numerous songs dedicated to us, including "End of the Road" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Brock Jones, karaoke DJ, knows us quite well)
• Throwing up the X when Allister, local star and X-Factor contestant, sings
• Being asked by the locals to go to another bar with them once the Wicked Wolf closed
• Late night snacks at Super Mac's where Brittany got the Milky Moo Shake and I mooed when it arrived. Stacy also gave me her soda like she does every week.

Friday- Today I decided to go into town and take pictures of the colourful Dublin doors. I also treating myself to a little shopping which consisted of trying on shoes and buying a pair of 3 euro sunglasses and another pair of 1.50 euro sunglasses (I'm on a tight budget.) I also found a going out of business sale at Yankee Candle so I treated myself to two candles which smell like lilac and "sun and sand" (smells like sunscreen).

What a nice week in Dublin!

Small Adventures

My life has calmed down a great deal since the month that was Spring Break, St. Patrick's Day, and the arrival of Carolyn and Kristina but that doesn't mean I don't have small adventures.

Small Adventure 1: Yesterday I had to take the bus into town in order to use the Wifi in a McDonald's. I had to submit a scholarship application and for some reason I could not get to their server from the UCD network. I braved the Dublin rain and got my scholarship in while munching on some "twisty fries." I plan on writing Micky D's and suggest they bring those bad boys to America.

Small Adventure 1.5: Laura was in the city as well and texted me so we could meet up at McDonald's. She had to go into town to get a new boot for her poor injured foot but all the medical supply stores were out of her size. I guess a lot of people with her size foot have stress fractures too. We decided to try the Crunchie Bar McFlurry. For those of you who don't know, Crunchie Bars are my new favorite Cadbury chocolate bar which consists of this honeycomb like thing covered in chocolate. Very tasty. They were on sale for Easter and I bought more than I care to disclose.

Small Adventure 2: I made Thai curry for dinner last night (and had the leftovers today). This is about the fourth time that I have made it since I've been in Dublin because it is a fairly easy and hardy dish but yesterday was the most successful attempt due in part to the fact that I found baby corn. I also added potatoes, green beans, and chicken, not to mention rice; it's a Thai stew of sorts.

Last night I danced/sang in my room to a medley of songs from Sweeney Todd and Billy Elliot, but that's not so much an adventure as a habit.

Small Adventure 3: Today it snowed in Dublin. I spent a lot of time doing work and avoiding work. Tonight my internet was acting up so I decided to work in the computer lab and put on comfy clothes to do it. Before we came here we were told not to look like Americans. Somehow I think my Fighting Illini sweatpants, Delta Sigma Pi sweatshirt and shirt, Northface, and Vera Bradley bag betrayed me in my attempts to look Irish. After working (or procrastinating) I came back to the apartment and me and Laura had some fried potatoes while chatting and singing a duet of "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret.

Kristina and Carolyn's Visit: Friday

The grand finale of Kristina and Carolyn's trip!

Friday the plan was to go to Howth, about forty minutes outside Dublin by train, if the weather was decent. Turns out the weather was decent enough so after mailing Kristina's many postcards at the UCD post office we hopped on a bus and headed into Dublin. After getting into the city we made our way over to the Famine Memorial on the banks of the river. On our way we ran into many people selling daffodils as a fundraiser for the Irish Cancer Society and Carolyn bought a bunch, which she later tossed into the ocean.

We looked at the Famine Memorial and then, to Kristina's delight, headed over to Connolly Station to catch a train to Howth. Kristina was very excited about being in a station that shared her last name and we took many pictures of her next to various signs. Then we hopped on the DART and were on our way to Howth.

Unfortunately the weather was not looking good when we got there. It was getting rather windy and by the end of our hike it had started raining. It didn't stop us as we made our way up the trail to get the gorgeous views of cliffs and the ocean. Here is a sample:

The magic of the self-timer.

It was getting a little damp in Howth so we decided to hop back on the train and get into Dublin for some lunch, going to a place called Kate's Cottage for some hardy Irish food. After lunch we headed over to The Temple Bar for some music, stopping at the James Connolly memorial on the way. Temple Bar didn't have very good traditional music that day but we enjoyed sitting down and relaxing never the less.

Kristina had been taking pictures of the various colourful doors in Dublin so we made our way down to the Georgian area of town, stopping for pictures along the way. The doors here really are fun and I never get tired of watching them fly by me as I ride the Dublin Bus. We also stopped in Merrion Square, which is the park with the Oscar Wilde statue (although there are probably about four hundred in Ireland). I showed them how it was done, climbing onto the rock where the statue sits. I did it fairly easily, but I had already had practice. Then Carolyn tried. Carolyn is a lot shorter than me and her shorter legs may have done her a disservice. For the life of her she couldn't get up. The funniest part came when she finally got both her feet on the rock only to fall backwards into the garden. Poor Carolyn. On her last attempt, as she made the hop over I held her to keep her from falling. I would have done this before but she wouldn't let me.

We walked around looking at doors a little more, then it was time to hop on a bus back to UCD. It just so happened that Brittany and Laura were on the same bus so we chatted with them on the way back. Laura had just gotten her hair cut and needed it dyed so Brittany was going to come up to our apartment and help her. We all gathered in the kitchen as Brittany dyed Laura's hair and then the Dsigs played a little cards.

Kristina, Carolyn, and I went back to my room after Britt left because they needed to get all their belongings in their suitcases and ready for bed. Laura came in to show us how her hair turned out and ended up chatting with us for a couple of hours. It was a good session of girl talk and made me realize how much I missed my slumber parties with Kristina.

The girls left the next morning at about 6 am. It was so nice to have them here and although I miss they could stay longer my room wasn't spacious with three girls sleeping/living there.

Hello Kristina and Carolyn!

I had some visitors from 'merica.

On Friday morning Kristina Connolly and Carolyn Wott, fellow Deltasigs, came to visit me in Dublin. After bringing their stuff into my room and showering we were ready to hit the city. We had planned on doing the New Europe tour of Dublin and found the tour at the meeting spot they said but it was done within an hour leading me to believe that we caught it halfway through. Curious that they would be at the start point at the exact time the other one was supposed to start but who knows. I tried to cover some of the other sights of Dublin for them, like Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and O’Connell Street but it would have been once to hear what the guide would have said. The hour we were on the tour was great though and I have a couple more stories about Bono. You know what they say, Dublin is a city of 1.3 million people and 3 million Bono stories.

After looking around the city we were dragging so we headed into the pub to listen to some music and relax. I wanted to find some nice traditional music but of course all I could find were guitarists playing “Wonderwall.” We settled down in The Quays Pub and talked it up with some English men there for a bachelor party. In Ireland you meet friends wherever you go.

At 6 Brittany and Laura came downtown to meet us for dinner, which we also had at The Quays. We talked and ate and then it was time to head back to UCD because we were pretty tired. Kristina and Carolyn hit the hay early while I stayed up and did some work. We had an early day tomorrow and had to be ready for adventure.

St. Patty's Day

Today the entire world is Irish and I was at the epicenter of celebration. Or maybe not.

Brittany and I headed into Dublin City around 10 am to meet up with Laura and catch the parade running down O’Connell Street at noon. Taking the bus into the city centre was an adventure in itself because of all the people decked out in green, and I think about ninety percent of them did not speak English, our first clue that we might not be partying it up with the locals. I did however mention that I too was a local everytime I met another local. "Oh, you've lived in Dublin your entire life, as did all your ancestors? I'm a local too! I'm studying at UCD for four months."

On the bus we did see a lot of Irish people going to church. St. Patrick’s Day was a completely religious celebration until about the 1990s when Dublin started having a parade instead of being upstaged by New York and Chicago (and no, they do not dye the River Liffey green.) The pubs in Dublin were not even open for St. Patrick’s Day until 1995! I hesitate to even imagine of all the profit they missed out on considering I was in the Temple Bar today and they were charging 18 euro for a Jagerbomb.

We walked around a little once we got there and treated ourselves to Shamrock Shakes from McDonald’s which was more of a taste of home than a taste of Ireland. We found a spot by the parade route and waited for the parade to start. I anticipated a nice parade with a lot of Irish dancing and people dressed up like leprechauns, perhaps throwing Lucky Charms into the audience, but this was not the case with the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day parade. The theme was “Extraordinary World” and the costumes and floats were kind of odd looking and very colourful. The irony is that thousands of people came from all over the “extraordinary world” to see an authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Ireland and it featured nothing Irish. It was a beautiful sunny morning though.

A taste of the "Extraordinary World"

After watching a great deal of the parade we made our way over to Croke Park, the sports stadium here in Dublin, to watch hurling and Gaelic football matches. This is what the locals do on St. Patrick’s Day and we had a lot of fun. Hurling is an interesting game because it’s like field hockey but also unlike anything that I’ve ever seen. You can not only hit the ball with the hurling stick but also catch it and throw it. They even “dribble” the ball on the end of their stick while they run.

Playing some hurling

Line up for one of the teams. It contains: 3 Gallaghers, 3 McGourtys, and 2 Kellys.

The match was between the Ballyhale Shamrocks from Kilkenny and Port Omna. The man in back of us explained the rivalry between the two counties and claimed that this was supposed to be a great match. At the end of the match, however, he said that he was wrong and it wasn’t that exciting. I still found it entertaining and this is for sure something that I can’t do in Chicago.

After the hurling match finished it was time for Gaelic football, another very old sport from the Emerald Isle. This game is similar to rugby and today was the national championships between St. Galls and Kilmurray. Laura especially liked this sport because it reminded her of her “footy” team back in Australia.

Some football players. In the background is the Hill 16 Standing which was made from the rubble of the 1916 Easter Rising as a sort of memorial.

Those men that look like lab technicians are actually the refs. They wear white coats.

At half time I got a text from my friend from U of I Sarah. It is a little known fact that I actually knew one person going to UCD and living in Dublin before I came overseas. It turns out that my friend/brother Jane’s roommate is dating a guy that goes to UCD named Hughey and I met him once while he was visiting U of I. It turns out that he is my RA here and Sarah moved here after she graduated from U of I in December. Anyway I see both of them frequently around campus and they were going to be at Croke Park today as well so we met up and I sat next to them. It was really nice sitting by Hughey because he could answer all the questions we had and Sarah is so sweet. Hughey also looks out for us and reminded us numerous times to stay out of the bad neighborhoods today and to talk to the police about where the buses could pick us up.

Sarah and Hughey

After the game finished we headed over to Temple Bar to meet up with Jen and her friend. I’m sure I’m not surprising you when I say that it was extremely crowded in that area of town and by that time most people were beyond drunk. We spent a little time there but we were so tired after our non-stop past couple of weeks and the crowds were too much. I felt like a local because I was so annoyed by the thousands of tourists.

It was a great day that was unforgettable. We got to do the tourist thing by seeing the parade and going to Temple Bar and also hung out with the locals at the GAA Championships.

St. Patrick's Eve

Taking a small break from Spring Break blogging to bring you some good old Irish craic.

People dancing in the street

Today Laura, Brittany, and I headed downtown to catch some of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities which did not disappoint. The mood of the city was great and there more than a few goofy green hats.
When we first got there we went to go see the event that was taking place by St. Stephen’s. There was a stage set up and some musicians playing. There were even some people within the crowd doing Irish dance. Brittany and I tried our hand at the Irish dance that they were teaching us but we just got dizzy.

After spending some time there we went shopping for some St. Patrick’s gear but then we came up with the plan to just buy it on Thursday when it would be on sale. We’re so thrifty. We walked around a little bit more soaking in the festive atmosphere. Laura had to go meet up with other friend Margaret at Trinity so she left and Brittany and I went grocery shopping for dinner. We decided on having chicken Caesar salad for dinner and got the supplies for that.

After taking the bus home I made dinner while Brittany played Irish music to get in the festive mood. After dinner we spent time blogging and uploading photos together. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Dublin Castle

Ladies' Drawing Room in Dublin Castle

I decided to take advantage of my Heritage Pass, which gives me free entry to many places in Ireland, and visit Dublin Castle. It's not really an authentic castle but it was well worth the visit. Today it is used for government events, like state dinners and the presidential inauguration.

I got there at about 1:25 and the next tour was at 2:15 so I got a croissant at the Dublin Castle Cafe and they relaxed in the sunlight in the courtyard. Here are some pictures from the tour:

After the Irish president leaves office they receive a coat of arms which is displayed at Dublin Castle. Currently Mary McAleese is president, and before her was Mary Robinson. Therefore after Mary McAleese leaves office in 2011 it will mark 21 years of having a female president, the longest run of anywhere in the world. When McAleese ran in 1997 she was one of 5 candidates, 4 of which were female and the females got 95% of the vote. (I listened very attentively during the tour.)

Plaster on the ceiling depicting Minerva giving wisdom to Hibernia, who represents Ireland.

Throne in Throne Room. The Queen doesn't really come sit here anymore after Ireland got it's independence.

Chandelier in the throne room representing Scotland, England, and Ireland. It weighs a ton, literally.

Dining room with pictures of past viceroys. Notice the picture at the far end of the room. It is a portrait of Cornwallis and since he was not popular it is hung lower than all the others. I am not making this up; the Irish hold grudges.

Room where the inaugurations take place.

Ceiling in the inauguration room.

After touring the castle we went down underneath it and saw the remains of the viking castle dating back to 1204. The original castle mostly burned down in the 17th century but these walls remain. Very cool.

Reminds me of my basement.

After my 45 minutes tour I went and did a little shopping because I am growing a little tired of my limited wardrobe. I made a friend in the dressing room after this girl offered her opinion on the dress I was trying on (I was grateful because it saved me the effort of finding a gay salesman to enable me to buy clothes.) I told her how I had only brought two suitcases to Ireland. When I decided not to buy anything I offered the girl my coupon for 15% off. "You're not going to buy anything? What about your general lack of clothing?" What a sweetheart.

*I apologize but I am having a hard time getting these pictures to center.

Update: When I open the blog in Safari they appear to be off-center but when I open it in Internet Explorer they are centered. Curious and upsetting considering I'm a formatting junkie.

International Experience

Yesterday the US lost to Canada in the Men's Hockey Final and I witnessed it- sitting with a bunch of Canadians in an Australia bar in Dublin.

My friend from class, Kayla, invited me to go downtown with her to watch the match with some of her friends and considering I have not watched a single minute of the Olympics I jumped at the opportunity. We went to an Australian sports bar, The Woolshed, down on Parnell Street. It was a nice place that was filled with Canadians. Even the bus going there was filled with Canadians. I guess this is like their big show that only comes around every four years so every Canadian in Dublin came out with their maple leaf apparel to watch it. We did have some US representation (I was also sitting with four other Americans) because one fellow American brought a US flag and hung it from one of the windows.

All in all, it was a priceless experience, even though the US lost in overtime and I had to listen to Canadians running up and down O'Connell Street screaming. And I got caught up on my WWE Wrestling because naturally one of the two televisions on the first floor was showing that.

Gaolhouse Rock

Entrance to Kilmainham Goal in Dublin. This entrance was also the sight of public hangings.

The Kilmainham Gaol had been on my must-see list since I read about Dublin and after getting a good foundation on Irish revolutionaries in Irish History class I decided to check it out. Rick Steves gave it three triangles and it did not disappoint.

The first challenge was getting to Kilmainham, which was over 30 minutes walking time from the city centre. But I could use the exercise and I didn’t want to pay for the bus so I made the trek. I showed up just in time for the guided tour at 2:30 with Anthony, who was great. I bought the Heritage Pass while I was there that gets one into many historical sights for free for one year. I also got a booklet about all the historical sights but it is in Irish. I don't know why you would put a tourist pamphlet in Irish but they did and I can't read it.

Chapel in the jail. The marriage between Joseph Plunkett and Gail Gifford (who later returned as a prisoner) took place here the night before his execution. He was involved in the Easter Uprising. The alter was carved by a prisoner.

During the guided tour you walked around the jail itself. Anthony talked about various prisoners, including Robert Emmet (subject of the history presentation I gave on Wednesday), Charles Parnell, and Padraig Pearse. He also talked about the conditions of the jail because it was considered a model for Victorian jails where the inmates were put in separate cells. It was an extremely interesting tour and anyone with an interest for Irish revolutionaries should be sure to see it.

Door to Robert Emmet's cell

At the end of the tour there was also a museum which had various facts about the jail, including a list of people who got put in during the Great Famine and their crimes, which often included stealing food. Getting put in Kilmainham was sometimes life saving during the Great Famine because the prisoners were at least fed, but there was also a lot of disease that a weak person could succumb to. They also had a separate room with famous inmates’ objects, including diaries, letters, and personal belongings. They even had Wolf Tone’s and Robert Emmet’s death masks, which were somewhat creepy but also reminded me that they were real people, not just words on a page in my history book. One of the patriots of the Easter Uprising, Mallin, who was executed here wrote a letter to his family saying goodbye and encouraging his youngest son to become a priest. The son did become a priest and still visits the prison every couple of years, the last living child of anyone executed there. 

Cell

Exercise yard. All inmates were subject to hard labour which may include breaking rocks or simply unwinding rope. This is also used in the TV series The Tudors for all the execution scenes.

Sight of the execution of most of the Easter Uprising conspirators. James Connolly was executed on the other side of the yard.

I love the atmosphere of the city, especially walking down Grafton Street with all the street performers. Yesterday I was walking home after church and a man with a guitar and harmonica was playing “Take Me Home Country Roads,” one of my absolute favorites. Today as I was walking down Grafton and “Forever Young” was playing, another great song, as I walked down the street independently and it was one of those “Who Will Buy?” moments (what is a blog entry if you don’t make a musical theatre reference?) But I have those moments that I wish I could put in a box and keep forever all the time while I’m here. Hopefully this blog will function as a memory box for some of the perfect moments I’ve experienced.

"What Good is Sitting..."

"...alone in your room. Come hear the music play." I didn't see a cabaret today but I did go out and hear some music instead of wasting away in my dorm room.

After spending much of the day booking hostels, watching Project Runway, and getting my life back in order I took the bus into Dublin in order to attend evensong at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I thought this would be a good idea because it would be an experience and I could see the cathedral for free.

I always have a little pride when I manage to take the bus into the city and navigate it myself and this time I did not use a map at all. I walked the streets like a local, although when my pride bubbled to the top I might have skipped a little.

When I got to the cathedral I was a little weary to just waltz in but another girl showed up and she just walked in so I followed. She may have thought I was a creep but that’s ok. The cathedral was a lot smaller than I thought it would be but impressive none the less. It was not the greatest cathedral I had ever witnessed but I enjoyed it and the whole experience of going to a service there. I sat down and was one of only eight people worshipping. It was about a forty minute service which I enjoyed because the acoustics in that stone cathedral were fantastic. I also saw where Jonathon Swift is buried- it was right in the sanctuary.

St. Patrick's at twilight

Upon leaving I continued my local strut and I must have looked like a Dubliner because a woman asked me for bus directions. And most amazing of all, I knew the answer to her question.

Happy Birthday, Brittany!

Turning 21 lacks something when you are in a country where you can drink when you’re 12 18 so we had to show Brittany a good time.

We started our good time by having dinner with Brittany before Irish History class (and my third presentation of the day) and served typical birthday party food (soda, pizza, and birthday cake.) It was a good, down home American birthday celebration with two Americans and an Australian.

At lecture our teacher explained an essay that we have to write and informed us that unlike in the US, we have to answer the question we are being asked in the essay. Wow, things are different here.

After a very depressing lecture on the Potato Famine we hit Temple Bar. Stevie, Laura and I took the bus into the city, which was successful despite the fact that we did not have our navigator Brittany. We knew that we had to get off at the bus stop across from the store that had sequined dresses in the window. I am not even kidding, that was our landmark. Brittany, her stepmom, and her cousin met us at our favorite bar, The Temple Bar, and listened to some traditional Irish music. It’s funny, but I really forget I’m in Ireland and take it for granted until I realize that the music that I’m hearing is live Irish music that is being played in a pub in Dublin and then I smile.

While we were at Temple Bar we also engaged in a little mischief. You see, Laura and I started the semester with about seven glasses in our apartment, about four of which were left here by the people who were living there last semester. Now we have one glass and everyone in the apartment is using it. I have no idea where the rest of the glasses are but I have not seen them in a long while. I suspect that someone is holding them in their room for some unexplained reason. Yesterday I bought a new glass because I thought it was unhygienic for so many people to be drinking out of one glass. I thought I would leave this glass in the kitchen so everyone could use it as well but that was a bad decision considering it had disappeared by that night. Seriously?! I am a little peeved. Good thing the glass only cost one euro.

Anyway, this has created a cycle of stealing because to make up for the missing glasses Laura and I took some from Temple Bar. I feel a little bad about it until I remember that 1) bars get the glasses for free from the breweries and 2) a pint costs 6.50 euro, the equivalent of about 10 US dollars. Now I am the proud owner of a Smithwicks glass and Laura has a Bulmers one. Stevie also secured a Guinness glass for Brittany’s stepmom as a souvenir by going up to the customers that just finished it and asking if she could have it. Laura got her glass from pretending that she was bussing tables (she thinks the Australian dialect threw them off.)

Stevie, Laura, and I took the last bus back to UCD and when we got home I fried up some potatoes for Laura and me and we had leftover cake for dessert. That sounds like a perfect late night snack to me. We also sang “Party in the USA” while cooking.

Frat Brothers and Guinness

Look who showed up on my doorstep:

Maggie, me, Brittany-Dsigs take over Dublin!

It's my friend and frat brother Maggie Stremel, just in from Paris, France! She came in for the weekend and is currently sleeping on a couch I dragged into my room because we had a busy day.

She arrived around noon and Brittany and I headed into the city centre with her and her friend Anna to get the full Dublin experience. We took her on the scenic tour, lead by Brittany, that included walking through St. Stephen's Green, Graffton Street, and along the River Liffey. We ended up eating lunch at an authentic Irish restaurant called The Quays (pronounced "keys") in the Temple Bar area. I had the burger along with Brittany, while Maggie and her friend Anna had the beef and Guinness pie (always an Irish favorite.) Stevie had a cajun chicken caesar salad and her friend Alyscia had a panini. As you can tell remembering meals is very important to me. And each of our meals was only 10 euro and was really filling, something us poor college tourists are looking for.

After lunch we headed over to the Guinness Storehouse, a completely touristy thing that we had not done since being in Dublin and we wanted to share it with Maggie and our other guests. If there is one thing that the Irish are more proud of than their writers and St. Patrick it is Guinness. (They are also really proud that the Titanic was built in Belfast; at least it didn't sink due to shoddy workmanship.)It was a good exhibit and most certainly something that you have to do while in Dublin. The stout is no longer made in the storehouse, but they have a multimedia exhibit showing how it was done. You also get to taste 7-10 day old Guinness, which is as fresh as it comes. I thought it was very bitter, but then again the most beer I've ever had is equivalent to about three tablespoons. After the tour you reach the Gravity Bar on the top level which has great panoramic views of the city.

Roasted barley. It tasted a lot like Guinness.

Brittany and Maggie sampling very fresh Guinness Stout

Various Guinness bottles

Guinness Ads

It's got a blonde head just like me!

We went back to my place, the apartment that everyone seems to congregate in, and talked until dinnertime, and then dinnertime was nothing special; we just went to the Centra and got a few things and each made our own dinner. Afterwards Maggie, Brittany, Anna, and I went downtown to hit up some of the bars in the Temple Bar area. We ended up sitting on an outside heated patio at Fitzsimons for a while then headed over to the Porterhouse briefly for about ten minutes of live music. Everyone was super tired, especially Maggie who had been up since 5 am, and we have a big day in Kilkenny tomorrow, so we headed back to Roebuck Hall and now I sit writing this as Maggie drifts to sleep on the couch I stole from my common room.