Ireland Part II: Dublin

Our guest stay family really made me hope that I received some of the heartwarming Irish hospitality through my heritage. I was really sad to leave their cozy cottage house, but I was also looking forward to all the other wonders of Ireland we were to experience.
After our stay in Cahersiveen, we took a small boat ride through the magnificent Lake of Killarney, in Co. Kerry, which actually consist of three lakes and two connecting rivers. We took our tour beginning at a castle on the south of the tour. A family-owned company provided the boats, small wooden contraptions that sat about eight delegates and a leader, and the guides, jovial and friendly Irishmen who worked at the Lakes, which are one of the few national parks in Ireland. During the trip through the waterscape, our extremely knowledgeable guide explained to us both the history and present day concerns of the park. Did I mention it was freezing cold and windy? We were visibly shivering – our guide was wearing a t-shirt.
He first informed us about the area itself: there are three lakes, the lower lake (the largest and deepest at 220 feet), the middle lake (of namesake size), and the upper lake (the smallest of the three). The three are connected by two shallow rivers, in some places as little as three or four feet of water, forcing us heavy passengers to abandon the boat and walk along the bank for stretches. The only way I can describe the beautiful natural gardens and forests that lined those wonderful rivers is a scene out of “The Secret Garden.” It looked as though no human foot had ever laid foot on the faintly defined paths that wound along, and though no human eye had ever seen the overhanging vines, twisting trees, no human ear had heard the sweet call of birds, heard the water rushing over the same smooth pebbles.
Our guide also shared that the park recently introduced sea eagles to try and bolster their dwindling population, and that they seemed to take to the region – they were just beginning to raise their first broods when we visited. Earlier in history, golden eagles used to roost on the “purple mountain,” but no longer can survive in the park. He also described the various fish in the lakes, how and when they were fished, etc. I unfortunately don’t know enough about either to have retained what he said. Another natural wonder the park boasts is one of the last natural oak forests in Ireland – most were destroyed as early as the Middle Ages for castle and fort building materials. Another interesting fact he shared was an explanation of why Irish lakes have their particular and mysterious black color – the peat bottoms. The last bit of information he shared with is was the history of the park – a wealthy family owned the park, and when only the father and his daughter were left, they donated the park and their beautiful residence on it (a quaint lakeside cottage) to the Irish government.
After we left the boats and cold lake-spray for the last time, we walked through an otherworldly field to a small Ramada and café where we enjoyed a tasty outdoor lunch before continuing our day with a horse-drawn jaunty car ride through the lovely Gap of Dunloe. Each cart sat four ambassadors rather uncomfortably, and the driver also stood in the small cart, which were pulled by surprisingly strong work horses of a special mixed breed for that particular purpose. Our horses’ name was Podge and our driver’s name escapes me at the moment, though I remember quite vividly not understanding a word he said, his Irish brogue was that strong. I am also relatively sure when he was speaking to other drivers, they were talking at least partly in Irish, which didn’t necessarily contribute to understanding them any better.
The path we drove on was rather treacherous for horse drawn carriage – the road we traveled on was barely wide enough for a car, much less a carriage with a car trying to pass, or a carriage and a car and bikers or walkers and all other manner of motorized vehicles. We were about the only groups taking the tour right then, but our driver informed us that during July and August about forty full-time drivers work in the Gap. We didn’t talk much on trip, being too busy to avoid being hit by the driver and his horse whip (!), not falling out, etc. A bit out of the blue, our driver told us about the life cycle of the local sheep population, pointing out the ages of different sheep we passed. One of the stranger things about some of the livestock we saw in Ireland – instead of tagging their ears or branding the animals, the farmers would spray-paint different color “x’s” on them to show ownership. It was a little odd to see half-pink or blue sheep running about.
After the ride, we stopped at a store/restaurant/pub where we took a bit of a breather and some pictures, then hopped on the coach to our Liffey River Valley hotel, right outside of Dublin. We had a slow night of “chillaxing,” according to Adam, in our hotel. In addition to that particular slang, younger Irish people have a distinct habit of using the work “like” differently than Americans, i.e.: “I’m like going to the mall,” versus “I’m going to the mall-like.”
After a lovely early-morning coach ride into Dublin through seemingly endless suburbs, we started our day in the near deserted city (8 a.m. on a Sunday morning) with a famous statue hunt. I loved seeing Dublin in all the stages of a day, weather and population-wise. Since it doesn’t get dark until after 11 p.m. there (a shock even for Phoenicians), it was busiest just when we left the city around 8 p.m.
One of the first statues we had to find was outside of Trinity University, founded in 1592, the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity is a top choice for me in continuing my education after ASU, and I was so thrilled to pass by it in the coach, much less be able to walk around in the central courtyard with its blue and gold clock, imposing and ancient stone buildings, quaint cobblestoned thoroughfares, perfectly groomed green grass, and sculptures seemingly frozen in time. When we passed underneath the main archway into the actual college grounds, I saw flyers for many school clubs and activities and dearly hoped I would be able to participate in them someday – the recently occurred Shakespeare festival sounded the most interesting. What I wouldn’t have given to be able to see some of the classrooms or talk to a professor or student.
Many of the remaining statues were in St. Steven’s Green, a lovely park at the end of Grafton Street. There were a few modern-art statues I liked very much, but we didn’t have enough time to see very many.
After the hunt, I really enjoyed the high-speed coach tour of Dublin, our guide was very friendly, interesting, and knowledgeable. I think it’s a national talent to be able to weave fascinating stories at any time or place, about any subject. However, whenever any Irish national mentioned England, the rebellion, or Northern Ireland, I felt a bit odd. Those subjects have a stigma attached to them unlike the American rebellion that is unfair. I honestly expected the Irish as a group to be more vocally bitter and hurt than they let on, and I think it’s a credit to their people that they can talk about it calmly in a historical context.
Also, the entire Ireland-England situation seems so longstanding and vitriolic that it cannot be solved, but I don’t think that is an acceptable attitude to take about any disagreement, from the petty to the international. I realize England was completely in the wrong by taking Ireland violently as a colony, and while I can understand the violent retaliation then and now, I do not condone either side. Continued reprisals by either, while they might accomplish a little in the short-run, are not equal in worth to the hurt and killed, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children. It has been proved time and time again that te only way to lastingly solve any volatile situation permanently and with at least a fair compromise is with open communication and peaceful methods. If both sides of this disagreement can admit their mistakes and enter into negotiations without preconceived prejudices, I believe that England and Ireland can make real progress and eventually, with hard work and a shared determined spirit, come to a compromise satisfactory to both parties.
But back to the coach tour – we saw one of the largest continuous rows of Georgian houses in the world. This architecture is common on both the North and South sides of Dublin (separated by the Liffey River). The houses go for as much as 30 million Euros each, and their most stunning outdoor feature is their magnificently decorated doors! There are a couple of stories our guide recited for us on the origins of the brightly painted and distinct doors: first, the reason might have been that the drunk husbands coming home in pitch black night in the 1700’s (before street lights) kept stumbling into the wrong houses and beds, and/or at one point an English royal died and the Royal government ordered all subjects to paint their doors black to commemorate the occasion, but Ireland blatantly refused in the name of their long sought-after liberty.
Also on our tour, we passed through the beautiful Phoenix Park in the center of Dublin, which is twice the size of New York’s Central Park and five times the size of the largest park in London – obviously the Irish take their greenery very seriously, and with good reason. The park also contains a huge zoo which we couldn’t quite get a glimpse of, as many of the parks roads were blocked off due to a ongoing marathon. The Irish president’s house/mansion is in the park, and it is currently inhabited by Mary McAleese. The only other official that lives within the park is the American ambassador, supposedly illustrating the close relationship the two countries have from both being former English colonies and the subsequent bloody rebellions. As we continued on, we passed by the impressive St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland. Another fun site on the tour was the expansive Guinness plant and distribution center. According to our guide, only half of the million pints made a day are exported. She also explained that if you take a factory tour and make it up to the top of seven or eight stories, you receive a free pint. In addition, the Guinness Family doesn’t only own the factory, it owns almost 60 acres of land in Dublin, leased to various businesses and apartments/condos.
After the coach ride, we stopped at the Trinity College Museum of History and Archeology. The museum in vast so we only saw a tiny bit of it – the foyer had a beautiful decorated ceiling, and the whole building had beautiful hand-tiled floors and ornate staircases. In the lobby’s floor, all the astrological signs were represented in tile mosaics. Unfortunately, they do not allow photography. The museum houses various exhibits covering Ireland’s history from at least 1500 B.C. to the medieval times of kings, some of which we were able to see. There were many gold artifacts from the B.C.’s up to 1200, including rings and huge necklaces. In the exhibits from later times, the gold jewelry is artfully twisted and quite beautiful.
Later, after a wonderful dinner, we returned to Grafton Street, the Dublin equivalent to Rodeo Drive, for some serious free time and shopping. I first must mention how endlessly weird it was to see McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut in that old-Europe city. There was also a Barbie store – it was Barbie themed and the clothes were real-size versions of Barbie clothes. Needless to say I skipped venturing into that particular establishment. At the end of the street is St. Steven’s Green Shopping Centre, a three-story, mall-like venue. I was really surprised at how many “American” stores were inside like Claire’s, and stores that were close equivalents to Spencer’s and Forever 21. But it was also very different from the traditional Phoenix mall, at least – its top floor was a legitimate art gallery and was very fancy in decoration, including white wrought-iron gates around each floor. Its food court was laid out over three stories at one end of the circular mall instead of taking up the first floor. Also, it had an in-mall piercing and tattooing parlor.
I was ever so disappointed when we had to leave Dublin, but I am firm in my belief I will return here soon. After being in Ireland for some time, I began to realize it is a country of contradictions, which made me feel a lot better, being a person of contradictions on everything from musical taste to career aspirations. Onward to Wales!