Our Trip Blog

The Events of Monday, May 9, 2011

                The house was quiet as I ventured out to the family room for my quiet time. Floor-to-ceiling windows displayed the rolling wonder of the Irish hills. A light rain fell as blue sky battled with dispersing clouds. With Jim on his walk, and the kids still asleep, I enjoyed the peace and quiet as I prayed.

                This idyllic quiet did not last long. Jim returned from his walk, the kids woke up and showered, and our morning routine began. Before we knew it, we were packing up a lunch, throwing umbrellas and layers into the car, and heading for Dublin, our destination for the day. After a bit, we turned a bend in the road and found a grocery store. In need of some essentials, Abby and Jim did a little grocery shopping, and then we drove on to Blessington, the largest town in the area that boasted a TI (tourist information center). Leaving the rest of us in the car, Jim and Abby headed to the TI, only to find it closed. Luckily, there was a library nearby with a very helpful staff. After giving advice about parking, trains, and buses into Dublin, she gave them the access code to the free WiFi and directed them to a computer. It was a good thing, as they had forgotten to copy down the confirmation number for our tickets to Abbey Theatre. So they briefly checked our emails – nothing new – and headed back to the car.

                Back at the car, we weighed our options. We could park outside of Dublin (since parking in Dublin costs 30€ a day OR we could park in a free lot and take the train in at 5€ per person. Hmmmmm, 5 x 6 = 30, so that wasn’t going to really save us any money. And we had plans to see a play at the Abbey Theatre that was going to get out late. To then have to wait for public transportation to get us back to our car, and then still have almost an hour to drive seemed like too much. So, we decided to take our chances with parking in Dublin. We headed toward the Abbey Theatre and found a parking garage nearby. Parking here, even for all day, would only cost us around 20€. What a deal!

                Then our Ireland tour guide, Abby, led us to a real Ireland Tourist Information Office. While the rest of us used the facilities and perused the gift shop (Ben looks great in an Irish cap!), Jim and Abby asked their questions and received maps and answers in return. It was nearing lunch time, so we decided to head over to Trinity College to see if we could find a place to picnic there. When we arrived, we found that the next college tour started in three minutes. Could we make it? We could. We munched a few carrots to stave off our hunger, and then the tour started.

                Our tour guide, Jamie, is a professional student, having been at Trinity College for nine years. He started off by telling us the official name of Trinity College. Officially, it is called: College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin. Whew – no wonder they just call it Trinity. Next, he showed us two identical buildings facing each other. One was the chapel, and the other was the examination hall. Milling around the door of the examination hall were clusters of students, and Jamie explained that it was exam time here at Trinity. He said that the location of the chapel and exam room opposing each other was symbolic. One represented examination by God; the other represented examination by man. The chapel at Trinity is unique, as it houses four different religious denominations – Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican. Given that much of Ireland’s history is filled with religious conflict, this is quite a feat.

                Next he pointed out an ornate bell tower. Statues representing the four schools of the original majors offered at Trinity stood at the corners. The bell tower was flanked on either side by statues. One was the founder of Trinity College, who vowed that women would attend over his dead body. Three weeks later he was dead, and a month after that the first woman stepped on campus. She was the first woman to receive a higher education in the British Isles. Now that several of the college’s presidents have been women the guy must be flipping in his grave. The other statue was of a beloved mathematics professor. The statue shows the professor sitting on a chair. The night before the statue was to be unveiled, a student snuck a full chamberpot under the veil. Imagine the surprise of the Queen and distinguished guests who were there for the unveiling.

                Further on, Jamie pointed to buildings where several of Ireland literary figures had dwelt while they attended Trinity. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, was one such figure. Then he showed us another hall and told us another story of Trinity lore. It seems some students were disgruntled about their poor grades on their exams and decided to throw rocks at the window of their professor’s ground floor apartment. Obviously, the breaking of all his windows awoke the professor and he brought out his pistol and opened fire. This so enraged the drunken students that they retrieved their firearms and a gun battle ensued. In the end, the professor was killed after receiving a bullet wound in a very painful place. The campus was in an uproar and the students were initially suspended. At their trial, some called for hanging. However the judge, who was in the gentleman’s club with their fathers, found the professor equally culpable and the four students got off scot free. They then went on to be quite distinguished members of society, becoming earls, serving in Parliament, and becoming a highly ordained member of the clergy. At this point in our tour we were outside the Old Library, which houses the Book of Kells. A viewing of the Book of Kells was included in our tour, but since we had the tickets in hand, it didn’t matter when we went in, so we decided to take a lunch break.

                Wandering back past the library, we found our way to the cricket field. Sitting the six of us on one long bench was no easy feat, but it kept us warm in the changing weather. As we munched, we watched a group of older men out for their midday jog around the cricket field. At one point it began to rain, but the tree above us provided a nice canopy of protection. However, soon the rain stopped and when the wind picked up and shook the branches we got a little wet anyway.

                Quite chilled, we made our way back to the Old Library, showed our tickets, and entered the exhibit of the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an intricately decorated copy of the four Gospels. In the late eighth century, Irish monks on the island of Iona, Scotland, crafted the Book of Kells on 150 pieces of vellum (calf skin). After a series of Viking raids, the monks took this precious copy to the Irish monastery at Kells in A.D. 806. As we entered the exhibit, a tour guide with a booming voice was explaining in detail a page of the Book of Kells enlarged in a photograph. We hung around and benefited from the explanation. There were several exhibit areas that explained different aspects of the Book of Kells. There were two videos – one showed the ancient art of book binding and the other how the writing and illustrations were made. Although these had no narration, they were very interesting. Other exhibits explained about the manuscripts, the symbols hidden in the art work, and the alphabet that was used. Another exhibit analyzed the writing and illustration styles and determined that the work was done by four monks.

                Now adequately prepared for the actual viewing, we approached the glass case that held two of the four gospels of the Book of Kells, one opened to a page of text and the other to a page of illustration. Also on display were a copy of the Book of Armagh (A.D. 807) and a copy of the Book of Dimma (A.D. 680), the first “Bible tracts” or pamphlets of the time. Monks would carry these mini-gospels with them as they went evangelizing through the countryside. The earlier tour group had moved on and we had the glass case almost to ourselves. Using our newly acquired knowledge we examined the text closely and were able to identify a few words. After this close examination, we made our way upstairs to the main chamber of the Old Library.

                Stacked ceiling to floor with 200,000 of the library’s oldest books (organized by size as we learned from our tour guide), this 200 foot long chamber is impressive. Built in 1732 it initially had a flat plaster ceiling and shelving for books on the lower level only. By the 1850s the shelves were completely full and in 1860, the roof was raised to its present barrel-vaulted ceiling and gallery bookcases. Each alcove has a name and each shelf a letter of the alphabet. A slanted ladder slides along the bookcases to provide access to these ancient texts. Marble busts line either side of the room. Along the center are display cases of printed books, manuscripts, lecture notes and illustrations, and a variety of other objects important to Trinity College or Ireland’s history.

                We were drawn in particular to three of the displays. One was supposed to be an original score of Handel’s Messiah, which was first performed here as a fund-raiser. However, the musical score on display did not match the description because it was NOT the Messiah. Further on was the oldest harp to survive from Ireland and dates from the 15^th century. Most remarkable to us however, was the skeleton of a giant. This man was over 7 feet tall and weighed 30 stone, which Ben calculated put him close to 480 lbs. His skeleton was large in every way. His shoulders were broad, the ribcage was barrel shaped, and his knees were knock-kneed from the burden of carrying all that weight. His hands were incredibly large, but surprisingly, his feet were not. Smaller then Ben’s, they were about my size and I have the smallest feet in the family.  We speculated that perhaps, since he couldn’t find shoes in his size, he wore small shoes which in turn bound his feet and prevented their growth. Poor guy did not have an adequate base of support for all that height and weight.

                The exit of the exhibit was (of course) through a gift shop. However, this time it was a happy coincidence as Abby found just what she had been looking for – a backpack. She was able to purchase a reasonably priced Trinity College backpack (to replace her broken one) that was sizeable, durable and a souvenir. What a deal! Pleased with her purchase, our Ireland tour guide led us out of Trinity College and down the street to Grafton Street, Dublin’s lively pedestrian mall. Usually a great place to see street musicians, the pickings were slim today. However, we did find a bit of entertainment at the end of Grafton Street. Coca Cola was celebrating 125 years by handing out free cans of Coke. A sizeable crowd had gathered around the young lady opening the cans and handing them out, but soon we each had an open can. Just the refreshment we needed before our next stop.

                Our next stop was Dublin’s city park, St. Stephen’s Green. This well kept and beautifully arranged green space is surrounded on all sides by Georgian buildings. Filled with ponds full of ducks and geese, statues of famous Irish literary greats and neatly arranged walking paths, it was a welcome respite from the busyness of the city. In particular we were looking for the Great Famine statues. Only the true Irish refer to this time in their country’s history as the Great Hunger. Many farmers in Europe were suffering from the same potato blight that destroyed Ireland’s crops. However, the difference was that potatoes weren’t their mainstay diet AND other countries were able to grow other food to ward off starvation. Potatoes were the Irish main food source. During the potato blight, the Irish continued to grow crops which the controlling British sold abroad for profit. Unfortunately, the poor, starving, Irish farmers saw none of this profit. During this time Ireland lost about a quarter of its population -- one eighth to starvation and death, and another eighth to emigration. Sobered, we made our way out of the park and returned to Grafton Street….and the Coca Cola celebration. We weren’t sober for long!

                This time we stood in line to pull colored balls out of an enlarged Coke bottle. If you pulled out a red ball you were given an unopened bottle of Coca Cola. If you pulled out a green one, you were told “Tough luck.” After I inadvertently pulled out a green, all the kids knew to pull red. This wasn’t too difficult as it was easy to peek through the slot and see what you were choosing. After my “mistake”, I just got back in line and pulled out the proper color when my turn came. Now that we had drinks for our dinner, we were ready to explore more of Dublin.

                After making our way to Dublin’s landmark bridge, the O’Connell Bridge, we decided to take the O’Connell Street Stroll to kill some time before dinner. O’Connell Street is lined with statues celebrating the greats in Ireland’s fight for independence. After viewing some of these we found ourselves at the Millennium Spire, a 390 foot tall stainless steel post. Basically this expensive piece of metal stands for nothing and has no real meaning. Yet the kids were impressed by its height and shiny presence. Looking across the street we saw the General Post Office where Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of Independence in 1916, kicking off the Easter Uprising. Martyred for his troubles, his death and the death of the other leaders of the movement jumpstarted public outcry and turned the tide on Irish Home Rule. Realizing that she needed Irish stamps for her letter to Uncle Scott, Abby led us inside. After purchasing the stamps she stood in another line to get envelopes, only to be directed to a nearby bookstore.

                Luckily this bookstore not only had envelopes, but also had restrooms. Greatly relieved, Jim and I were amazed to realize that we had exited the restrooms into a Tower Records store. Tower Records, which got its start in Sacramento, went belly up a few years back. However it is alive and thriving in Dublin, Ireland. Who knew?

                Now it was time to find dinner. After walking along the River Liffey, we crossed the river on the elegant white iron Ha’Penny Bridge, so named for the half pence toll that used to be required to cross. We soon found ourselves at the Epicurean Food Hall, which offers a wide selection of food stalls. After perusing our options we decided on various jacket potatoes, fish and chips, and fried sausages and chips. Only Lindsey and Caitlin decided on more familiar fare and opted for burritos from the Mexican food stall. After dinner we decided to look for desert on our way to Abbey Theatre, where we were going to see the play, Pygmalion. After checking out several disappointing options, Caitlin spied a doughnut stand offering 6 donuts for 3€. Perfect!

                After dessert we made our way to Abbey Theatre. We were looking at the billboards before entering and a young man passed us and enthusiastically said, “You’ve GOT to see Pygmalion. It is a great performance.” It was easy to follow through on his suggestion since we already had tickets. Later, we were amused to see that same young man at the end of the show in the curtain call. Having more time to kill before the show, we ambled down Bachelor Lane along the River Liffey to where other Famine statues are placed. We returned with time for a final restroom stop and took our seats.

                Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, is the play that inspired Rodger and Hammerstein’s musical “My Fair Lady”. All of us love the music of “My Fair Lady” and have watched the movie more times than we can count. However, it took a bit of a different mindset to set the musical aside and enjoy the play. The play was very well done. Because the play was so well done it drew the audience into the performance. In fact, Jim and I found ourselves discussing the ramifications of possessing the character traits of Professor Henry Higgins. The hours sped by and before we knew it, it was over. Immensely satisfied with our evening and our day, we made our way back to the car, and headed home.