DUBLIN
“There are only two kinds of people in the world: the Irish and those who wish they were.”
Ireland is the size of Maine, yet can boast of literary greats from James Joyce to Oscar Wilde. Try to Google “literary greats of Maine” and see what you get.
It was the first time in Ireland for all of us, and we wanted to make the best of our two days in Dublin. Once again Brenna’s trip planning served us well, she had reserved space in an AirBnB in Temple Bar, the heart of the old city.
Wet day in Dublin’s Temple Bar district. (Photo by Pam)
We toured the city on the Hop-ON-Hop-OFF bus, visited museums (yes museums), joined an evening pub crawl, and walked and walked and walked. Dubliners everywhere were friendly, polite, and helpful.
The River Liffey flows through the center of Dublin City. (Photo by Paul)
Ah yes, Dublin too has distilleries.
By this time we could lead the tour. Here we are in the Teeling Irish Whiskey tasting room.
Irish Whiskey is certainly not single malt scotch, but it’s not bad.
Jameson Irish Whiskey Distillery. Note the chandeliers.
Proof the female is the stronger sex (actually he is just horsing around for the camera.)
Irish White House from the Hop-on-Hop-off Bus (Photo by Paul)
Passing a building more famous in Dublin (and the world) than the Irish White House. (Photo by Pam)
We signed up (actually Brenna signed us up) for an evening “pub crawl.” I had doubts, but it turned out to be a hoot.
Each pub crawl stop was a new beer or whiskey sample and a brief lecture about it from our guide.
Pub wall with remembrances of the 1916 uprising.
We were impressed with the Irish reverence for their history, in particular the Irish struggle to free themselves from 750 years of British rule. Irish history has permeated Irish culture with a certain sense of sadness. A line from William Butler Yeats expresses this well: “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.”
The last pub we visited on the “crawl” was the best, not only for the beer, but more so for the great music. Irish songs are often sad, but their music is lively.
CLICK THE PHOTO FOR SOME GOOD IRISH MUSIC — THEN CLICK BROWSER BACK BUTTON TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE
Dinner the last night in Dublin. (Photo by Pam)
A toast to good company and an enjoyable trip.