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Day 5: Malahide

Today we departed from our AirBnB to catch an 11am train to Dublin. Luckily we only lived a 10 minute walk from the station in Galway but getting my luggage down the 4 story walk up was challenging. I will never again bring a large suitcase on a trip like this. I should’ve brought a carry on. Regardless, it all turned out okay and we managed to get down the steps without breaking anything.

Garrett, our host, wrote me a raving review on Airbnb as did I him. I am proud to say he said we left the apartment spotlessly clean. We spent a frustrating amount of time traveling today. Maybe if we were to do it again, we would divide the trip up into Dublin and then Galway instead of Dublin, Galway and back to Dublin. Additionally, because the hotel prices shot up and availabilities dwindled this weekend due to the upcoming St. Patrick’s day celebrations, we have to stay in a hotel by Dublin airport which is mildly inconvenient. Our modes of transportation include a free shuttle to the airport and an airport bus into the city. Once we arrived in Heuston Station we got off the train and took an hour long shuttle ride to the airport. Heuston station is the last stop on the Airlink shuttle bus coming from the airport. Then once we got to the airport we took the free shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel. 

We quickly checked into the hotel and hopped in a cab to Malahide Castle to catch the last guided tour of the day. The Castle is conveniently only about 15 minutes from our hotel. I wanted to make sure we didn’t spend the entire day travelling. The Malahide Castle sits on beautiful grounds equipped with wonderful botanical gardens. I thought that Grandma Natalie especially would have enjoyed it. The Malahide Castle is one of the oldest castles in Ireland and the longest occupied castle in Ireland having had housed the Talbot family for over 800 years. The Castle dates back to the Talbot family as far as 1175. The last Talbot that lived in the castle sold it in 1975 after the property taxes became too great. Our tour guide informed us that this is common of the remaining castle grounds in Ireland. After Independence, the country increased the property taxes on castle properties in order to force the occupants out. Often times, the occupants were families who conquered the land and therefore were considered more English than Irish. The castle was originally just the center tower and then was notably enlarged in the reign of Edward IV, and the towers added circa 1600-1650. The castle survived several battles including the Battle of the Boyne where the Talbot family lost 14 of its members fighting. Richard Talbot arrived in Ireland in 1174, and in 1185 he was granted the lands and harbour of Malahide by Henry II for his “war-like” services in the Anglo-Norman conquest of Ireland (you can see why the Irish government later put pressure on the Talbots to give up the castle). There was a short time in the 1600s when Cromwellian soldiers took over the castle and Myles Corbet, Lord Chief Baron of Ireland lived there. Otherwise the Talbots exclusively owned the property. Fun fact: Sir John Talbot known as Lord Furnival, was immortalized in Shakespeare’s play ‘Henry VI’. In the castle itself, there is lots of beautiful architecture as well as secret passages and even two ghosts that haunt the Castle. The Talbots brought back art and furniture from all over Europe. This include Carrara marble, the same marble used to make Michelangelo’s David. The portrait depicted below are the last two Talbot children to live in Malahide Castle, Baron and Rose Talbot. The portrait is a little creepy because no matter where in the room you are, the children are looking directly at you. Their gaze even fallows you while you walk. In the oldest room in the castle, I found a chest with what looks to be a Magen David on it. I wasn’t sure why it was there or what other meaning it could have, but I took a photo anyway. 

After Malahide Castle, we walked into Malahide Village to walk around and grab dinner. We have a very early day tomorrow embarking up to northern Ireland towards Belfast to see some amazing sights. 

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Day 4: “Inconceivable!”

**This is yesterday’s post but I didn’t have a chance to publish it until today.**

Today we went on a day trip to the Ailwee Caves, the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, and the Dunguaire castle. We departed on a bus at 9:30am which conveniently picked us up right outside of our AirBnB. 

The Aliwee Caves were randomly found by a farmer named Jack McGann in 1940 who came across them while looking for his dog who ran off chasing a rabbit. The caves didn’t become open to the public until October 1976. The Aliwee Caves are naturally formed caves that date back to before the first ice age below the Aliwee mountain. They are the oldest caves in Ireland located in the heart of the Burren in County Clare, Ireland. The mountain and the cave are made of Limestone sediment crafted by fossils over millions of years. An underground river slowly flowing over many years are what formed the cave that we had the opportunity of walking through today. You can still see sea shell fossils in the sediment above while walking through the caves. The caves were once home to the Irish brown bear who became extinct during the last Glacial Maximum between 15,000 and 24,000 years ago. This is know because bones of this species of bear has been found in the cave. Interestingly, Limestone retains heat very well so regardless of the time of year, the cave always stays a consistent 10 degrees celsius (50 degrees F). That makes it a cozy hibernation spot for our friend the Irish brown bear. During our guided tours of the caves, we saw stalactites and stalagmites that are thousands of years old. Every half inch of stalagmite formed takes 100 years. We also saw an underwater waterfall. We were lucky to visit the cave in March because during the rainy season in Ireland (the winter) the caves can become flooded in certain parts which shortens the tour. Once we reached the middle of the cave, our tour guide wanted to show us what it is like to experience total darkness. She shut off all of the lights in the cave such that no sensory input was going to our eyes. Your eyes cannot adjust in total darkness because of this lack of input (adjustment would require moonlight or starlight of some kind). It was a very interesting experience. You couldn’t even see your own hand 2 inches from your face. It made me think about how crazy Farmer Jack McGann had to be crawling into that cave all by his lonesome with nothing but a candle to guide him. What if the candle blew out? He would have been completely stuck with no way out. 

After the cave tour, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Cliffs of Moher. During all of our drives today, we had the pleasure of viewing the beautiful Irish country side. Our tour guide made sure to point out all of the castles as we passed them and important facts about the area. Stone boarders separate every plot of land in the rural area. These were formed after the Irish independence in the 1920s and people needed to clear their fields of the rocks to grow crops and make space for their cattle. They used these rocks to build the fences which look like rocks piled on top of one another without any concrete to seal them. Jon and I couldn’t figure out how they manage to stay up. These boarders also have the dual function of keeping the cattle inside. We saw a lot of sheep, lambs, cows, and calves during our ride through the countryside. We saw homes topped with straw roofs which are much like the cottages that people lived in back in the 1800s. Interestingly, these homes have insurance premiums 20-30% more than your average home because of the risk of fire. 

In one of the towns we drove through we passed by the famous Matchmaker Bar. Matchmaking is one of Ireland’s oldest traditions. The Matchmaker Bar is owned by Willie Day who still serves as the town matchmaker, passing down the tradition. Since Willie started out as a matchmaker 45 years ago following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, the he has set up around 3,000 marriages. He holds an annual festival in September called the Lisdoonvarna Festival. The festival is a month long and is centered around dancing and Irish music. These begins early in the morning and continues non-stop until early hours of the the next morning. This is where many Irish farmers traditionally go to find a wife. Willie says that rural Ireland can be very lonely and many women live in the major cities. 

We saw a lot of grass. I never would have thought I’d see a more beautiful landscape than that in Chester County. Then I came to Ireland. Ireland has the greenest grass I’ve ever seen and it stretches as far as the eye can see in all directions. The grass here looks like a carpet of green with yellow hues. In a space with rocks, moss covers the rocks and grass covers the moss such that the entire field looks like a cloud of green. The green is like a mix of emerald and lime. The grass is soft and lush and probably my most favorite part about Ireland. Jon keeps laughing at me because I won’t stop talking about the grass. I love it so much that I begged Jon to take a photo of me in the grass. We also saw many daffodils during our travels as they are the first flowers to bloom each spring. I’ve never fallen in love with a country like I’ve fallen for Ireland. It is beautiful, safe and calm. Everyone we’ve met has been so kind. The landscape is breathtaking. The cities are warm and clean, not cold, dirty and scary like New York City or Berlin. I think the welcoming atmosphere is supported by the architecture of the cities. They all look like villages. No skyscrapers. We’ve also gotten very lucky with the weather so far. It’s hardly rained since we got here despite the forecast calling for rain each day. Our AirBnB host, Garrett, said we brought the sunshine. 

We arrived at the Cliffs of Moher on a beautiful, clear day. We were especially lucky because this is not a guaranteed experience in Ireland. There are two walking paths at the Cliffs. The safe path recommended by the park association which has a stone wall barrier between the cliff edge and the paths with no barrier that really give you the full, beautiful view. You can only guess which path we took. Some of the riskiest people in the world were at the Cliffs today. People who would start climbing down on the slippery, wet grass held together by mud to take that perfect photo. People who, with one wrong step would fall to their deaths, entirely unnoticed by the surrounding tourists. Those people were crazy and made me and Jon incredibly nervous. It didn’t make sense to me why dangling your feet of the Cliff was worth it. Death doesn’t seem like something you should tempt or egg on. Anyway, we walked up to the hill where the paths were and immediately I was just in awe of the grandeur and the beauty. It’s as if God just decided that Ireland should end and chopped it off like a slice of cake. We were at the end of the world. We walked around for an hour and a half. To try and describe the Cliffs if difficult so instead, I’m just going to post some photos I took. You’ll understand why this day was so important. In fact, it might have been one of the most important days of my life. I felt like I was really seeing what the Earth was capable of. I felt humbly small. From the cliffs we could view Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. 

A bit of Trivia: Some of the most famous films have included the Cliffs of Moher. To name a few, The Princess Bride (the Cliffs of Insanity), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (where Harry with Dumbledore to the cave to find a Horcrux), and Leap Year. It is said that the Burren inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. 

After leaving the Cliffs we were taken to the village of Doolin for a delicious Irish lunch. Doolin is a small rural town about 15 minutes from the Cliffs. It is riddled with Bed and Breakfasts and wonderfully quaint. It is very small, so small in fact that it didn’t look like a town at all. It looks more like a street with a few restaurants and shops on a small road. Just like the big cities though, the pubs have giant signs advertising Guinness. This always puzzles Jon and I. As if it’s not assumed that all pubs serve Guinness. It’s like a restaurant that doesn’t serve water-- all pubs in Ireland serve proudly Guinness. In Doolin, we ate at a restaurant and pub called Fitzpatrick’s. They make their own Irish Brown Bread (my new favorite food). I got a lamb and barley stew which was served over a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes. It was delicious. I also got a slice of Brown Bread served with butter and strawberry jam which I shared with Jon. It was a meal that my father would say, “sticks to the ribs.” After our meal, Jon and I went exploring around Doolin a bit. I could see myself settling in the Irish countryside some day. Close enough to a big city that I could visit if I wanted but far enough that I could enjoy quite, rural Ireland. The type of countryside where you watch the cows come home every evening while driving home form work. 

After Doolin, we began our coastal drive back to Galway. We drove along Galway bay. We got a clear view of the Aran Islands and Connemara.  The population that lives on the Aran Islands is very small. About 1,300 live on the three Islands total and the primary language spoke is Irish, also known as Gaelic (I’m starting to finally understand how to refer to the Irish language). We got out a few times along the way to take photos. Throughout our entire bus trip, we head the pleasure of listening to a wide array of Irish music which I really enjoy. I posted one of the songs yesterday for you to listen to. 

We later stopped at Dunguaire castle for a quick look around a photo opportunity. Today we learned that castles are traditionally build near water to brings supplies in and provide a safe escape route if necessary. Castles are also built on hills to provide an optimal defense position. Dunguaire Castle is no exception. Dunguaire castle is a 16th century tower house located near Kinvara. The name comes from the Dun of King Guaire, the legendary king of Connacht. It was built in 1520 by the O’Hynes clan. 

Once we arrived back in Galway city we napped for like two hours. So far on this trip we stay out pretty late and way up fairly early. The combination makes mid-day naps a must. Every evening we go to the pubs and listen to the traditional Irish music. Last night there was even a segment of Irish dancing by one of the performers. I love the environment here. The pubs are social spaces filled with Irish culture. It’s funny, you can easily spot the young American female because she’ll most likely be wearing minimal amounts of clothing and a black choker cross her neck. In America, most women go out wearing very little. In the Irish pubs, that is not always the case although we did go to one place last night filled with young people wearing less. It’s an interesting mix of club attire and modest dress. I was wearing a jacket and a scarf. I looked like I was going to the market on a cold winter day. 

Tomorrow we head back to Dublin and hopefully we’ll make it to Malahide Castle and then Malahide Village.  

Four facts that are worth sharing: 

1) The population of Galway consists of 80,000 people making it the 4th largest city in Ireland.

2) Ireland consists of only 6.5 million people.  

3) 35% of all beer sold in Ireland is Guinness yet Ireland is still is not the largest Guinness beer distributer in the world (remember, it’s Nigeria).  

4) Jon has no sense of direction. Worse than my father which is a difficult feat. Luckily, my impeccable sense of direction is how we’ve managed to get so far. Jon makes up for his lack of direction with his great memory, always internalizing the historical facts of the area. He also reminds me not to leave our train tickets on top of my suitcase while I wheel it around. 

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Irish Cultural Moment:

Enjoy this song that I heard today on the bus. It’s fabulous and a laugh for sure!

Title: Seven Drunken Nights 

Lyrics: 

As I went home on Monday night, As drunk as drunk could be. I saw a horse outside the door, Where my old horse should be. I called my wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me, Who owns that horse outside the door, Where my old horse should be?Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool, Still you cannot see. That's a lovely sow that my mother sent to me. Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more, But a saddle on a sow, sure, I never saw before.As I went home on Tuesday night, As drunk as drunk could be. I saw a coat behind the door, Where my old coat should be. I called my wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me, Who owns that coat behind the door, Where my old coat should be?Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk You silly old fool, Still you cannot see. That's a woolen blanket that my mother sent to me. Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more, But buttons on a blanket, sure, I never saw before.As I went home on Wednesday night, As drunk as drunk could be. I saw a pipe upon the chair, Where my old pipe should be. I called my wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me, Who owns that pipe upon the chair Where my old pipe should be.Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk You silly old fool, still you cannot see. That's a lovely tin-whistle, that my mother sent to me. Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more, But tobacco in a tin-whistle, sure, I never saw before.As I came home on Thursday nigh, As drunk as drunk could be. I saw two boots beside the bed, Where my old boots should be. I called my wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me, Who owns them boots beside the bed Where my old boots should be.Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk You silly old fool, Still you cannot see. They're two lovely flower pots my mother sent to me. Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more, But laces in flower pots I never saw before.As I came home on Friday night, As drunk as drunk could be. I saw a head upon the bed, Where my old head should be. I called my wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me, Who owns that head upon the bed, Where my old head should be.Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk You silly old fool, Still you cannot see. That's a baby boy, that my mother sent to me. Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more, But a baby boy with his whiskers on, sure, I never saw before.

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Day 3: Galway

This morning we departed from our hotel, the Temple Bar Inn, and went to Dublin Heuston Strain station to begin our trip to Galway. Galway is on the west coast of Ireland and is about a 3 hour train ride from Dublin. Tickets to get there via Irish rail were 23 euro round trip for students. Almost every place has a student discount here. Imagine traveling to and from NYC from Wilmington for only $23 round trip! The trains for Irish Rail are also considerably nicer than amtrak. The comfort and price exceeds expectations and it reminds me of how little investment the US government puts into public transportation. This has been of much discussion amongst the Americans we’ve met so far during our travels. If the US government wanted to boost utilization of public transportation, they would have to put a great deal of money into it in order to bring the prices down and make it affordable. For some reason, proper utilization of public transportation hasn’t taken off in the US outside of the major cities. It would certainly be more economical for citizens and better for the environment. 

Something I haven’t yet shared yet is how nice and friendly everyone is here. So far every Irish person we’ve met has been incredibly accommodating, kind, and eager to help us find our way. The security guard at our hotel was hilarious last night. He was debating with us what constitutes a midnight snack (Jon and I wanted different things). He then told us the perfect spot which would accommodate us both. He said, Ireland has plenty of snacks, you just don’t know where to go. He was quite shocked when I came back with 2 cadbury creme eggs. I guess those are only for Easter Sunday. 

We got on a train at 11:25am and a couple sat down across from us. A lady came by and handed all 3 of us a 50 question survey that we were asked to fill out about our travel accommodations and our opinions about Irish Rail. I had nothing to say in the section on suggestions/recommendations. Everything seemed so wonderful to me. 

Another theme of our trip is I like to make friends everywhere I go. This is something that Jon has always heard from me but has never really experienced it. I often tell him about the people I meet day to day but so far on this trip we’ve made lots of friends and connections just by talking to fellow travelers. The couple across from us was a Spanish speaking couple so I asked them where they are from. We ended up talking with them for the full 3 hour ride. They are wonderful. 

Christian and Mariel are from outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ireland is one stop on their travels throughout Europe. They are incredibly kind and fun to talk to. They told us about their country, the positives and the negatives. We discussed the challenges currently facing the United States including racism, gun violence, anti-immigration laws, Donald Trump, and the like. It is always interesting to hear an outsiders’ perspective on US current events. A lot of times, their perceptions are very different from my own. People are always surprised to hear that a lot of Americans are inclusive, and warm people who don’t hate on those different from us. I told them about how welcoming the people where I grew up are to hispanic immigrants. I told them about how I grew up in the Mushroom Capital of the world and the important role that Mexican immigration plays in upholding this industry. I even showed them the giant glowing mushroom that drops in Kennett Square on New Years Eve. They were amazed. Christian and Mariel were educated in University in Argentina. Interestingly, the universities in Argentina (at least the good ones) are all Public similar to how they are in Ireland. This allows people from all financial backgrounds to receive a good education and have a chance at getting a good job later on. University normally takes 5-7 years to complete (most students take the full 7). Mariel and Christian also told us about the difficulties of living in a country which has been plagued by corruption and crime. They say that Argentina is really very safe and beautiful in the more rural areas but the cities are very unsafe at night. They say if you travel to a city in Argentina, you have to be very careful. They were robbed a gunpoint once during their time living in the city. It traumatized them both and Mariel still says she doesn’t feel safe in her own country after that experience. She said that in the moment, she was like a robot, just reacting, not getting emotional. It wasn’t until later that she realized the gravity of the event. After that experience, they moved back out to a suburb of the city where they feel safer. It is amazing how many people we’ve connected with just because of the common interest of traveling. When we reached Galway, we parted with Christian and Mariel but not before exchanging contact information. We intend to grab a drink with them sometime while we’re here. 

Our Air BnB is just a short 10 minute walk from the train station in Galway. It’s right in the center of things just above a tea shop called Cupan Tea. It’s cozy and the owner is very kind. He gave us all of the necessary information for an easy self check in. He even left us supplies to make a continental style breakfast in the morning. After getting settled in, Jon and I went exploring around Galway. Galway reminds me more of a beach town than Dublin is even though both are considered port cities. Galway is extremely charming and beautiful. Pubs and artisan jewelry/pottery shops line the main street. 

Jon and I visited one of the Spanish arches which is one of two remaining arches on the Ceann an Bhalla ("Front Wall"). It was constructed during the mayoralty of Wylliam Martin in 1584. We walked out around South Bay and crossed the causeway to Mutton Island. It was about a 5 mile walk and extremely beautiful. The grass is the greenest I’ve seen in the world and the air tasted like the salty sea, saltier than any beach I’ve ever been to. 

For dinner, we went to a restaurant and I was lucky enough to try the famous Galway Bay oysters which are caught by the famous Kelly company. They are out of season in a few weeks so we caught them just in time. They were very salty, but interesting to try. I also had a delicious fish stew. If you haven’t guessed, seafood is the thing to eat around here. 

After dinner, we went to this pub called Tigh Neachtains. A Scandinavian band was playing and some Irish players joined in as well to complete the group. It was a similar style as last night’s entertainment. The accordion player was especially impressive. 

Tomorrow we get up early to do a Cliffs of Moher day tour. 

PS: I was carded at the pub tonight. Evidently I don’t look over 18.

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Irish Music! 

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Day 2: No taxation without representation

Today was wonderful, but this morning we had a little mishap. I set my alarm for 8:30am but somehow managed to turn it off in my sleep. As a result, I never woke Jon up and when I checked the time at 10:30am I realized we were late for our 11am tour. In a rush, we ran out the door towards the Spire (across the O'Connell bridge on the north side of the river) where we were to meet our walking tour for the afternoon. On the way, we stopped for a delicious artisan donut and some coffee. The Spire is this giant needle in O'connell square which was placed there as an art-piece in the early 2000s. Before it there was a statute of a man but the Irish rebels blew his head off out of rebellion. Then the Irish army had to come in and blow up the rest which resulted in blowing out all of the windows around the area on O’Connell Street. Evidently, the Irish army isn’t that skilled or accustomed to blowing things up. 

We met our tour guide who is a Dublin native and very informed about the city. He even went to Trinity College which was one of our stops along the tour. The major sights we saw were:  the Spire, Trinity College, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He made a point to stop at some other places along the way and give us a full history of the city which included Viking history in Ireland, the Rebellion from English rule and Irish independence to name a few. 

To begin, we started on the O’Connell Bridge and discussed the River Liffey and how the water contributed to the development of the city. As the water gets deeper, the development becomes more grand. Interestingly, Dublin’s population numbers suffered during English rule and while England was going through its Industrial Revolution, the country wasn’t doing well. After English independence in 1921, all the countries surrounding Ireland were building up their architecture but Ireland was very poor and did not have the funds to sustain such building. By the time that Ireland was doing well enough to build upwards, they found the village-like structure of the city charming and unique. They therefore chose not build upwards and this contributes to the older, town-like structure of the city of Dublin. From O’Connell Bridge you can see the Ha’penny Bridge from the O’Connell Bridge. The Ha’penny bridge was the first pedestrian bridge built in Dublin (1816). It costed citizens a penny ha-penny to cross it (1.5 pence). Hence the name!

Trinity College is beautiful. Most Irish Universities are public here so citizens (and even non-citizens) leave school essentially debt-free. Acceptance to each school is based entirely on test scores and demand. Trinity college is about 12,000 undergraduate students most of whom are local Dubliners. I thought the campus looked like a mix between Harvard and Columbia. It was founded in 1592 and is the oldest functioning University in Ireland. Interestingly, women at one point weren’t allowed to study at Trinity but today, roughly 60% of the student population is female. Also located at Trinity is the library with the Book of Kells. The book of Kells is an illustrated manuscript of the 4 Gospels. It was created in a Monastery in Ireland around 800 A.D. Some time later, the Vikings came to Ireland and began raiding the monasteries so the Munks who created the illustration came inland and brought the book of Kells with them. Somehow, Trinity College came to obtain the illustrations and has them on permanent display. 

On the way to Temple Bar, we stopped at Thingmote, the mound where the Vikings held their court of law. Now, buildings lay where it once stood. Interestingly, the Vikings mostly traded slaves and silver. They were the first to create currency in Ireland because before them, people mostly bartered for goods. They also were the first to set up isolated towns and it is because of this that there are the major cities on the west and south coasts of Ireland. Before the vikings, people mainly wandered in a nomadic fashion around Ireland mostly living in rural locations. After stopping by Thingmote, we went to Temple Bar which is the area in which we are staying. Evidently, the Temple Bar district wasn’t as lively 20 years ago as it is now. It is a historical part of Dublin which became very poor and barren. As a result, a bus company wanted to build a bus depot in the area. Instead, the Irish government decided to put some money into it and and build it up hoping to bring back Irish citizens and maybe eventually tourists. Spoiler alert: it was a huge success. Temple Bar is now one of the most vibrant cultural and tourists locations in Dublin. If you have been following by blog, you might remember that we went to the famous Temple Bar last night. As it turns out, our tour guide Peter’s father almost bought the pub where the Temple Bar now stands. He chose between the Temple Bar and another pub in a different location. Little did Peter’s father know that Temple Bar would later become the most photographed pub in the world or a destination spot for tourists all over the globe. Unfortunately, he bought the other pub which I hear does well but nowhere near what the Temple Bar has achieved. 

A note about Peter. Peter is our tour guide on this 3 our guided walking tour. Peter is a Dubliner, as mentioned above, and incredibly knowledgeable about Dublin and its history among other things. He began the yellow umbrella tours around 3 years ago and now employs a few other tour guides around the city. Jon and I found through our experience with Peter today that there is no question that he doesn’t have an answer to. And no answer is simple either. He will go above and beyond to provide the most information possible about every aspect of Dublin. If you plan to travel to Ireland, please, spend a day with Peter. 

After Temple Bar, we learned a little about the Irish-British relationship and the Northern-Southern Irish situation. To be brief, Northern Ireland is governed by England by choice. This means that if they choose to do so, they can create a referendum to vote to reunify with Southern Ireland and forego English rule. For awhile, most of Northern Ireland was protestant unionist and therefore didn’t want to reunify with Southern Ireland. Now, those numbers are dwindling as more of Northern Ireland becomes Catholic nationalist. As these numbers increase, the likelihood of such a referendum increases. Peter suspects that in the next 20-40 years, there will be a reunification of Ireland. How these divisions came to be take more time than I have to explain but feel free to google (Good Friday Agreement, Ireland -1998). 

We headed over the Dublin Castle which, to be frank, doesn’t look much like a castle anymore. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Dubhlinn Garden behind Dublin Castle. It is from this location where Dublin got it’s name. When the Vikings came to Ireland, they docked their boats in a deep pool that located at the edge of the river Liffy before land hit. The name Dublin comes from the Gaelic dubh linn or “black pool.” Today, it’s a beautiful Garden which doubles as a helicopter pad when famous people come to visit Ireland. For example, when Bill Clinton came to visit Dublin, he arrived at Dublin Castle via helicopter. A note on another famous lady who visited Ireland: Queen Elizabeth II. This was an extremely important moment in Irish history. Queen Elizabeth II was the first English ruler to visit Ireland since 1911. Today, the relationship between England and Ireland is much better than it was since the partition of Ireland in 1922. 

After Dublin Castle, we walked through St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral. Before I discuss the two events separately, I want to make two important points clear. 1) Both St. Patrick’s and Christ Church are Protestant Cathedrals. King Henry VIII made them that way and they remain Protestant cathedrals to this day despite their origins being Catholic. 2) Both restorations were funded by “the drink.” The Guinness family funded the restoration for St. Patrick’s cathedral in the 19th century and a Whiskey distillery funded the restorations to Christ Church Cathedral (not Jameson). 

We walked through St. Patrick’s cathedral which was incredibly beautiful. In fact, it was the most beautiful and grand building I’ve ever seen. St. Patrick, if you don’t already know, brought christianity to Ireland. He baptized people in a well nearby. The stone is depicted in a photo below. You can also see the Irish cross which is a mix of Keltic-Irish tradition and Christianity. The cross with a circle behind it represents old Irish-Pagan tradition and Christian tradition as well. You probably know that St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most well known Irish traditions. You also probably imagine it as a day of drinking and festivals. As it turns out, St. Patricks day was originally a day where people went to church to honor St. Patrick and pubs were mandated to be closed. When Irish immigrants came to the United States, they felt that they were the lowest of the low amongst the immigrant hierarchy. In order to establish their culture and history in America they created festivals and parades to honor St. Patrick’s Day in the US. As you can imagine, these festivals became associated with partying and drinking. It wasn’t until the 80s and 90s that such parades and festivities became popular in Ireland. Today, people travel from all over the world to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in Ireland. 

After St. Patricks, we headed over to Christ Church Cathedral and toured inside. This church is older, and not as large as St. Patrick’s Cathedral but still beautiful nonetheless. We had an opportunity to go downstairs in the “dungeon” where a little museum was held. Among the many, very old, very important historical artifacts in this museum laid the Magna Carta. Randomly, unrecognized and unmentioned, in the bottom of Christ Church Cathedral, laid the Magna Carta. It was an incredible find. The Magna Carta of Ireland was created in June 1215 which was issued by the King John of England, against his will, granting liberties to the freedom of his kingdom. John’s noblemen were rebelling against his unjust rule and he had no choice. More importantly, it was from this document that the phrase “no taxation without representation was coined.” Also in this basement, equally cool, was the cat and mouse referenced in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. As it happened, a cat and a mouse got stuck in the organ pipe within Christ Church Cathedral in the 1860s. It was later found completely mummified. James Joyce wrote, “...as stuck as that cat to that mouse in that tube of that Christ Church organ...” I have posted a photo of the cat and mouse for your viewing pleasure. 

Additionally, I thought it might be fun to play a game. Guess that bible scene. Try to match the biblical characters to the shared stain glass windows. To make it fair, I tried to keep it only old testament biblical characters. Try not to cheat by looking at the name at the bottom of each illustration. I’ve provided a word bank: Elijah, Abel, Isaac, Jubal, Adam, David, Solomon, Jacob, Joshua, Joseph, Moses, and Daniel. Good Luck!  

Peter was so fantastic we decided to spend the night touring bars with him. He offered a pub crawl including a beer and whiskey tasting around traditional Irish pubs off the beaten path. Unlike the tourist locations. As it turns out, Peter knows an incredible amount about Beer and Whiskey as well. Notice the spelling of Whiskey. Irish Whiskey has an E before the y to separate it from Scottish Whisky. Irish Whiskey is also distilled three times unlike the Scottish Whisky which is distilled only twice. First we went to a pub and tried three different craft Irish beers brewed in Galway, Ireland. We learned all about how beer is made, what distinguishes a red ale from a pale ale and stout. We also learned what makes an IPA and etc. I find it fascinating that the creation if IPA came because of logistical challenges of transporting beer far distances. IPA stands for India Pale Ale and was created by the British so they could transport their beer to English traders in India. The hops serves as a natural preservative so the IPA was necessary to keep the beer fresh during the journey. The pub we began at only serves craft beers which are being increasingly popular. For a long time, Guinness monopolized the market and made it basically impossible for craft beer companies to sell beer in the pub. That sort of behavior would get them in trouble today which is what allows craft companies to get space on the tap. Our next stop was a small pub where we had a pint of Guinness and learned about how Guinness is made and the differences in using nitrogen to bubble it up versus traditional carbonation. We also learned that Ireland is not the largest Guinness distributer in the world. Nigeria is. As it turns out, the population of Ireland is 1/20th of that in Nigeria and Africa in general cells more Guinness than Ireland and many other European countries to combined. After that pub, we went to yet another pub to try some Teelings Whiskey. Evidently, Teelings is the only company that is currently brewing Whiskey in Ireland. Jameson distills in Cork, Ireland. We tried two different varieties of Whiskey and learned about what makes them different and how Whiskey is made in general. Peter was able to answer any and all questions. We also got a chance to have some dinner here. Jon and I had fish and chips which were delicious. We also interacted with the people on our tour. Most of them were from the US although a few were from Germany, Portugal, and other places. People from all over the world come to Dublin. Peter says the Dublin airport has made the city much more popular. It services a lot of transatlantic flights now. I agreed. My layover in Dublin coming from Berlin was my inspiration from this trip. Peter also mentioned that the kindness and ease of the airport is deliberate. It relaxes people and makes them want to come back. 

Next, we arrived at our final spot, a pub which has traditional Irish music. This is different from the traditional Irish music we heard at Temple Bar last night because these musicians come together in the traditional fashion for free style. They sit around and drink and get together to play and one person starts and the rest join in randomly. It was beautiful and very cool. It was also empty. We were one of the only people in the bar. You could tell that only Irish people go to this bar. It was very cool to have an authentic experience. 

One additional point I want to make before signing off. 

1) Irish is a language. It is similar to Gaelic but not the same. They are trying to bring it back. For some time the Irish language was illegal to speak in formal government and other places in Ireland. English was mandated. Now, Ireland is trying to bring Irish back for cultural reasons. People can send their children to Irish speaking schools and schools are teaching a bit of Irish in English speaking schools. Most older people do not speak any Irish but some younger people do. 

[eringoestoeirinn-blog]

Day 1: “A Leprechaun without a pot of gold is like a rose without perfume, a bird without a wing, or an inside without an outside.”

We’re here! We took a nonstop flight from Boston to Dublin which took approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes. Getting through immigration at Dublin was very easy. Luckily, the public transportation system here is pretty straight forward. I downloaded an app that has all of the bus times so Jon and I were easily able to hop on the bus right when we got our bags which dropped us off right by our hotel. 

Our hotel is located right in the heart of Temple Bar, the lively music and pub focused part of Dublin. We found the hotel which appeared to be closed with nobody there. For about five minutes we stood outside not sure what to do. Then, it dawned upon me, push... not pull. Magically the door opened. We proceeded downstairs where we find a very shwanky lobby. Our hotel has lots of character. Luckily, we were able to check in early! 

To begin the day, Jon and I went to this restaurant for brunch called Brother Hubbards which was recommended to me by a friend who visited Dublin last year. Below you can see I had a version of Eggs Benedict with yogurt instead of Hollandaise and avocado toast. It was delicious. While at the restaurant, we roughly planned our day. The concierge at the hotel gave us a very interactive map of Dublin which has proved to be extremely helpful. Brother Hubbards was located right between the Legal Quarter and Saint Mary’s Church. 

After brunch, we walked past the Fruit and Vegetable Market which has been established since 1892. It was closed up likely because it’s still the winter time. After, we walked around what had once been Saint Mary’s Church and found ourselves in the center of a cemetery. We were stepping on what we thought were just regular stones but realized they were grave stones. Interestingly, the cemetery has been exhumed and most of the graves moved to a different location but it is safe to assume that the bodies are still in the central location. It was hard to tell that this was a cemetery because there was a giant statue of a cow in the center of this park-like square.  Here’s a picture of the cow: 

After walking around a little we decided to take a tour in the National Leprechaun Museum located nearby. As you will see, the museum was extremely interactive. During the tour, we discussed the rich culture of Irish folklore and the circumstances in which these stories became to be strongly connected to daily life. The leprechaun that we’ve come to know today is not exactly what the original leprechaun originally was back when the stories began. True leprechauns wear brown suits to match the trees-- not bright green clothing. They are extremely cunning and hard working. They earn their gold, they do not steal them. You see, the leprechauns were seen as the light amongst the darkness that was Irish folklore. The fairies which exist with the darkness amongst the leprechauns are dark creatures-- not beautiful and kind like Tinkerbell or the Toothfairy. The fairies in Irish folklore steal Irish babies, curse Irish people, and are feared throughout the land. It is said that they became these evil, angry creatures after the Irish colonized their land-- land that they thrived on before humans came to inhabit what is now known as Ireland. We learned a little about the land and where these stories originated on the map of Ireland. There are still plots of land known as Fairly hills which are said to contain fairies living inside. Farmers won’t grow crops on these hills, people don’t build homes on these hills, even if Irish people claim to not believe in the superstitions-- they avoid the hills just in case. People did things to ward off the fairies one of which was nailing a horse shoe to their home next their front door. Fairies don’t like iron because unlike humans, they don’t have iron in their blood. We have similar customs in the US-- throwing salt over our shoulder, not walking under ladders, etc. In the photos, you’ll see Jon and I taking photos in the Giant’s room which is associated with the Giant’s Causeway. We will be traveling to the Giant’s Causeway later in the trip so stay tuned. Overall, the museum was enjoyable and informative. The setting in which these folk tales were told is interesting. Ireland is dark much of the year and it rains a lot. Many Irish folk lived in small cabins without power. It is within this environment that the stories were told and the significance of the darkness and the fear of the darkness stems from this. Irish folklore has changed and adapted over the years but Jon and I found the history to be extremely interesting. 

After the Leprechaun museum, Jon and I made our way towards the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery but we made some stops along the way. One of our stops was the Viking/Medieval Area of the city which contains Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Old City Walls, Dublina and more. We walked around Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral but didn’t linger too long because we anticipate touring those areas tomorrow during our 3 hour walking tour of the city. Christ Church Cathedral established 1036 was awesome and incredible in every way. The architecture and the significance of it’s age amazed me. I was eager to tour around inside but found it best to wait until tomorrow. Below you’ll find a sneak peak of what’s in store. 

While at Christ Church Cathedral we came across Dublina which is located right next door. Dublina is a museum owned by the Medieval Trust built on the site of the medieval church of St. Michael in Dublin. It aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the Medieval Period. The first level of the museum is about the Vikings and how they came to settle in Ireland coming from Scandinavia. The Vikings were incredible travelers able to navigate the seas with very little technological guidance. Their “compasses” were no simpler than a circle with a pole and they were able to use wind and the current to guide them. When most people think of the Vikings, they think of intense warriors. When the Vikings came to Dublin they came to raid the churches and monasteries for wealth. After some time, they came to realize that pillaging was not a safe or consistent form of income. Additionally, the Irish were starting to fight back. As a result, the Vikings became traders and it is this which really defined them. 

The second level of Dublina had a Medieval section including a scale model of Dublin, medieval fair, medieval housing, and medieval quayside. The most interesting to myself and Jon was the death and disease section of this floor. 1 out of every 5 mothers died giving childbirth during the medieval period. 1 out of ever 3 children died before 10 years of age. Even before the black plague, the average age of death of a Dubliner was around 30 years. Needless to say, the overcrowding and lack of sanitation made living extremely difficult. Leprosy was rampant throughout Dublin and because it went untreated, it maimed people.  

The third level of this museum contained the most impressive artifacts. The third level was designated to how the archival work of Medieval Dublin came to be. The two most amazing finds were the remains of a young Viking from round the year 900. He was about late teens early twenties when he died. He was buried with some of his belongings including a bone pin used to fasten his clothing and a comb. From his bones we learn that he was skilled in the art of fighting. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown. 

The woman shown below died around the year 1200 during the medieval period. She was anywhere between 40-60 years old which is considered an impressive age during this time. She was buried with 2 young children between 5-10 years beside her. The bones were found in a shallow grave along the river. From her skeleton we learn a lot about her difficult life. It is likely that she had tuberculosis as evidence from spinal degradation. She had broken bones which showed calcification and re-healing. She had 6 abscesses in her mouth which suggests she must have been in extreme pain. This is not uncommon due to the abysmal oral hygiene of that time. 

After this museum, we finally made our way to the Guinness Storehouse. Upon arrival to the area where the storehouse is located we began to walk down street after street all containing the St. James’s Gate Guinness brewery buildings. The empire is grand and impressive. Jon and I were very excited. Guinness is the 12th oldest Brewery in the world. In 1759, Author Guinness signed a 9000 year long lease for which he rented the St. James’s Gate Guinness Brewery.  At the time, the rent was 45 pounds per year. Today, the Guinness family still holds a large amount of stock in the company although they sold it to hand off the responsibility of running the company. On Saint Patrick’s Day ever year, the Guinness family celebrates at the Brewery. The Guinness family will walk around the building and bring a number of lucky individuals chosen randomly from amongst the crowd upstairs to a separate room to do a beer taste test. Most people don’t know what the Guinness family looks like so when they are later told that the individuals who invited them upstairs for a drink have the last name Guinness they are in utter shock. Jon and I took a guided tour of the Brewery which included tasting a new type of Guinness, attending the pour school, and redeeming our free pint upstairs in the Gravity bar which is a 360 degree view of the beautiful Dublin skyline. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the beer and the very specific technique with which Guinness is made. The technique has remained largely intact over the last 258 years. The tour was very in depth but I’ll provide some highlights. 

The ship shown below was owned by Guinness but borrowed by the Irish navy for a shirt time during WWII. The Irish navy ended up returning it to the Guinness company complaining that it had to stop to refuel coal too often. During one of the shipments from Dublin to Liverpool, the German army mistook the once again Guinness ship for being the Irish Navy and sunk the boat along with the 1 million pints of Guinness beer it contained on board. You can still scuba dive today and visit the shipwreck. 

The second ship shown below (the larger one) was modified after the first one was sunk. Instead of loading barrels of Guinness onto the boat (which took up space and was labor intensive) they just pumped the beer directly into the boat such that it carried 2 million pints of Guinness in its undercarriage.

I learned a lot about Guinness advertising and the challenges associated with advertising alcohol. As me about it if you’re interested.

Jon and I learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness today. We even graduated with flying colors from the Pour School at the factory. As a gift, we were allowed to drink that pint the beer before retrieving our free pint upstairs in the Gravity Bar. To be entirely honest, I could hardly finish the first pint. All in all, we were offered 2.3 pints of beer (all included) during our time at the factory. One woman who was deemed the best pourer in our group got another free beer totaling 3.3 pints. Jon and I have decided that even 1 pint of beer is a lot for us Americans. The old Irish saying goes, “God created alcohol so the Irish wouldn’t take over the world” (or something like that). 

I attached a picture of the view from the Gravity bar at sunset. You could even see the rolling green mountains from where we stood. 

For dinner we went to a restaurant called the Quay in Temple Bar for some traditional Irish food. We then went to the Temple Bar to listen to some traditional Irish folk music. Ultimately, we did not stay out late because we have both been up for over 30 hours and intend to get up early tomorrow. We also refrained from drinking any more Guinness for the rest of the night. To be honest, I don’t even think I like Guinness.