Dublin to Galway

Monday morning's soft light passing through our diamond-paned bedroom window as we began another perfectly sunny day in Ireland.  

On our agenda for the day included a trip to the historic Kilmainham Gaol (or Kilmainham Jail in English), and taking a train ride out of Dublin to the west coast.  Fortunately, the jail was a short walk from the train station, situated right next to the pretty canal pictured above.  We were able to leave all of our luggage at a hostel by the train station and tour the jail unencumbered by our bags.  

The Kilmainham was built in the late 1700s and was intended to replace the old prison system.  Instead of a horrible dungeon in which groups of prisoners were thrown into large rooms full of violence and disease, Kilmainham had individual jail cells. 

Kilmainham Gaol played a big role in the 1916 Easter Rising and it is one of the most important Irish monuments related to the struggle for Irish independence.  After the Rising, Kilmainham held many of the Irish revolutionaries including the 14 leaders of the Rising who were each sentenced to death by a firing squad in the enclosed courtyard of the jail.  

They were each held in individual cells until it was time for their execution.

"Beware of the risen people that have harried and held ye that have bullied and bribed."  Written by prisoners from one of the many uprisings in the 1800s.

The main section of the prison incorporates a more modern layout where a guard standing in the middle is able to see every cell.  Our tour guide reminded us that this is also the most common layout for shopping malls.  Due to Kilmainham's unique yet traditional look, it has been used in many movies over the years, famously including "The Italian Job." 

One woman jailed here was an artist, imprisoned for her satirical cartoons around the time of the 1916 Easter Rising.  On her cell wall, she painted the Virgin Mary, which has been preserved.  I was able to take a picture of it through the peephole in her door. 

Along this wall is where the 14 leaders of the Easter Rising were executed by a 12-person firing squad. 

The Irish people were fighting for their independence from the English for nearly 600 years and it wasn't until 1922 that they were granted their independence.  

After leaving the jail, we walked through the courtyard of the Ireland Museum of Modern Art.

This was a picturesque shortcut to get to the train station.  We left Dublin and headed straight west for the city of Galway.  On our train ride to the coast, we were fortunate enough to sit next to an Irish man named Wayne, who has been living on one of the islands off the west coast of Ireland for the past year.  He gave us a little lesson on the history, culture and lifestyle of the people living in the "true" Ireland.  

Wayne said the people from Dublin are much more English since the British had so much control of that part of Ireland for such a long time.  In fact, for years the people of Ireland were forbidden to speak their own language and as Gaelic speakers passed away, the language began to disappear.  Fortunately for the Irish culture, the English had little interest in the hard, rocky, infertile land in the western part of the country.  Because the West had such insufficient resources, the English ignored them completely and the people living there when on speaking Gaelic even though it was strictly forbidden throughout the rest of the country.  For this reason, Irish culture on the coast was able to remain intact.  Wayne said all the people on his island speak Gaelic and he had to work hard to establish his place as a member of their community having come from Dublin, the "English" East. 

We hopped off the train in Galway, a much smaller, quainter city when compared to Dublin.  

We bumped our rolling suitcases down the bustling pedestrian street lined with shops and Irish pubs. 

There are several canals passing through Galway which empty into the River Corrib, whose rapids eventually flow into the Atlantic Ocean. 

It's just a short walk from our Airbnb into town. 

We walked through the festive streets in search of a bite to eat and some authentic Irish music. 

Which we found!  This trio played jig after jig.  The guy in the middle had at least 5 different flutes he kept switching between.  It was simply impossible to sit still while these guys were playing. 

Good food, good drink, good music, and good company.  It doesn't get much better than this, boys!

Adventures in Dublin, Ireland

Well, we have a very exciting week ahead of us!  We are meeting Fritz's parents and brother in Ireland for a Celtic adventure! 

None of us have even been to Ireland.  Fritz and I arrived one day ahead of the group.  The first indication that we were not in Germany anymore, aside from the cute Irish accents, was the airport sign written in Galic!

We walked through customs to discover an incredible wind ensemble playing the most breathtaking music.  What??  Who sets up a 60-piece orchestra in the middle of the Arrivals section of the airport?  Apparently Dublin, Ireland.  It was so beautiful, we stood and listened to 3 pieces, before hopping on a bus toward our lodgings for the night. 

We reserved a room at an Airbnb close to the airport.  For anyone who has not heard of Airbnb, I highly recommend it for any traveling you ever do, ever.  It's awesome and it's all over the world and it's super easy and it's quite affordable and did I say it's awesome?  It's awesome. Fritz and I have been using it every time we travel and we've met some really terrific people as a result.  

This time, we rented a room from Brenda, a lovely 50-year-old woman with cats.  She gave us homemade scones for breakfast while telling us all about her interests in dementia prevention, aerial yoga, Buddhism and microchip activated cat doors.  It sounds like a weird combination of topics, but I honestly could have stayed and chatted with her for 3 more hours.  

Anyway, Fritz and I spent our first afternoon strolling around the outskirts of Dublin and having tea in a really cute creperie. 

We walked through a little park along a canal. 

The next morning Brenda was very kind to give us a lift to the airport where we were meeting up with Fritz's parents, Mike and Ellen. 

In Ireland, the cars drive on the opposite side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right.  Everything felt so backwards!

Look who we found!!  Ellen and Mike had a nice flight and landed right on schedule.  Unfortunately, Fritz's brother, Mitch, encountered a bit of a hic-up in the itinerary.  His flight was cancelled, so he was flown to Newark, NJ where he spent the night in a hotel without his luggage, which the airline misplaced when his flight was cancelled.  He was originally supposed to get in a few hours after Mike and Ellen, but the new plan will get him in a day later. 

So the four of us headed to our new Airbnb closer to the center of Dublin.  Imagine our surprise when the door we knocked on was answered by a middle-aged woman in a bathrobe holding a mug of hot coffee.  I wonder how someone in the US would respond if four strangers with rolling suitcases showed up on their doorstep claiming they had a reservation?  This woman responded with absolute kindness.  Although I think she was a little concerned that we had pictures of her house printed off from the internet, she helped us determine that the house we were looking for was actually a few doors up the road.  She even came to check on us 5 minutes later to make sure we had gotten settled and everything was alright.  Remember also that she was speaking in her delightful Irish accent, so basically everything she said just came out lovely.  

We dropped off our bags and hit the streets.  We are spending only two days in Dublin before heading west to Galway for the rest of the week, so we have to pack in all the sight-seeing we can before shipping out. 

After Fritz's parents had a little breakfast and some coffee we headed to Trinity College.  

The Trinity College Library is the largest library in Ireland and it is the permanent home of the Book of Kells.  The Book of Kells was completed around 800 AD and is an illuminated manuscript of the New Testament in Latin.  In addition to the Latin text of the bible written in beautiful calligraphy, the manuscript is supplemented with miniature illustrations, elaborate initials and decorative borders.  Unfortunately, tourists are not permitted to take pictures of the book so you'll just have to look up the google images if you want to see it. 

I was able to take several snapshots of the library. 

It was striking. 

So many very old books!

After leaving the library, we strolled through Temple Bar, Dublin's "cultural quarter."  

Irish flags were hung all over the city.  Although St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, I think the displays of patriotism is more likely related to the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising when Irish republicans rose up against British rule to establish an independent Irish Republic while the UK was heavily engaged in World War I.  

We stumbled on a regatta along the River Liffey. 

We really were quite lucky with the weather!  It was about 50 degrees and sunny, an improvement over the temperature in Berlin and Milwaukee, where Mike and Ellen came from. 

Mother and Son.

A true Irish pub seemed like the right move for our first afternoon in Dublin.  We selected the Stag's Head and had a toast with, you guessed it, Guinness. 

After a little lunch, the jet lag was really starting to kick in for Mike and Ellen.  We took the bus back to our house.  Walking through our neighborhood, I couldn't help noticing the doors. 

First of all, I love the colors.  People in Ireland are not afraid to go bold with their door colors.  Secondly, I just have to ask, why do you think they put a non-functioning door knob in the middle of the doors?  And why is the mail slot so high up?

We ended our first full day in Dublin at a perfect pub with Guinness, cider, real Irish food, live Irish music, and professional Irish dancing!