My side-trip to Dublin, Ireland.
It was amazing.
I have wanted to go to Ireland for a while now. It probably
has a bit to do with a paper I wrote for my senior AP Lit class on Spenser’s The Faerie Queene and politics between
Ireland and England during that time, and a lot more to do with the fact that I
have read way to many fantasy fiction books involving faeries in Ireland. Don’t
judge me.
In less than 72 hours, I got to do just about everything
that I wanted to do. Being a bit of a time-management freak made the trip a
success.
Before we even got completely settled into our hotel (the
charmingly repurposed Georgian architecture that is Harrington Hall) we went to
see the birthplace of George Bernard Shaw who wrote Pygmalion, the inspiration for My
Fair Lady. Dublin is full of little plaques like the one we saw. We also
managed to get to the one for Oscar Wilde, and they have them for W.B. Yeats
and Bram Stoker. It’s astounding how these cities hold so much literary
history.
We thought that we would end up terribly lost and confused
trying to navigate Dublin’s bus system, but it turns out that we didn’t need it
at all. If you’re willing, everywhere in Dublin is within walking distance. If
you’re not willing to make the trek, cabs are easy to find. I am proud to say
that we only used a cab once (aside from the one back to the airport.)
St. Patrick’s Cathedral was, of course, awe-inspiring. To
our surprise, Jonathan Swift was buried there. Dublin Castle was very stately
and our guide was great, even though it was his first week.
You can’t talk about Dublin without talking about Guinness.
I went on the storehouse tour and got a tiny sample of that vile tasting beer.
Everybody loves it in Ireland. I will never understand. Guinness was started by
Arthur Guinness, who bought a brewery in 1759. The beer they make is really
stout or some such thing as that. I can’t honestly say that I care much because
I’m not a drinker and if were I wouldn’t never submit my poor body to that.
I went to Trinity College. I didn’t get to see a lot,
because we went later in the day but I just love old universities. They just
have that thing about them. That “je ne sais quoi.”
The absolute best part was our day trip to the Cliffs of
Moher. The cliffs were beautiful (they were featured in Harry Potter.) The
Dolman stone (which is 5,800 years old) was a really great thing to get to see.
We also went to Galway on this trip. The entire countryside was lush and green
and dotted with cottages and towers and castles. Basically beautiful.
I am so happy that I chose to go to Ireland. When I’m
old(er) I want a house on their gold coast, but first I need a million dollars.
Cheers,
Cis
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