Tag ireland

A prison and a pub

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

Ireland has only had its independence from the British for about a hundred years. And the North of Ireland is still part of the United Kingdom, a fact that leaves the Irish with a special understanding for a land undergoing occupation, a people being oppressed, or a refugee needing a home.

My academic interest is post-colonial Francophone Africa, especially in how the French treated the North African Muslims differently than the other African colonial populations. I never finished my master’s in world history, but now I wonder if I did finish if it might be pertinent to look at the British and the Irish, the Protestants versus the Catholics, as the most powerful cultural conflicts often have roots in religion. Many Irish are pro-Palestine and pro-Ukrainian people. It’s not hard to see why.

For breakfast, we hopped on a double decker public bus, green and yellow TFI (transportation for Ireland), We rode the 13 and the 27. We headed over to Ernesto’s Café, and we arrived just in time as it got very busy by the time we left.

The café decor has a certain revolutionary Spanish theme while creating artisanal breakfasts. I had the berry scone with chantilly cream, berry compote and of course Irish butter.

From one of the posters on the wall:

I’d rather trust a dealer on a badly lit street corner than a criminal in a three piece suit

Upon return to our hotel, M managed to grab tickets for Kilmainham Goal, the old county jail turned famous Dublin prison that housed the leaders of the Easter Uprising. The narrow halls are from its early county jail days where prisoners were housed one per cell. The larger Victorian-era addition looks much more like our modern prisons today. The jail housed men, women and children. And the amount of people passing through its doors went up 10-fold during the Potato Famine, as (1) begging became a crime and (2) people committed crimes to go to jail to have food and shelter.

It’s hard to see against the stone, but in the one photo there’s a small cross. That’s where most of the leaders of the Easter Uprising were shot by British firing squad. One man was shot on the opposite side because he never recovered from wounds sustained in the uprising and he was shot while propped up in a chair.

In the evening, we went to Darkey Kelly’s to listen to Irish music and I had Guinness Stew.

I’m mentioning it here because most of the traditional Irish music talks about fighting the British– which they’ve done for 800 years.

Nothing we did today featured an interactive tourist experience.

Thank God.

Books in Dublin

Angel Ackerman 2 Comments

Upon arrival in Dublin, we took a whirlwind tour of St. Stephen’s Square and Trinity College. Old cathedrals are an amazing place to really see the majesty of architecture, because so many resources and the greatest marvels went into building them. Christ Church apparently houses the Magna Carta. A city, especially one with Viking roots, acquires a lot of significance in 900 years.

Our second day here, we visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The woman who sold us our tickets was on a banner outside. The church is visble from M’s room. And I did hear my fair share of church bells this morning.

After St. Patrick’s, we visited neighboring Marsh’s Library, a preserved 18th-century library where Bram Stoker did his research. The books in Marsh’s library are older than the United States of America.

Granted, that’s not nearly as old as the book we saw later that day. In the afternoon, we saw the Book of Kells. It’s beneath a screwed-down glass plate inside a glass cube. It’s open to a page from the Book of Matthew in the New Testament. The hall outside the dark room where they house the manuscript has some explanatory material. They also had reproductions of some of the pages. They also went through how to make vellum and what materials they used to create pigments and inks. The manuscript is 1200 years old. In Ireland, that’s not that old, but that’s old for a book!

The next stop after the Book of Kells is the Book of Kells Experience– and that takes you into a room where you can interact with busts of famous authors (that freakishky bat their eyes and talk) or use the QR codes to read academic background on various significant figures. Because I mentioned Bram Stoker above, I’ve included him here as well.

We stepped into Trinity College’s Long Room, which won’t have books in it for much longer. They are doing some restoration work. The room features the art installation Gaia, Ireland’s oldest surviving harp, and the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. And it’s a majestic space.

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and M’s family member who attends here told us that the main green field on campus was designed specifically not to be big enough to play traditionally Irish sports.

In every neighborhood in each city we have visited, we have seen multiple bookstores. Near Trinity, we stopped in at Hodges Figgis. They had an entire room of Irish history and Irish fiction. It took all my self control not to buy exorbitant amounts of history books.

Since 1768, Hodges Figgis has been at the forefront of celebrating Ireland’s rich literary heritage. From timeless classics to contemporary masterpieces, our shelves are adorned with a diverse array of Irish books spanning every genre. Whether you’re a seasoned bibliophile or a curious newcomer, our expert booksellers are here to guide you on a journey through Ireland’s vibrant literary landscape.

This was where I also confirmed that my debit card would only work in certain places with certain processors. Elavon, the same processor I use for Parisian Phoenix, services some of the shops here. Those shops can take my card. I had completely forgotten that Capital One switched to the Discover network and now the card I have used all over the world is fairly useless. Sad really. I had that bank account specifically for travel and it has been used in multiple locations in Europe and in Africa.

Cliffs of Moher and Galway with Wild Rover

Angel Ackerman 1 Comment

Today started early.

I was up at 5 a.m. to do some writing before leaving for Cliffs of Moher and Galway on Wild Rover Tours. It’s clear across the country, as Dublin is on the east coast and rather central and this day trip would take us straight across the the west coast and the Atlantic Ocean.

We met the bus at 6:55.

We left the hotel at 6:30.

I experienced some unusual motion sickness. So M took that as an occasion to drug me on the way home.

We stopped at a service plaza where I purchased overnight oats that turned out to be the best oatmeal I ever had.

The Cliffs were gorgeous but they had a lot of wind. The wind tossed people around.

Ireland has stone walls that serve as property lines and date back 5,000 years. I knew that, in a way, but I did not suspect how many there are. They are everywhere. The Burren, as Stephen the tour guide said, had some of the most welcoming, beautiful scenery anywhere in the world. As M said, “I don’t usually get off on a field of grass but…”

I don’t have many photos because I needed to save my phone’s battery life as we were away all day. The bus had USB charging ports but I have a USB-C cord. Perhaps if M reads this he will send some of his photos.

But I do have a video of some unusual, but also ordinary, traffic. Keep in mind, they drive on the left in Ireland so that narrow passageway in the video is indeed the other lane. “This is what we call gridlock traffic” Click here.

The craziest part of the day was when we reached Claddagh Jewellers on Shop Street in Galway, I felt something family about the branding of the shop. I studied the window displays and I found the wedding rings Darrell Parry and I ordered from the Irish store, Donegal Square, in downtown Bethlehem. We spent hundreds of dollars on them and waited for months for them to arrive from Ireland.

And we got compliments on them all the time. In the last photo in the series, the gold ring directly in the center of the bottom row is the men’s version.

Takeaway and the World Cup Qualifier

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

I wish I could tell you I went to bed early last night, but at 7 p.m. I got my second or third wind. M suggested Indian takeaway, because we felt it would be a great experience to get takeaway, because Americans do take-out and our takeaways are lessons not dinner.

And Spice & Rice had fal— an extremely spicy item.

He did not order fal. He ordered spicy chicken vindaloo and I ordered lamb korma, which shocked him because I don’t normally do mild dishes. I got the meal for one deal for 20.95 euros, which included a drink, a starter, a pilau rice, a naan (I got mango peshwaari)and poppadom. So much food. I don’t know how they consider that meal for one. That is easily meal for two.

We wandered down to the restaurant around 7:30 p.m. and it was dead, enough so that M was nervous that maybe the food would be bad. While the food cooked, we meandered to the end of the block to Peader Brown‘s, a traditional Irish pub that has a history of Irish Republicanism. They had several televisions visible from the tented outdoor area as they were at capacity because of the World Cup Qualifying match between the Czech Republic and Ireland.

The moon was bright and the game was amazing, each time we went to return for our takeaway, the Irish team scored. We wondered if maybe we were a good luck charm.

We read the pro-Palestine posters, and M even noticed a Palestinian flag across the street. That’s not surprising as the Irish are acutely aware of the politics of ownership by occupation.

We also started calling the Czech team and each other feckin eejits as I had stopped at a curiosities shop earlier in the day where they had some interesting mugs and dirty feckin eejit soap. (“Weird is wonderful,” the window said.”

This also led to M and I conversing about why Ireland has such a “cussing culture” and my hypothesis went to the idea that the Irish have a long history as a working class culture, people who have survived on an island for a very long time (in Dublin’s case 900 years).

Speaking of oddities, I saw a sign in the window of the barber:

“Spectacles and Wooden Legs always Wanted.”

We brought the takeaway back to our room where we stuffed ourselves with a delicious feast that we could not finish. So we piled it into the fridge, but we have no microwave so we may need to reheat it with some creativity with hot water from the electric kettle.

And then we turned on the game.

Now we were exhausted and stuffing our faces with Indian food, but the Irish team was giving it their everything. And we couldn’t stop watching.

The game remained 2-2 and went into double overtime, and an Irish player and a Czech player collided so hard the Irish player left on a backboard. (I have to Google that and see if he’s okay.) Those boys were tired, sweaty, covered with grass stains and still playing an intense game.

And then it went to penalty kicks. M tapped out. He can’t handle penalty kicks. But I had to know who won. The Czech team missed the third kick. The Irish team missed the fourth. Then the Irish team missed the fifth and the Czechs did not. The Czechs won the game on the fifth penalty kick.

From the news:

New York Times

Irish Mirror

I should have grabbed a Guinness. (I’m glad I didn’t because I needed a good night’s sleep! We even have pint glasses in the room.)

First Day in Dublin, Ireland

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

First off, forgive any typos or strange word choice in this entry as we came to Dublin via a Delta flight from Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., to Logan Airport in Boston, and then the transatlantic (in coach) to Dublin. The first flight left D.C. at about 6:30 and landed a little after eight, and the second flight left a little after 11 p.m. Eastern Time and landed at 8:45 a.m. Dublin time.

I thought it sounded like plenty of time to sleep– but I didn’t account for the four-hour time difference (which changes back to five hours Sunday) which meant the plane technically left at a little after 11 p.m. and landed at 4:45 a.m. eastern time. And on top of that, they did a dinner meal service right after take-off (which M and I both skipped) and that meant we couldn’t recline our seats until midnight.

Not that reclining our seats added comfort. Those seats felt like sitting on a boulder and today my ass hurts.

And then they did a light breakfast and drink service at the equivalent of 4 a.m. eastern.

If you were good at falling alseep on planes, you are looking at 4 hours of sleep on this flight. I am not good at falling asleep on planes. My watch says I got one hour and 18 minutes of sleep, but M and I think that figure might be closer to two hours.

But enough bitching. I’m thrilled to be here and having a great time, even if my meager nap got interrupted meaning I only gained another ten minutes of sleep.

That is also why I am not dealing with too many photos right now. I will do a photo gallery later.

Also: random side note– the European Union rules on how web sites can collect data are very different from the United States so I am constantly reviewing cookies and practices that I use every day at home as if I am seeing them for the first time. Accept cookies?

We are staying in the Hyatt Centric, The Liberties, Dublin. My room has a pod-fed espresso machine, an electric tea kettle, a selection of teas, unrefrigerated milk in a glass jar, and a bottle opener. I wondered if I needed it for something– the bottle opener– but then I realized:

I’m in Ireland. The assumption is everyone in Ireland needs a bottle opener at some point of the day.

M. mentioned to the immigration officer at the airport that it was colder than he expected. And the officer replied:

“It’s always warm in the pub.”

M thought he said “in the pool.”

I reminded him we were in Ireland. Not pool.

The main event today was touring Trinity College with M’s family member doing her graduate work here.

Door at Trinity College
Parliament Square at Trinity

The tower in the one photo from Trinity houses a bell, and there’s a superstition that if you walk under the bell and it rings, you will fail your exams. And the bell rings at random intervals, according to our student attending, so you never know…

View from my room

M and I have separate rooms and I chose this one downstairs– and it does not have the traditional desired view. M’s room looks to the street and St. Patrick’s Catherdral.

But I like this view, the angles of the hotel, it’s modern lines, and the traditional brick building in the distance.

Doors seem to be a theme for me on this initial day of wandering 10,000 steps around Dublin. So here’s another… for all my classic punk fans…

Preparing for a travel day

Angel Ackerman Leave a comment

Today is technically day five of my Spring Break tour to Washington, D.C., and Dublin, Ireland. I have been here at my friend M’s house since Sunday, where Eva and I spent the day at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Despite the fact that this is a vacation and a visit with a friend whom I have not seen recently, we also both have to work. And once we head to Dublin, hopefully the real vacationing will begin.

The dining has been superb, even though I have not left the house since I returned from the zoo. We all love food here. Sunday we had pasta with a vodka-style cream sauce (without the vodka), Monday we had grilled cheese on rye with gruyere and a lovely tomato soup that reminded me of the Pacific Foods cream of tomato I used to enjoy (which was the only tomato soup I’ve ever liked), and last night we had blackened tofu with cheesy grits and a side of carrots. Breakfasts have consisted of various cheeses on toast– from reaper cheese to truffle cheese.

M. and his family moved into this house eight years ago, and Gayle gave him tea towels her sister had crocheted. They are still in daily use.

On Monday, I never got out of my pajamas. On Tuesday, I showered and got dressed. Today I got up, dressed, and combed my hair. And I packed. I have my ancient carry-on bag with the leopard print exterior, and in that is my man-bag crossover purse, and I plan to take my laptop bag/backpack on the plane.

I have dressed extremely comfortably, and have a sweatshirt for warmth with a raincoat and scarf in my backpack. I try to be practical and prepared without hauling too much shit. Once we get to Ireland, I will reorganize everything so I have my purse ready for outings and my backpack stays at the hotel.

More later friends.