Day 2: An Irish New Years' Eve

On the second day of our Irish adventure, Kristy and I got an early start... at approximately 2:00 AM local time. The jet-lag hit us both pretty hard as we were wide awake. We both took some Dramamine and hoped to fall back asleep in a timely manner. However, that was not the case, as almost two hours passed before we were asleep again. And without an alarm clock in the room and no scheduled wake up call, we were awakened by the cleaning woman at 11:00 AM.

With such a late start, and so little daylight in Dublin, we quickly readied ourselves and caught the tram to the City Centre. We arrived on O'Connell Street, the heart of Dublin and set out exploring the various sites that we wanted to see.

We began at the General Post Office (GPO). It is a stately building that was completely bombed out in the Easter Rising of 1916 leaving only a shell of the building it once was. It was almost immediately rebuilt and is still used today as a Post Office for the city. Here it is in 1916:

Our second stop was the Saint Mary's Pro Cathedral, only a few blocks away, down an alley. It was the location of Michael Collins funeral in 1922. Here is a picture of that event:

Kristy and I walked to the church and up the stairs to its ground level. We entered the church and immediately felt the history of the building as it glowed from little more than the hundreds of prayer candles. We both lit one and made a donation before snapping some pictures and walking out the side door. The priest stood by and wished us "Cheers" as we walked out.

Out in the courtyard, we noticed some others milling about in the front of the church. We wandered over to the front and Kristy took some pictures along the way. As we came to the front of the church, it struck me that the iron gate was chained shut, but seeing as the side gate we had entered was not, I thought little of it. Across the street was an interesting building that we wanted to know more about, but could not find in any of our guidebooks. After spending a few minutes in front of the church, we decided to head off to see other sites in Dublin.

Kristy and I walked back through the courtyard to the gate we had come through, although now it was different- closed and locked with a large padlock! Interesting, but no need to panic as the priest must be in the church. We knocked on the door for a few minutes, but to no avail. We began looking around for another exit, but found none that were not locked. There was no way out. We were surrounded by a tall, spiky wrought iron fence.

After a few minutes of increased panic, a nice Irish couple stopped next to the fence and asked us how we got in the courtyard. We explained our predicament and they offered their assistance. They guided us to a planter that made the climb over the iron fence more manageable. I climbed over and Kristy, in her skirt and all, followed. She slowly lowered herself over the fence while mis-answering the Irish woman's question with "We are married." To which she had a giggle and stated that she had not said anything of the sort. The Irish man and I helped Kristy get down and keep her balance. We were safe again after that saga, and it was still only early afternoon. We could hardly wait for whatever adventures we would encounter during the many remaining hours in the day.

*** Michael Collins Information:
For anyone interested, Michael Collins was one of the leaders of the Irish Resistance against the British in the early 20th Century. He created the IRA and developed modern guerrilla warfare tactics. Many credit him with finally getting Britain to give the Irish Independence, not as a Republic but as a "Free State." However, more extreme Irish citizens were displeased with the terms he was able to negotiate (not a republic, forced pledges of allegiance to the English Crown, and the separation of Northern Ireland). Eventually he was assassinated by extreme members of the IRA. For more detailed information go here. Otherwise, like I told Kristy, he is sort of like an Irish George Washington/Abraham Lincoln.

I write this because some of the sites we explored, especially in County Cork, involved Michael Collins. Here is a picture:

Day 2: New Years' Eve in Dublin Continued

After our little experience in the Church, we headed toward the Tourist Office on O'Connell Street. Since the next day was a public holiday, we figured most things would be closed down. Therefore, we decided to see if there were any day tours that would be heading out. Luckily, there was a tour heading through the Wicklow mountains so we booked our tickets and then headed back into the city. We would need to cover a lot of territory since it would be our only full day in Dublin and Chad had several sights picked out.

We crossed the River Liffey and headed toward the southern part of the city by walking through the Temple Bar. It's a lively and fun area with several restaurants and music halls, but since it has a big tourist draw it is also very expensive. We then headed off to City Hall to take a look around. It was not a very exciting building, but it was the headquarters of the Irish provisional Government in 1922. We were unable to see much beside the rotunda, but it was a beautiful building to view.

Irish History Tidbit: Michael Collins was the chairman of the provisional government and his office was on the ground floor.

After City Hall, we walked to Christ Church, which is a historic church that is said to have been started around 1070. We walked through the Church and went down into the medieval crypt, one of the largest in both Ireland and England. Inside the crypt were several impressive statues, medieval stones, church relics, and a mummified cat and rat.

See as we had already been out and about for quite some time, but still had not eaten, we grabbed a mid-afternoon snack from Leo Burdock's Take Away. It's right across from Christ Church and is a Dublin institution. I contemplated for quite some time before choosing the smoked cod and then balked when the counterperson asked if I would like salt and vinegar. Looking back, this is probably one of my only regrets about the entire trip. The smoked cod was absolutely delicious; however, it would have only been better with vinegar and salt. Chad ordered chicken nuggets (the only meat on their menu) and off we walked with our fish, chips, nuggets, and coke. I must say that striding along on a Dublin road, arm in arm with my husband, while munching on smoked cod has got to be one of my favorite experiences ever. I will never forget it.

Next, we found Dublin Castle. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day since it was already 4 in the afternoon (the Irish work almost as hard as those Italians). So we admired it from the outside, finished our fish, chips, and nuggets and then moved on toward the Mansion House. Dusk was already beginning to fall.

Irish History Tidbit: Michael Collins received the handover of Dublin Castle from the British on behalf of the new Irish Free State Government.

Day 2: New Years' Eve- Evening in Dublin

After leaving Dublin City Hall, with all of one picture of the ceiling, Kristy and I headed to Mansion House. After asking for directions to get there with some daylight, we headed off. Mansion House is the home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. More importantly to our trip, it was the location where the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1919 and the signing of the Treaty in 1921 took place. Michael Collins' efforts allowed the first event and negotiated for the latter event, which began the Civil War that took his life. While Collins was Minister of Finance, the Mansion House was also the sight of his office. The building was closed, however, so we took pictures around the building.

After visiting Mansion House, we began walking towards Saint Stephen's Green. It too was closed, but we took pictures at the gate. While people watching and deciding our next plan of action, Kristy noticed that the nearby horse was wrapped in a blanket. She took many pictures, some of which turned out. While she was taking a picture, a woman getting out a taxi a few feet from us dropped her cell phone and it shattered. She did not swear or say anything, but she did giggle a little to herself. This was the second person we saw drop their cell phone and not get upset about it. Perhaps the Irish have found the secret to happiness?!?

We decided to walk up Grafton Street and look around. As we approached the pedestrian street, Kristy noticed another picturesque scene: a nun in Butler's Chocolate Cafe, standing in front of the window choosing a chocolate box. So Kristy, oh so subtly, took out her camera and snapped pictures continuously hoping that one would turn out. The nun never noticed, but I think the gentleman leaning against the wall next to the window felt uncomfortable about possibly being stalked.

As we walked up Grafton Street, we were surrounded by thousands of people- mostly younger people, but a few families and even a few older couples strolled up and down the street. As we walked by Brown Thomas, which appeared to be a high-end retailer, we noticed that the doorman was in white tie attire including a top hat and tails. We did not get a picture of him for fear he may notice.

Next, our leisurely stroll through Dublin Town took us back to Trinity College. We took some pictures before heading out to walk along the river front. We strolled around the River Liffey on both sides and around the Ha'penny Bridge; we saw a flock of swans that made an excellent scene. Continuing along the riverfront, we walked to the Custom House. It is a beautiful building that is the seat of much of Dublin's government. Historically, it was burned to the ground during the War of Independence.

Kristy and I next headed back towards Christ Church to see if anyone was congregating, as we had discovered that many people spend their New Years' Eves there to hear the ringing of the bells. However, nobody was around. So, Kristy and I had dinner at the Bull & Castle across the street from the church. Kristy tried mulled wine for the first time and was taken aback when it arrived warm. Nonetheless, she enjoyed it and the meal as well. The restaurant was fully reserved beginning an hour after our arrival, so we left and set out to find somewhere else to discuss our game plan for the night.

We strolled around and ended up back in the Mansion House area. As we walked along an alley, we stumbled upon Leon, a French Cafe. It was warm and inviting looking so we walked in. We ordered a pastry and a cappuccino and sat down in chairs around a small table near the front door. The cafe was superbly European as none of the chairs or tables matched, everything was sufficiently worn and comfortable and people sat around and talked without any hustle or bustle. Our food arrived and both the pastry and the cappuccino were delicious. We slowly ate and drank, savoring the moment and reading the newspaper. Eventually, the other party left and the staff began to close up the cafe. We departed back into the cold, still without a solid plan for the rest of the night.

As we strolled along, it got noticeably colder. I looked at my watch and it was only about 8:30- three and a half hours before midnight. We discussed our options and decided to go back to the hotel, and at least warm up as still nobody had congregated by Christ Church. So, we hopped on the tram and decided that whether or not we ventured back into the city for midnight, we would start the New Year together and reflect on the amazing year that was passing.

After we got back to the hotel, and reflected upon our long day, the chilly weather and prospect of having to get up at 7:00 for our Wicklow Tour, we decided to have a low key celebration with the goodies that we had purchased from SuperValu the day before. Thus concluding a long, long day in Dublin.