By Larry and Joan Dolinski
Of Islands Large & Small, Of Seas Calm & Savage
So from Holyhead, Wales we crossed the Irish Sea to Dublin, in the Irish Republic. Dublin is reputed to be second only to London with respect to the concentration of theatres. We visited 400 year old Trinity College, where for a very long period, the only requirements for admission were to be male, Protestant & rich. Its chapel is the only place in the two Irelands where Protestant & Catholic religious services are held in the same place.
During our visit we learned lots about the history of the city and of the country. One is constantly made aware of the deep conflicts between Unionism (i.e., Protestants) and Republicanism (i.e., Catholics). There is much sadness in Irish history, including the great potato famine (1845-1849), during which time 1 1/2 million people starved to death, and the civil war of 1916-1923 which ended with a partition between the Irish Free State and the six counties surrounding Belfast, which became known as Northern Ireland, and is part of Great Britain. Another sorry episode is associated with a 1970's archeological discovery of immense historical importance...a Viking settlement was uncovered near the Liffey River. Corrupt politicians & developers deliberately destroyed the site to profit from a number of construction projects. The pity is that the discovered settlement was in superb shape and would have generated lots of tourism, in addition to professional interest.
On the lighter side, there is the COBBLESTONE STORY:
It was decided that in the spirit of modernization, that the cobblestones in the courtyard of Dublin Castle would be removed and replaced with gravel. Then, about 5 years ago President Clinton was planning a visit in connection with the Irish Peace Process and was asked if there was anything special that he would like to see. He replied that he loves those old courtyards with the cobblestones ... whereupon there followed a ten-day period of frantic activity where the discarded cobblestones were retrieved and reset ... the final stones were still being placed as President Clinton's airplane was landing.
THE MOLLY MALONE STORY
Molly Malone was always celebrated as a real person, the most famous women in Irish history, although kind of dull (she was born, sold fish, and died). She was immortalized in the well known song containing the words "...she wheeled her wheel barrow through streets broad and narrow, shouting cockles and mussels and...". Well some academic did some research and found two disturbing facts to challenge Irish pride: (1) Molly Malone was in fact a fictional character, and (2) the song was written by a Scotsman.
Before leaving Dublin we managed a visit to the Guinness Brewery, which included a tour, a movie on beer brewing, and a courtesy pint of Guinness.
We arrived in Strandhill, on the Atlantic Ocean on June 30 to celebrate our wedding anniversary. For that very special occasion, we found a perfect B&B located adjacent to the ocean; our room had a picture window looking out to sea (toward Boston). We celebrated with dinner and wine at a nice cozy restaurant.
Leaving Strandhill and bound for Belfast, we happened to pass a church cemetery where Irish poet W. B. Yeats is buried, and paid a visit to his grave. Further along the way we visited a fascinating ocean path known as the Giants Causeway which boasts ancient and interesting rock formations. In one case the rocks looked like a set of organ pipes.
Nearby we walked over a rope bridge which connects the mainland to a small island. It was both fun and a little scary to walk across the bridge, suspended over the ocean which could only support two persons at a time.
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