August group

The primary new adventure for MFE and Dana was a trip to Dublin. Though we had been there briefly on business (dogs and passport), we had not really been tourists. Both cars (9 people) drove there on Friday. On the way, we met up in Roscrea for lunch on the castle grounds - an unexpected bonus. We arrived in Dublin on Friday afternoon in a massive traffic jam because of road works - we were nearly motionless for about 1 hour! We finally made it to our B&Bs (we had 2 because there were so many of us!). They were in a prime location right on major city bus lines, which was great. We parked the cars and left them all weekend. (Our car had battery problems on the way, so Mick and Dana successfully addressed that on Saturday). We all went our separate ways for most of the time - seemed like the best way for such a big group. Most of us enjoyed the hop on/hop off bus tour, which gives a wonderful overview of the city. Among the sites pictured here are the General Post Office - site on O'Connell street of the 1916 Easter Monday rising, which destroyed much of town centre, and resulted in 16 executions which ignited the populace and eventually led to the civil war in 1922. Also, here are several pictures of Kilmainham jail - a fascinating tour through Irish history, and the spot of 14 of those 16 executions. Some visited Guinness, though Dana and I will save that for another visit. Jeanne and MFE visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. Most of us viewed the Book of Kells in Trinity College - amazing because of its age and intricacy. Dublin is quite pretty, with the River Liffey flowing down the middle to the Irish Sea, and a lot of beautiful architecture. And, the crowd scene is in Temple Bar on Friday evening - it was just starting to be alive, and boy does it come alive - it is the place to be (maybe if you're a bit younger??). A favorite little Dublin tidbit - the long pole is the Millennium Pole - very tall, in town centre. Dubliners call it the "Stiletto in the Ghetto", the "Rod to God", and "The pole in the hole". They have a penchant for nicknames - the Oscar Wilde statue is the "Queer in the Square" (I think you have to be Irish to make it rhyme). Another is a statue of Molly Malone peddling her cockles and mussels ( a good bar sing-a-long) - they call her the "Dish with the Fish" and the "Tart with a Cart" - sorry these are not pictured.






Another highlight was a trad music pub crawl (although we only officially visited only 2 pubs, reportedly not enough for a true "crawl"). Our entertainers were fun and we learned some musical history and lore as well as listened to some good music (and, as you see, enjoyed a pint or 2).