Part 1 -
Getting to Dublin was the first step in the trip that had been almost a year in the planning. Three generations of Sullivan/Brennan decendants, 5 women ranging in age from 92 to 36, arrived on Sunday morning. Once we met at the hotel and had our intinerary given by the Guide for our escorted tour, we headed out to have some discovery on our own before leaving on the tour bus.
Our goal was to get to Trinity College, to see the Book of Kells. Well, it was actually MY primary goal, a dream of mine for many years. We hopped in a taxi although it wasn't a far walk unless you are 85 and 92 and have been on a plane for 6 hours. And there was the college! We entered the grounds and found our way to the Old Library, bought our tickets and found ourselves confronted with the ancient illuminated texts of The Book of Kells from about the year 800.
And so much more. There are other venerable manuscripts earlier and later in age - Irish, Coptic, Armenian, Egyptian. We stared, appreciated, read all of the descriptions, and after seeing all that was on display, we reluctantly headed to the steps that took us upstairs, according to the sign, to the shop and the exit.
And
THEN, we hit the mother lode -
The Long Room - WOW, I was in immediate awe of the stacks of leather bound volumes that towered nearly above oxygen levels. There was an original printing of the Proclamation of Independence that kicked off the 1916 Easter Rising, the oldest harp in Ireland, at least 500 years old, and cases of other stunningly hand-lettered texts. The list of luminaries who studied there is much too long for this space but just a few - Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, and Samuel Beckett. All too soon we had to make our way to the shop, the exit and head to the hotel to meet up with the tour guide. I could have stayed there for hours more.
 |
| St. Patrick's Cathedral |
Back to the hotel where we changed from the taxi to the bus that would be our mobile home for the next 6 days. We hit the highlights of Dublin with commentary from the lilting voice of our personal Irish guide, Carmel. There was O'Connell Street, St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street, and St. Patrick's Cathedral (where Jonathan Swift was Dean). The Doors of Dublin colored our experience of the city and then a bus stop for a photo and shopping hour put us only a block from the statue of the sweet and legendary Molly Malone.
 |
Molly Malone also known to locals as
The Tart with the Cart and
The Dish with the Fish |
The figures of the famine memorial along the Liffey were a stark portrayal of the million who died, and no doubt some were from my family. We know that our family member Simon Brennan left in 1848 to make his way here to the US but we don't know who he left behind.
 |
| Famine Memorial |
 |
Replica of Emigrant Ship used
by those escaping the famine |
It was time to go back to the hotel for dinner after two full days - one of travel to Dublin and one of travel in Dublin. We had arrived and it was just the beginning!
 |
| Dublin's Harp Bridge on the River Liffey |
 |
Dublin Street Lamp
with Shamrocks on top |
 |
O'Connell Street
The first major boulevard in Europe |
Part 1 - Getting to Dublin was the first step in the trip that had been almost a year in the planning. Three generations of Sullivan/Brennan decendants, 5 women ranging in age from 92 to 36, arrived on Sunday morning. Once we met at the hotel and had our intinerary given by the Guide for our escorted tour, we headed out to have some discovery on our own before leaving on the tour bus.
Our goal was to get to Trinity College, to see the Book of Kells. Well, it was actually MY primary goal, a dream of mine for many years. We hopped in a taxi although it wasn't a far walk unless you are 85 and 92 and have been on a plane for 6 hours. And there was the college! We entered the grounds and found our way to the Old Library, bought our tickets and found ourselves confronted with the ancient illuminated texts of The Book of Kells from about the year 800. And so much more. There are other venerable manuscripts earlier and later in age - Irish, Coptic, Armenian, Egyptian. We stared, appreciated, read all of the descriptions, and after seeing all that was on display, we reluctantly headed to the steps that took us upstairs, according to the sign, to the shop and the exit.
And THEN, we hit the mother lode - The Long Room - WOW, I was in immediate awe of the stacks of leather bound volumes that towered nearly above oxygen levels. There was an original printing of the Proclamation of Independence that kicked off the 1916 Easter Rising, the oldest harp in Ireland, at least 500 years old, and cases of other stunningly hand-lettered texts. The list of luminaries who studied there is much too long for this space but just a few - Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, and Samuel Beckett. All too soon we had to make our way to the shop, the exit and head to the hotel to meet up with the tour guide. I could have stayed there for hours more.
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