Visiting Dublin: Still Alive in Rare Old Times

“The trickiest part of switching between solo traveling and wandering with others involves changing pace and taking up a mantle as a tour guide.” – Old Sean

Favored Realms

My dear Emerald Isle,

I am returned.  

After four years abroad I’ve finally reentered one of my favorite countries on Earth. Ireland and perhaps bits of Scotland are the only patches of Earth I feel strongly rooted to, not through myself but through my ancestors.  

And so, I landed in Dublin once more, quickly making my way to the rather lovely Gardiner Hostel in Dublin.  There, I met my dear younger sister and brother, who had already stormed the city well before me.

Without any major buses to catch for the first few hours, our small group went on a clumping tour throughout the city.  Burdened with hefty backpacks and aided by startling gumption, we angled south to the river.

A Brief Tour of Dublin

Since our bus heading to the West was due to leave later that day, we were forced to limit our long wanderings.  We naturally started our walks around Temple Bar.  Temple Bar is actually the name of a drinking district which confuses Google Maps.  But the actual, famous Temple Bar building is an overpriced establishment alive with red paint, many patrons and flowers.  We poked our heads in but conserved our alcoholism money for a later time.  

We continued on down the river, eventually reaching the famous Ha’Penny Bridge.  The arching structure is visually unremarkable, but the name stems from the toll pedestrians were forced to pay to traverse the river in days of yore.  We walked by the bridge slowly to enter the campus of Trinity College.  

As always, Trinity College is carved beauty with huge green patches.  Tourists mill around inadvertently blocking actual students rushing to lessons.  Towers of stone make monuments, unique sculptures of bronze are seated on pedestals and a line snakes away from the Trinity Long Room, which hosts the Legendary Book of Kells.

Vanished Mosaics

I continued urging my siblings along to a café where we got a sandwich apiece.  I was hunting for the famous Táin Bó Cúailnge Mosaic.  

The famous mural showcases one of the most famous legends in all of Irish Lore, the Cattle Raid of Cooley.  In this epic, an insidious Queen sends an army to steal a famed bull from the Cooley Peninsula, under the protection of a powerful Ulster King named Conchobar.  During her efforts, Conchobar and his entire army is crippled with pain by an unrelated curse, at which point the Champion of Ulster, Cú Chulainn mounts a solo defense.  He thrashes the invading army soundly and only when pitted against his best friend and battle-brother Ferdia, is Cú Chulainn sufficiently distracted.  The bull is stolen during the two champions fight.  But misery awaits in droves on both sides.  Cú Chulainn slays his best friend, breaking his heart.  The Queen running away with the bull shows it off to her husband, demanding it be penned with the King’s own great bull.  Both beasts are affronted by the presence of the other, and they gore each other to death.

Unfortunately, at this time, the truly splendid mosaic is gone.  The street itself is under construction and though the sign “Setenta” remains, the mosaic was closed.  

Full disclosure, I nearly threw a fit.

Bog Mummies

However, time goes on.  I next dragged my dear siblings to the National Museum of Ireland – Archeology.  This Museum has remained a long-time favorite of mine, primarily thanks to the large collection of amazingly preserved Bog-Mummies that rest inside.  I made a field day of the huge museum, reading about fairy mounds, looking at encrusted bishop canes, visiting bog-artifacts, admiring exquisite brooches and reading further about everything Irish under the sun.

It was only once time had adequately trickled away that I told my small crowd that it was time to go.  We walked back to the river, eventually finding our bus and spotting the strange Spire.  The sharp needle-structure loomed over the lower city as our bus brushed into the countryside.  The upper-roof was open for ventilation as we drove, chilling us thoroughly until we managed to shift seats.

Soon, however, we’ll be heading to Killarney, where we might start our trip in earnest.  The Ring of Kerry has been calling my name for years now.

Until then,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written June 15th, 2022

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