Sandip Hor on a mini stay in Dublin amazingly
discovers the true Irish spirit.
It was a mild Sunday morning in September. I’m on a mini stay in Dublin, the capital of Ireland.
After throwing my luggage in the small city hotel room, I’m out in the streets to get a feel for this metropolis and surprisingly find that every inch of the city space is packed with people of all ages young and old, men and women in a sporty but aggressive mood waiving flags, placards and scarves.
I ask a passer by - “Hey what's happening?” He looked at me curiously as if I’m from another planet and said - “Don't you know? Today is the Ireland's Gaelic Football Final”.
I knew Irish are strong in art and literature - George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce and Oscar Wilde are all sons of that soil, Irish music, tap dancing and Guinness are world renowned, but their severe enthusiasm for sport was surely an eye opener for me.
I quickly learn from people around that Gaelic Football, which is a combination of traditional football and rugby, is the most popular spectator sport in Ireland and the national tournament grand final played annually at Croke Park in Dublin in the third Sunday of September is a day of national fun and celebration.
Hoping to catch up with the fun again during later part of the day, I move on with my Dublin exploration venture. At the first glance, the city appears like most other momentous European conurbation that displays a wonderful blending of historic and modern architecture; from Medieval to Georgian to 21st century style, but hardly any sky scrappers in noticeable in Dublin.
River Liffy separates the city into two - O’Connell Street in the northern side being the commercial and economic hub of Dublin or even for the entire nation. In the last decade, there has been a sensational economic boom in the country and signs are overly explicit in that part of the city.
There are eleven bridges to cross the river, the largest being the O’Connell Street Bridge while the smallest is the nearby Ha Penny Bridge which derived that name from the half a penny toll that was charged to the pedestrians using the bridge after it was built in 1816.
Tourists hang out mostly in the south bank that presents a gallery of historic attractions - cathedrals, castles, museums and the famous Trinity College, none of which can afford a miss.
Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1038 by Dublin’s Viking King is the elder of the city’s two medieval cathedrals, the other being the near by St Patrick’s which was built on a site where St Patrick is said to have baptised converts to Christianity. Both the icons have a small admission fee, but it’s free on a Sunday if attending the morning service.
Christ Church Cathedral which has been the seat of the Archbishop since medieval period times contains the tomb of Anglo Norman Lord Strongbow whose marriage with Irish Princess Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster changed the course of Irish history forever. Diarmait McMurchada, Aoife’s father when ousted from his kingdom went to England to seek help from mercenaries to regain his monarchy.
He agreed with Strongbow to give him his daughter’s hand and the empire after his death if Strongbow could regain his throne. Strongbow’s blood bathed victory the day before the marriage marked the end of the of the Viking age and the beginning of the Norman Conquest in Ireland.
I see some of that episode at the nearby National Art Gallery, where I locate a mid 19th century painting by illustrious Irish painter Daniel Maclise that brilliantly capture the enormous significance of that bloody war and unholy marriage. This Gallery has excellent collections from all major continental schools that spans from 14th to the 20th centuries, The Taking of Christ (1602) by eminent Italian artist Caravaggio being one of its priceless treasure.
If there is only one thing that you have time for to see in Dublin, my recommendation will be the Book of Kells, an ornately illustrated manuscript produced by Celtic monks around AD 800 in the style known as Insular art.
You will perhaps see nothing like this anywhere else in the world. It is on permanent display at the library of the prestigious Trinity College, one of the great universities of Europe. The long list of prominent alumni includes Samuel Beckett, Edmund Burke and Oscar Wilde.
Founded by Elizabeth I, for centuries remained a bastion of British culture in Ireland. As a result, until the 1970s Catholics could only attend the college with a special dispensation from the Archbishop of Dublin; today, however, they form 70 per cent of the student population.
One cannot leave Dublin without experiencing shopping at Grafton Street and spending time with the locals at a café or a pub in the Temple Bar area where every evening is party time, whether it's the Football Final or the St Patrick Day.
Dubliners love to converse, the subject choice can be yours from literature to politics, however their old time favourite is the weather and after their recent success at the Cricket World Cup they will perhaps encourage a chat on the bat and ball game if you are into it as well.
The sun has set for the day and its time for a drink but it’s hard to get into a pub- all overflowing with triumphant fans from the football match.
I somehow squeeze into one of them in the Temple Bar area and looking around I see all of them to be over the moon in jubilation. So where are the losers? They are all in there enjoying the evening alongside the winners. That’s the true spirit of the Irish - they enjoy every bit of life even if they lose it on the day.
FACT FILE
*Getting there:
*Air: Aer Lingus and Ryan Air have regular flights to Dublin from major European cities - London, Paris, Rome and Frankfurt which have several connections to all Australian cities.
The major city attractions of Dublin can be explored on foot, however there are efficient network of buses and trains to move you around.
*Accommodation:
Plenty of accommodation available to suit your budget. Check out : www.irelandhotels.com.
I stayed at the reasonably priced three star Abbey Hotel near O'Connell Street.
It was a mild Sunday morning in September. I’m on a mini stay in Dublin, the capital of Ireland.
