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Thursday,
Nov 28, 2002
After leaving
Newgrange we wanted to do the other big sight of the area, the
Hill of Tara, but it seems Tara is closed during the winter,
so we headed straight into Dublin. And into end-of-day rush
hour traffic. We were stuck in the traffic jam for about 2
hours, all the while realizing we only had the barest idea of
where we were, and alarmingly aware that we had no place to
stay. During the time in the car we decided to skip the city
and head for Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary, don't ask
why so many extra letters, Irish is just like that), a quieter
suburb of Dublin. Rick Steves' guidebook had a few
recommendations, so we figured we'd try one of them. Getting
to Dun Laoghaire was another adventure, since we didn't really
have a map of Dublin; half an hour later we had both gotten an
interesting tour of suburban Dublin, and found our B&B, Mrs.
Kane's Seaview B&B. It was a bit late, and
Mrs. Kane looked at us kinda weird when we arrived. Later she
would confess to us that the only reason she decided to give
us a room was because I had Rick Steves' guide in my hand when
I knocked on the door. Thank you, Rick!
Friday,
Nov 29, 2002
We decided to return
our car to the airport, since we didn't need it in Dublin
thanks to the DART rail system. Yet another adventure. Dublin
is being modernized in everything from culture to
infrastructure. That means that there were a lot (no, really,
a lot) of ongoing roadwork all over the metro Dublin area.
Following the signs to get to the airport from Dun Laoghaire,
we ended up taking a detour due to some construction, and
ended up some 10 miles south of Dublin, in some little town
called Stepaside, before we realized we were lost, again. A
quick stop at a petrol station and we were finally on our way,
except what should have been a one-hour trip was now turning
into an all-morning event. At least we got to drive pretty
much all around the great ring road around greater Dublin.
When we had finally returned the car, we took a bus back into
the city, foot travelers once more.
Our bus dropped us
off near the Post Office, so we decided to stop there. This
was the scene of the Easter Rising of 1916, when a band of
patriots took over the Post Office, declaring the independence
of Ireland from British rule. We'd see more of this band of
rebels later. The inside, while still functioning as a post
office, also serves as a kind of museum, with signs pointing
various locations. We didn't go in; it as too crowded.
Outside, however, once can still see the bullet holes made 87
years ago on that fateful Easter Monday. The very famous
memorial to the Rising, the statue of Cuchulain, is visible
from the outside. There is something wrong with that statue,
however...
The statue is a
reference to the death of Cuchulain, when faced with
insurmountable odds in his final battle, he ties himself to a
pillar stone with his belt in order to face death standing
tall instead of lying down. It is the greatest symbol of
defiance, of stubbornness, and the archetype of the Irish
warrior. But this statue depicts Cuchulain slumped against the
rock, defeated in death. It has been turned into a Christ
figure, and emptied of all its burning inner fire. I
understand why the Christ allusion was used, but to us it
cheapens the legend, the myth, and the memory of those who
fought and died Chuchulain-like against insurmountable odds,
refusing to lay down their lives in submission.
From the Post Office
we walked down to Trinity College, salivating at the idea of
our next destination: the Book of Kells
exhibition. The Book
of Kells, briefly, is a collection of the four gospels of the
New Testament, written in Latin, and created sometime in the
8th or 9th century by monks living in the fringes of the known
world. It is the finest example of art from the so-called Dark
Ages, but more than that, it is a legacy of the love of books
that these monks had, the same love that would lead them to
make copies not only of the gospels, but of other books of
antiquity, thus preserving the knowledge of the classic period
for posterity.
Unfortunately
they do not allow photos to be taken at the Book of Kells
exhibition,
so here's the cover of the little book we bought at Trinity
College on the Book of Kells.
Nov. 29, 2002
Housed in the old
library at Trinity College, the exhibition begins with an incredible
and excellent introduction called "Turning Darkness Into
Light", an exhibition on the process of book-making in
the early Middle Ages. It is well-documented and it gives you
information on everything, from the selection of skins for
vellum, to the writing and illuminating process, to the
binding process, putting the book in its historical and
cultural context. It is all geared towards making you truly
appreciate what you are about to see. Any bibliophile like us
will love the exhibition, but they are sure to love even more
the actual book, which is where we, the literary foreplay all
done with, headed next.
At any given time
you see, displayed under thick glass, two different pages of
the Book of Kells, plus two pages from four other historical
books of the same period. On this day, we saw the Portrait of
St. John (pictured on the book above) and the page with the
genealogy of Jesus (Luke 1, 23-38). Most everyone would come
in and look around the display, spending a few minutes at
most; we went in, picked a spot, and got nose-to-the-glass
close in order to truly see the magnificent artistry. Even
after almost 700 years, you can still see the brushstrokes on
the paint, the marks of the quill as it etched its way on the
vellum, the tiny pores on the calfskin page. The colors are
still vibrant and time has been kind to the work, allowing us
to see all these details. Just as one is able to see the hand
of God in nature, there are works that allow one to see the
hand of God as manifested through the artist; the Book of
Kells is such a work. Christian or not, one has to admit that
there was divinity guiding this work of art, inspiring it, and
preserving it for future generations. That said, God has a
sense of humor, so do watch out for all the little scenes
drawn in by the illuminators, scenes of sexual romps, of
earthly delights, of pure joy of life. They make for an
interesting game of hide-and-seek amidst the centuries-old
illuminations.
After this we headed
back to the B&B as sundown was approaching and Shabbat was
about to start.
Saturday,
Nov 30, 2002
We used this day to
relax. We woke up late, had breakfast and went out for a walk
around Dun Laoghaire, eventually ending up at the stone pier,
two giant stone arms jutting out to the sea, built during the Napoleonic
wars in preparation for an invasion that never came.
After sundown, we
headed back into Dingle to eat at the most wonderful
restaurant: Cornucopia, a vegetarian place on Wicklow Street,
where we sat down to have our first warm meal in our whole
trip. And it was delicious! From there we headed to Temple
Bar, ending up at a place called Gogerty's Pub, where we hung
out until it got way too packed for comfort, and then headed
back to sleep.
To
Dublin, next page (2)
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