On our return to Dublin, Sara and I had our clear list of priorities. We would: have dinner with Katherine and Hans-Peter (friends from our 2019 Camino walk); arrange for Covid Testing prior to our flight to Portugal; visit the GPO Post Office Museum; visit the Guinness StoreRoom, visit the Teeling Distillery; and visit the EPIC Emigration Museum of Ireland.
As planned, we met up with Katherine and H.P. on Sunday evening at one of our favorite stops, The Bank on College Green. We were anxious to enjoy the “Sunday Roast,” but they said that they were sold out – at first. But somehow, they found enough and gave us a lovely meal. We enjoyed a chance to catch up with Katherine and HP and to share all our travel notes. They are walking the Dingle Way also. Then we headed out, strolling through Temple Bar, stopping here and there to grab a drink and listen to music.
Covid Testing Prior to Flights: Our Air Portugal flight required a PCR (within 72 hours prior) or a Rapid Antigen Test (within 48 hours). Where could we be tested? We checked with Boots and with Hickey (both pharmacies with multiple spots in Dublin), but when we visited, they wouldn’t take walk-ins, so they told us to make an appointment online. Sara’s great at this online stuff, but even online, no appointments were available. As it turned out, the only sure place to get the test done was at the Dublin Airport. But we’ve learned not to trust in last minute arrangements, so we took the bus to the airport the day BEFORE our flight. We found the testing sight and had our Rapid Antigen Tests done easily. But while waiting, we saw another woman who missed her flight because she had not even been aware that she needed testing.
Lessons to be Learned: In Covid times you need to double check before you travel. Requirements change day by day, and the airlines say it is your responsibility to know what’s required and to prepare accordingly.
A Story of Irish Generosity: Paul vs. Guinness: This story goes back to August 12, our first day in Dublin. Sara and I were just discovering the city, so we’re obviously tourists, fumbling with maps, standing on a street corner just across from Christ Church Cathedral. A middle-aged man riding his bicycle stopped to ask how he could help. His name was Paul. We said we had two goals (1) more immediately, finding a good place to eat, and (2) finding our way to the famous Guinness Storehouse. So Paul offered help on both counts. First, he recommends two options to eat: Davy Byrne’s Pub back on Duke Street, or a French style place near Dublin Castle called Chez Max. Second he advises us: “DO NOT go to Guinness. It’s a rip-off, a waste of your time and money. In fact, I’ll pay you NOT to go to Guinness,” and he pulls out a 10€ bill, and pushes it into Sara’s hand. We both refuse and insist that he take the 10€ bill back. Paul goes on about how the Guinness tour is too expensive and does a terrible job presenting all the artwork and advertising. Eventually, we get him to take back the 10€ bill, but he still pushes a 5€ into Sara’s hand instead. We thank Paul for his advice as he cycles away, and we head back to find food.
Half an hour later we’re sitting outside Davy Byrne’s (one of Paul’s recommendations) enjoying a Guinness and whiskey while waiting for our lunch to arrive. And here comes Paul on his bicycle. He sees us, stops and says, “Ah, so you found it. That’s great. I know them inside, so I’ll take care of your lunch for you.” “No, no!” we cried, but to no avail, as Paul left his bike and entered the pub. A few minutes later he came back out, told us our lunch was all taken care of. Then he mounted his bike and wished us well as he took off.
We enjoyed a great meal, fish & chips for Sara and Beef & Guinness Pie for Evan. Not quite sure about Paul covering our lunch, I simply paid the bill as usual. But then, just as we were about to leave, our waitress gave us a 50€ bill that Paul had left inside to cover our lunch.
We feel a bit burdened by Paul’s unnecessary generosity. So we’ve decided to take that 50€ and to “pay it forward” to those who need it more. We’ve already given some to buskers in Galway and Dublin, and we’ve donated 50€ to UNICEF Ireland to help fund vaccinations and fight Covid in third world countries.
Guinness Storeroom Visit. One of the most popular tourist sites in Dublin, Guinness offers a great self-guided visit. We loved the section on barrel making, and the section on Guinness Advertising. The tour ends on the seventh floor in the “Gravity Bar” for a drink. Sara had a Hop 13 and Evan a Guinness. We could survey all of Dublin from this height on this beautiful afternoon. During our visit, a young man proposed marriage and his girlfriend said YES. The couple was cheered and everyone toasted them with their Guinness. [Despite Evan’s fear that Paul would somehow be there to catch us visiting Guinness, our visit was pleasant and un-interrupted.]
GPO: General Post Office Museum: As the center of the 1916 Rebellion, the GPO was nearly destroyed, but today it houses a great museum with clear explanations of the complex issues leading up to the rebellion and how the rebellion played out across the city of Dublin. A vivid film presentation illustrates the early successes of the rebellion and then the ultimate power of the English to suppress it. We came to understand why many Dubliners hated this failed attempt to free Ireland from English domination. But the English responded with such unnecessary brutality that public opinion quickly shifted toward support for the republican cause. That lead to the Revolution, and then to Michael Collins’s treaty with the English, making Ireland a “Free State” yet still a “dominion” of the English Empire. But some could not be satisfied with anything less than complete independence, so a civil war followed, pitting the Free State against the republicans. Collins was ambushed and assassinated, but eventually, in 1922, the Republic of Ireland became a nation/state on its own.
EPIC Emigration Museum of Ireland. This is all about the Irish Diaspora: the history of Irish people leaving Ireland and settling all around the world; the reasons why they left through history, the places they went, and the many contributions they have made in the science, in literature, in music and so on. Its full of stories of famous Irish folk and of the not so famous, just living their lives and often struggling to survive under very difficult conditions.
