Kimberly Emerson

DAY SEVEN

Slept in today, to make up for my rushed morning yesterday, and to remain in denial of the fact that I’d have to leave for the airport by 8:30am tomorrow.

Breakfast was only served till 10:30, and I certainly didn’t want to miss that (especially after I promised the server yesterday that I’d eat up), so I dragged myself downstairs at 10:00.  The bread and pastry tray made a late arrival today.  For a moment sitting there, I thought I’d have to be content with just the fruit salad, coffee and French toast, and it occurred to me that I felt momentarily deprived.  Somewhere in there I realized, “This is more than I eat in three breakfasts at home.”  This brought me back into focus.

Then the bread and pastry tray showed up, and rational thought went out the window.  Butter, please.

I had three stops in mind for today, my last day in Ireland – Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Kilmainham Gaol.  (That’s how they insist upon spelling jail, for some reason.  Their spelling was first, and it does make jail seem like a less repulsive place.)  Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s were pop-in-and-leave places, I figured, but when I showed up to the castle, there was a guided tour leaving in five minutes.  So, I plunked down my €4.50 and queued up with everyone else.  (The Irish queue up in a more haphazard fashion than the English, but honestly, they’re not bad at it either.)  A lovely guide named Niamh (pronounced NEE-av by those who unlike me know something about Gaelic) took us into the state apartments.   No, this does not mean the Castle has gone condo, but it has been in continuous use since its creation in 1204 AD.

Part of the excavations uncovered the original Castle moat, whose archway was filled in at some point. They aren’t sure why – possibly as a misguided attempt to combat the Plague.

Current excavations under parts of the Castle have uncovered remnants of Viking stone pilings, indicating that the site was used for something as far back as the 800s, at least for a time.  The Anglo-Normans conquered the area and built the Castle on top of the remains, in order to fend off attack.  (Musn’t let them do to us what we did to them.)  Through the years, it’s been occupied by whoever was in power at the time, including a whole string of British Viceroys.  (Most interestingly to this American, General Cornwallis was posted there as a punishment for losing the war with the Colonies.  A punishment for him?  I can’t imagine the Irish weren’t thrilled down to their toes, either.)  The Castle figured in many rebellions, since it was a symbol of wealth and power in a time when so many were starving.  Now, it’s used for government offices, inaugurations, state balls, and entertaining tourists like myself.

Niamh described the twenty-six course banquets that went on in the state apartments during the 1800s, and how afterwards, they’d let poor people in to fight over the leftovers.  Grand entertainment this was thought to be – by someone with a particularly sick sense of humor.  It had to be stopped, as it turned out to present a security risk.

Gee – ya think?

Dublin Castle – the interior courtyard

The Castle also served as a field hospital during World War I, and one of the organizers of the 1916 Easter Rebellion received care there, after being shot by the authorities.  When you mean to execute someone as a traitor, it is extremely rude of him to develop blood poisoning from a bullet wound and set about dying on his own.  Takes all the spectacle out of the thing.  After five days they decided to risk it, tying him to a chair (he kept falling off, being on the verge of death and all) and put him in front of a firing squad anyway.  Turned out to be a bad political move.  The Rebellion hadn’t been very popular when it started.  It was after that news got out.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral. One day I’d like a view that is not from a bus.

With a last look at the Castle, I hopped back on the hop-on-hop-off bus (a ticket gets you two days’ worth of rides) and went over to the Gaol.  By this time, it was 2:00, and the buses stopped running at 5:00.  I waved to St. Patrick’s Cathedral from the bus but didn’t stop.  A sad fact of travel – there is never enough time to see everything there is to see.

Kilmainham Gaol – the “new” jail

Normally, “I have to hurry so I can make it to the jail” is not a thought that goes through my head.  Honestly, I would have skipped it, but the local tour guides all talked it up.  It turned out to be an interesting if gruesome tour.  Our young and enthusiastic guide, Patrick, informed us several times that this was a “new” jail (excuse me, gaol) because it had the prisoners in individual cells.  (The “old” model favored throwing all the prisoners in one room letting them fight it out over food.  Someone finally decided that putting inexperienced criminals in with the folks who could teach them the tricks of the trade was not a good idea.)  When we got to the main hall, I couldn’t help thinking that it reminded me of Westside Pavillion, an upscale mall in Westwood.  A compliment to the prison or an insult to the mall?  Your call.

Patrick told us stories of all the folks who’d been there at one time or another.  While some of them were convicted of horrific crimes, many were invited into residence for stealing food or owing someone money.  (The youngest inmate, a five-year-old, served two and a half months.)  The ringleaders of the Easter Rebellion were all executed there – most of them within earshot of a loved one.  (If you’ve seen the movie Michael Connelly, starring Liam Neeson, you will be familiar with this prison.  Inaccurately, though – Michael Connelly was indeed in imprisoned, but not at Kilmainham.)

Grace Gifford’s cell

There was one true moment of beauty – a mural drawn by Grace Gifford, the widow of one of the Easter Rebellion organizers.  The colorful depiction of the Madonna and Child remains well-preserved on the back wall of her cell.

The government of the new Irish Republic shut down Kilmainham Gaol in 1924, as it had become a symbol of oppression by the British. It sat completely ignored until 1958, when a movement surfaced to reopen it as a museum.  Clearing the rubble and vegetation took sixty volunteers and two years.  Complete restoration didn’t happen until 1971.

Tea at the Gaol. I have fallen down the rabbit hole.

After the tour, for something completely different, I went upstairs to the Gaol’s lovely yellow Tea Room and had a very tasty scone, which was warmed up for me by the attendants.  Surreal.

The bus home stopped on the north side of town, so I walked across the River Liffey back towards my hotel and the prime shopping area, Grafton Street.  After selecting the Irish sweater most flattering to me (with help from the three sales clerks who blessed me with their tactfully honest opinions), I had dinner at my hotel.  The server suggested lemon tart for dessert.  Very nearly as good as my mom’s lemon meringue.  That is high praise indeed, my friends.  I couldn’t think of a better way to end the day.

Maybe not getting to everything I wanted to see is all right.  It just means there will be new things to see when I come back.

The view from one of the many bridges on the River Liffey.

Tomorrow: home again – three airports, four shortbread cookies and one very long day.

• Kimberly’s Can’t Miss Moments:

Dublin Castle: Journey back in time through eight centuries (well, twelve if you count the Vikings).  The panic of the plague, the high life of the viceroys, and the bloodshed of the Easter Rebellion all come to life when you step inside its sturdy stone walls.

Kilmainham Gaol: Fascinating, but fair warning: not for the faint of heart.  It’s hard to forget seeing where the firing squad did its worst, and where the child prisoners were kept.  Don’t miss the Madonna and Child mural, to remind yourself that hope can survive in the most discouraging of places.

Cliff Townhouse Restaurant: Attached to the hotel, it’s open for lunch and dinner to people who do not have the good fortune to stay there.  The fish and chips are golden-fried perfection on a plate, and (my dad will appreciate this) the malt vinegar arrives in its owl silver serving bowl.  Your life will not end if you miss dessert, but it won’t be everything it could have been, either.

Kimberly will never be able to shop at a mall again without thinking of incarceration.

Tags: breakfast, Cliff Townhouse, Dublin, Dublin Castle, Easter Rebellion, Grace Gifford, Ireland, Kilmainham Gaol, RIver Liffey, St Patrick's Cathedral, VIceroys, Vikings