My First Visitors!

Two weekends ago, I had the privilege of welcoming my first four visitors to the sloping green fields of Ireland. My cousins Rebecca and Garnet made the trip across the pond accompanied by friends Kelsey and Carley. Their visit in Ireland lasted just over a week, but was jam-packed with activities all over the country. And most amazingly it did not rain the ENTIRE week! I didn't realize that was even possible in Ireland.



Looking down the River Liffey in Dublin.

The crew arrived early in Dublin on Saturday the 16th and I met them at Isaac's Hostel. Despite being grossly jet-lagged, the four travelers were keen to go out and see Dublin. We met up with Rebecca's friend Jen and Kelsey's friend Rachel, both of whom are studying in Dublin, and headed to lunch at a build-your-own burger joint called The Counter. Then it was quickly back to the hostel for cat-nap before our first Irish activity: a Rubgy game!

Rugby is really big in Ireland, especially in the Limerick area where it takes on Canadian hockey proportions. Sadly, we weren't seeing the Munster (Limerick) rugby team. Instead were we watching Leinster, the home Dublin team, versus a team from Treviso, Italy. The match was a bit anti-climatic as it was clear very early on that Leinster was dominating. The final score was something like 40 to 5. However it was very exciting to be surrounded by a crowd of cheering fans waving blue Leinster flags and dancing in celebration.

My knowledge of rugby play is limited to what I have learned watching matches on Irish television, so I was pretty lucky to be sitting by Kelsey because she had previously played. I still find the sport bewildering and completely brutal. We were joking that the medical trainers were getting as much action as the players as they ran all over the pitch checking injuries.

The next morning we headed to the Kilmainham Gaol, which operated as a prison from 1787 to 1924. At the time of its construction, Kilmainham was considered an advancement in prison operation. It was originally built on a hill out of limestone blocks and had no glass in the windows. The idea was that the wind would blow through the prison and sweep away the disease which was so previously common in crowded communal prisons. The prison was designed to hold one inmate per cell to encourage repentance of sins through isolation and physical labour.

An inscription at the end of one hallway reads, "Beware of the Risen People, That have harried and held, Ye that have bullied and bribed." These lines were taken from Patrick Pearse's poem The Rebel.



Like the Cork Gaol, populations in Kilmainham exploded during the Famine because of a Vagrant Act which imprisoned all impoverished people caught begging on the streets. At the end of the famine, cells were occupied by five people instead of one, and the turnover rate of prisoners was about 24 hours. It was after this period that a new East wing was constructed in 1861. This wing had an open concept which enabled guards to view all prisoner doors with an "ever-seeing" eye. There was even carpet laid on walkways so guards' footsteps could not be heard approaching.

 

The East Wing



Kilmainhaim has gained prominence because of the important political executions which took place over its history. These prisoners played an key role in the development of Ireland as a free state. Five members of a group called the 'Invincibles,' associated with the Fenians, were executed in 1883 after the assassination of two British officials. After a brief rebellious uprising in 1916, 14 of the men involved were executed by firing squad in the prison yard, including one man who was already on his death bed. These executions were met by shock and dismay amongst the Irish people and would act as a catalyst for the War of Independence in 1919.

Our tour guide standing beside a plaque which commemorates the executions of fourteen men.

 



The Gaol is relatively close to the Guiness Storehouse, so my visitors stopped there next while I did some homework in a pub. Afterwards we headed to the Grafton Street area to eat a meal at O'Neills pub on Suffolk Street. Each night they offer a magnificent buffet for only 12€. It was delicious and I would highly recommend it.

Out at O'Neill's!

 

Unfortunately I had to end the evening early to catch a bus back to Limerick, but it would only be a couple days before my visitors joined me on campus for more adventures!

Stay tuned,
Shannon