Category / Life in Dublin

by shannonchance

The Elegant Archeology Museum of Ireland

The Archeology gallery of the National Museum of Ireland is a chock full of fascinating treasures.  The building itself is also remarkable.  I’ve enjoyed visiting this place with both Esther Sterchi and Amanda Bernhard (the famous Fulbright student).  Of particular interest at this museum: numerous bog bodies, “prehistoric” relics, the Viking exhibition, and the unimaginably long wooden boat that was carved from a single tree trunk (see the panorama below).

I love the design of the Museum. I wish I could see it without the skylight blocked out, though.

I love the design of the Museum. I wish I could see it without the skylight blocked out, though.

strairwell
iron columns
grand central space
by shannonchance

A Comfy Seat

I’m sitting here in my favorite Monday-night seat in Hughes Pub. I had hoped to catch up with Gavin before his trip to Portugal where he will investigate flexible spaces for teaching engineers using hands on approaches.

But alas, he’s nowhere to be found. His brother is here, though, playing whistle and uilleann pipes. I congratulated him on graduating a PhD on Saturday (in the area of energy).

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by shannonchance

Pondering St. Stephen’s Green

Here’s a quick glimpse into St. Stephen’s Green.  The squares and greens in Dublin are separated from the street by dense vegetation and high wrought iron fences.  That technique doesn’t work it the States, where such separations tend to yield dangerous spaces.  But here they seem safe enough (at least for me to occasionally pass through by myself at mid-day).

Due to the separation, the squares and greens are peaceful, quiet, and serene.  They offer respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Like New York’s Central Park, St. Stephen’s walled off Green was designed to be seen, not heard.  The views were designed to be “scenic” in the tradition of English landscape design (i.e., they were carefully composed for the visitor’s viewing pleasure).  St. Stephen’s Green is not a park for playing football/soccer or dodge ball.  Frederick Law Olmsted would probably not be pleased with all the sport that’s been carved into Central Park (it runs counter to his original intentions for serenity, visual perfection, and individual contemplation).

St. Stephen’s Green is often quite still.  And far fewer people go in than if the edges were transparent, “perforated,” or “porous.”

The Green is fine (and at times quite delightful) but I do quite prefer bustling, noisy, stone-paved plazas myself.  Dubliners, too, want urban spaces like that and many hope for the addition of new piazze (Italianate plazas) in the center of town.  They have only three to my recollection: Meeting House Square, Temple Bar Square, and Smithfield Plaza. The first two are quite small and the third is very large. It is, I’ve been told, the largest cobbled plaza in all of Europe.  (Or perhaps, just the longest?)

What Dublin lacks in piazze though, it makes up for in bustling pedestrian-only shopping streets. Dublin clearly has the corner on the market with regard to streets, with some of the finest pedestrian shopping streets to be found in the world (Grafton Street and Henry Street, for instance).

Cottage at the south east corner of St. Stephen’s Green.
A formal garden in the Green.
Workers re-shingling the roof of a garden pavilion. They said “hi!”
by shannonchance

Robot Guts!

If someone gave you a computer chip, a box of parts…
…and some simple motors…
…could you build a robot? It should be able to stop, start, turn, race, and shove all on its own (no remote control)?

The answer is YES!  You just need teammates and awesome teachers to help you find your way.  They’re building simple robots at DIT with sophomore engineering students… and sometimes even with school kids.

by shannonchance

No Strangers to Third Space

Jonathan fit the bill.

We all thought Jonathan fit the bill.

I’ve always likes the sign at Third Space that says, “Up here it’s okay to talk to strangers,” but I didn’t know exactly why they’d posted it.

The place was packed when Jonathan, Amanda (another Fulbright), and I ordered breakfast, and Amanda located seats at a large table up top.

It appears that they want to encourage customers to share tables on this raised level. They have two very long, family style tables.

The crowd soon thinned out and we had plenty of space to ourselves.

Thankfully we had Jonathan with us, so we met the criteria for sitting up there!  (We had someone stranger to talk to!!!!)

😉

I explained the philosophy of “third space” in an earlier blog and other adventures I’ve had at Third Space in Smithfield (Dublin 7) as well.

Cafeteria tables on the upper level of Third Space.

Cafeteria tables on the upper level of Third Space.

by shannonchance

A Dubliner of All Trades

Today, I needed to purchase a new external hard drive so I could download photos for you.  On the way to the computer store, I ran into Brendan Lynch.  He ran the musical performances I attended at the Arlington Hotel with Esther, Kitty Lee and Patty.  He also owns The Horse Shoe, located where Capel runs into Bolton Street.

Brendan had the door to his shop open and the sounds of an Irish banjo filled the air.  I stepped into the tiny space, introduced myself, and learned a bit about Brendan’s past and present work.

Turns out Brendan is an artist, photographer, musician, performer, music teacher, instrument trader, city planner, conservation expert, and business owner… a Renaissance man in my book.  As he’s also a history buff, I told him about Fergus Whelan’s book, the planners I’d come across when visiting the former parliament building, and the tour I took recently with DIT’s Gavin Buggy.

I heard music coming from The Horse Shoe as I passed by today…
…so I stopped in to chat with Brendan Lynch, the owner…
…who also plays weekends at the Arlington Hotel’s traditional music and dance show.
Brendon is an artist, musician, and city planner specializing in conservation (though there’s no funded work in that vein for him to do today).
Brendan lent me a book about the Liberties (the area around the Dublin City Council building). We reminisced of grand buildings no longer in Dublin, and those that need restoring…
…like this one on Henrietta Street…
…used in films today…
…that I visited…
…on a February 6 tour of “Lost Dublin”…
hosted by DIT’s Gavin Buggy.
Gavin talked about losses incurred in the building of the Dublin City Council chambers…
…and showed us what the district around Dublin City Council looked like in medieval times.
by shannonchance

Singing Along at the Cobblestone Pub

The musicians corner on Friday night.

The Cobblestone musicians corner on Friday night.

Patty sang us Annie's Song!

Patty sang us Annie’s Song!

I swear I have more fun each time I visit the Cobblestone.  I’ve developed such respect for the people there.  And, honestly, they make me feel like a rock star.  They are so complimentary of my Fulbright blog. It feels like “everybody knows my name.”

There’s far more of significance to the world more going on at the Cobblestone than at Cheers.  As case in point, I got to catch up with Fergus Whelan on this particular evening. He had left a copy of his book Dissent into Treason for me to pick up last week (click here for more about the book). I let Tom Mulligan know Kitty and I were mailing a CD of his music to Kevin Donleavy as well; perhaps it will be “on air” in Charlottesville soon. These folks are dedicated to preserving cultural traditions and recounting history.

Being at the Cobblestone really makes me wish I was musically talented!

Fortunately, my friend Patty is.  The musicians at the Cobblestone got her to sing a song.  And of course, we all followed along with “Country Roads,” a sure-fire selection when the mention of Virginia arises. Never mind that it’s about West Virginia and the three of us hail from Virginia!  In any case, you can practically see W.Va. from where Kitty and Patty live (Harrisonburg) and where I was born (the New River Valley).  And you can certainly see the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River from Kitty’s place.

Patty was ready for the event.  She and I had practiced singing the night before, actually.  On our last evening in Cork, Tony, Kitty, and Patty cooked dinner to avoid Valentine’s Day crowds in the restaurants. Then Patty and I had a festive sing-along around the dinner table and the peat fire Tony had built.

We drew from the Catholic folks songs of our childhoods, favorite camp songs, and music popular in the ’70s.  It all worked out fine when I set the key and Patty followed along. (It’s a disaster for me trying the other way around… I just can’t get up that high!  Even one octave lower is too high for me.)

When we needed help with the lyrics, Tony pulled up the text on line so we could sing karaoke-style.

Ah, the cider….

You’ll find me at the Cobblestone with a glass of Bulmer’s in my hand again “real soon”….

Shannon Chance, Tom Mulligan, and Patty Asplund.
Pat Goode and Friends play Fridays at the Cobblestone… singing included… 7:30-9:30 pm.
I always love hearing the stories.
Fergus tells a story…
…bringing history to life!
At the Cobblestone with Patty and Kitty Lee.
by shannonchance

Graduating with the Saints at DIT (and Getting Fergus’ Take on it All)

DIT President Brian Norton with Shannon Chance.

DIT President Brian Norton with Fulbright Scholar Shannon Chance.

DIT’s graduation ceremony is an event to behold!

Today’s occurred at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (which is the largest church building in Ireland).  You may recall that Kitty Lee, Patty, and I visited it last week.

At DIT exams for the fall semester occur in January, and winter graduation falls shortly after.

During the ceremony, each graduate’s name, degree title, and thesis topic is announced. Today’s list of topics highlighted valuable contributions DIT is making to society in areas such as physics, health and nutrition, energy, and computing.

For me, a true highlight of the ceremony was a performance by two students: a signer and a harpist.  The talented duo really brought this grand space to life.  (Kitty, Patty, and I missed Evensong in this church last night — by just a few sad minutes — and so I tried to live today’s event vicariously on their behalf while they soared above the Atlantic on their journey home.)

Today also presented my first opportunity to meet DIT’s president, Prof. Brian Norton in person.  When the opportunity appeared, I stepped forward without hesitation, extended my hand, and introduced myself.  I was truly dumbfounded when Dr. Norton said he knew who I was and that he had read my blog.  Wow!  I look forward to meeting him again soon.

Fergus Wheelan's insightful book on Irish/Dublin history of the 1600 and 1700s.

Fergus Wheelan’s insightful book on Irish/Dublin history of the 1600 and 1700s.

At the reception, I also met a few members the electrical engineering faculty I haven’t yet gotten to know.  I hope to have more to tell about their work soon.

I’ve included some photos of the day, including a snapshot of the English and Protestant flags hanging in St. Patrick’s (Protestant) Cathedral.

Upon returning to my apartment, I curled up with Fergus Whelan‘s book Dissent into Treason. In the first chapter, Fergus does a remarkable job of explaining the formative roots of various Western denominations. I’ve learned so much in just 20 pages… including distinctions between Unitarians, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, Quakers, Levelers, Catholics, and the like. I believe Dissenters were people whose supported the creation the Irish nation despite pressure from their larger brethren and/or religious underpinnings to support the English crown.  I’ll gain clarity on that soon, I’m sure.

Have you ver wondered why more Protestants read the Bible today than Catholics (in the US at least)?  I certainly have.

Fergus’ book explains that in Ireland in the 1600s, Catholics were only permitted to read scriptures in Latin or Greek.  Protestants were given freedom to read in English. Hummmm.

In Ireland there’s so very much to discover.  I’m trying to make the most of every moment, but there’s not nearly enough of time to do, see, and learn all I’d like….

The fabulous dean Mike Murphy with Shannon Chance.
The procession felt a bit like being a (Protestant) monk!?!!
DIT’s Graduation Ceremony was beautiful at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (February 2013).
Look closely at the flags and you’ll notice Union Jacks hanging in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Our (US American) first names are their (Irish) last names, as you can see in the gradation program (including my family’s favorites, Heather, Shannon, and Meredith).
After the formalities, we headed back to Aungier Street for a reception.
by shannonchance

An Evening Stroll through Dublin Town

Downtown Dublin is beautiful in the evening. Won’t you come on a stroll with me?

Walking north on Grafton Street.
Grafton Street by night.
So much activity goes on here.
View down Castle Market Street. The place sparkles in the rain.
Across form Trinity College Dublin, the Bank of Ireland building is an architectural gem of the city. The building was designed to house parliament but was sold to the Bank with a covant that it would never be used for politics again.
View west on Fleet Street.
I’ve enjoyed visiting the Palace Bar.
Temple Bar is alway hopping at night.
Here’s Temple Bar Sqare, which hosts book stalls during the day.
A view across the Ha’Penny Bridge. There used to be a half-penny tax to cross over it.
Sunset is gorgeous over the River Liffey.
Here’s the view east from the Ha’Penny Bridge at night.
The bridge is a popular tourist site and a major route for pedestrians.
Dublin has so many nice pedestrian streets where the only vehicles allowed are strollers, street vendors, and product deliveries. This one is Henry Street.
by shannonchance

Music Video of Dublin

According to artist Matthieu Chardon:

Dublin is one of the most amazing city in Europe, thanks to the people, raw landscape, warm atmosphere, history, culture and parties. Ireland in its all is even better.

He shot this time-lapse footage of Dublin in November 2012 and edited it in December.

It gives an authentic taste of this city.  I love it!