Category / Life in Dublin

by shannonchance

Powerscourt Gardens

 

Powerscourt country house (downloaded from www.powerscourt.ie).

Powerscourt country house (downloaded from http://www.powerscourt.ie).

Visiting the Powerscourt house, garden, and waterfall–located south of Dublin–makes a nice outing from the city.  Some coach companies offer a day trip here, but you can save a lot of money if you just take Dublin bus!  The interior of the house is a bit disappointing, as it was gutted by fire. But the exterior, garden, and nearby waterfall are glorious.

The garden (downloaded from http://www.powerscourt.ie).
View of house from the garden (downloaded from http://www.powerscourt.ie).
The waterfall (downloaded from http://www.powerscourt.ie).
The Garden of the Powerscourt House, south of Dublin…
…is formal and has a view of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The house has a grand plan…
…but was destroyed by fire…
…and hasn’t been fully restored.
Some rooms house a museum today…
…and some are used for functions.
This grand hall has been restored…
…to its pre-fire glory.
Much of the house is filled with shops, like this furniture store.
While the formal gardens were nice, it was much too hot to venture out without shade.
So I headed to the nearby Powerscourt waterfall….
…to play in the cool water…
…splash around on the rocks…
…and watch Irish and Polish families enjoy the sun.
by shannonchance

Heather’s Kerry Travels

Heather on the Cliffs of Moher!

Heather on the Cliffs of Moher!

While I’m here in Dublin trying to finalize this grant proposal, my sister Heather is on the western coast of Ireland visiting Eilish O’Hanlon and her husband Con.

You may recall that Eilish and my mom share the same great grandparents. Con and Eilish have taken Heather to see the place my own great grandmother was baptized.  They took my mom and me there in May, but I’ve neglected to post photos as of yet.

Incidentally, because Con is a first cousin of Tom Mulligan (proprietor of the world-famous Cobblestone Pub), I’ve got family all over Dublin!   🙂

Today I’m sharing the photos Heather has posted on her Facebook page over the past week.

Heather and Eilish on the Bromore Cliffs, County Kerry.
Atop Cnoc-Nacor in Ballybunion with Heather’s namesake.
The greeter at the Bromore Cliffs, Ballybunion, County Kerry, Ireland.
The Bromore Cliffs.
The Bromore Cilffs in County Kerry. These have only been open for a couple months and folks who live here are seeing them for the first time!
Heather on the Cliffs of Moher!
Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin.
Heather’s night view of the River Liffey.
Heather Massie with Neil and Tom Mulligan.

by shannonchance

Sister Sister

My sister, Heather, is visiting.  She’s come to take acting classes.

Last night, we took in a play… Major Barbara, written by Shaw, performed at the Abbey Theater in Dublin.  I discovered that I’ve really got to concentrate to keep up with Shaw, but it’s worth the effort.  His work is packed with meaning….

Heather has been spending quite  a bit of time down at the Cobblestone. She goes in much later in the evening than I do. Evidentially late hours are the best for finding Tom, the owner, who is a night owl.

On Friday evening, I’d gone into the Cobblestone to hear some singing and I left at 9.  Heather stopped in later and met even more of Tom’s family.  She’d gone to thank Tom because he had taken her to see construction of a new theater that he serves as a member of the board.

I really enjoyed Friday evening there.  Some of the songs transported me back to my first trip to Ireland in 2003.  The country was quite a bit different at that time: songs were full of political strife and pubs were full of families, chatter, and smokey haze. The ban on smoking in pubs, apparent tightening of age limits in pubs, and the economic boom / Celtic Tiger all took their toll on Ireland’s pub culture.  The country’s newfound peace also shifted the tone, and for the peace I’m grateful.

The Cobblestone, however, has managed to retain its charm. And it continues to do that despite being listed in every tourist guide. A lot of that, I believe, has to do with Tom’s warm and generous spirit. He makes every person feel special and welcome.

Heather left town today, but sent me over to hear Tom and his friends from the Cobblestone play at the Northside Music Festival in Wolftone ‘Park’.

Shannon and Heather see Shaw
Heather and Shannon share pizza
Nortside Music Festival
Nortside Music Festival
Nortside Music Festival
Tom Mulligan at Nortside Music Festival
Cobblestone Pub
Fridays are rockin at Cobblestone Pub
Pat Goode and friends at Cobblestone Pub
by shannonchance

Kids in Merrion Square

There’s always something new and imaginative going on in Dublin.

Just before I left for Rome, I had a meeting at the Irish University Association building on Merrion Square.  Walking through the park after my meeting, I got to see workers setting up for weekend events for kids.

The the menagerie wire animals and the tree covered in a giant sheet fascinated me.

by shannonchance

Dublin Castle

Here’s what Dublin Castle looks like….

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_Castle
From http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/dublin-castle
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:(Ireland)_Dublin_Castle_Interior_(State_Drawing_Room).jpg
From http://www.dublin.ie/gallery-view.aspx?imageId=120

Fulbright events were held in the Throne Room, Picture Gallery, an St. Patrick’s Hall.

by shannonchance

Black Tie at the Castle

The 2013 Fulbright scholars banquet was a rare treat.  We dressed in gowns and tuxes and dined at Dublin Castle.  I didn’t get the greatest photos, but my snapshots provide a glimpse into the festivities….

In the courtyard…
…with new Fulbright and their families.
Climbing the grand entry stair…
…Joanne Davidson stopped to chat with guests.
We were greeted by the official O’Brian-Moran welcoming committee!
We lined up to find our seating assignments…
…in a fancy hall with a throne (which, somehow, I failed to capture).
The list of my table mates.
Drinks…
…and hors d’ouvrés…
…and people to meet.
Like Nancy, Noel and Alan.
I always enjoy seeing Nancy, who was Fulbright and is now a Curie scholar.
The hall was packed with people…
…and was plenty hot…
…as there’s no A/C in Ireland.
Colleen looked fab!
We settled down at our tables.
And I enjoyed the company of Patrick, Alan, Noel, and the rest of our table mates.
Trinity’s Dean of Undergraduate Studies was a hoot once we broke the ice.
The entertainment was grand…
…as was the food.
And the overall setting couldn’t have been grander.
by shannonchance

The World… on Water!

The Fulbright Ireland crew had a lovely day on the MS The World, as the outgoing students and scholars for 2013-14 were officially announced.  There are 37 Irish Fulbright awardees in all this year, and they join the ranks of 1600 other Irish Fulbrights who have gone to the US since 1947.

Events were held on a very impressive cruise ship where people actually live… it operates like a very high-end condo. The ship is called “The World” and we were lucky enough to get tours from the staff.

We were guests of  ship residents Jack and Monica Pinkowski, who are Florida residents.

Jack was a Fulbright to Dublin City Council in 2008-9, and the couple continues to support the Fulbright program today.

12:00 – 12:45 pm

Guests Arrive and Ship Tours

Gangway

12:30/12:45 – 1:30 pm

Light lunch / drinks with traditional Irish musicians performing

Tea Room/ Garden

1:30 – 2:30 pm

Remarks / Presentation of Awardees

The Colosseo

§  World Representative and Fulbright Alumna, Dr. Jack Pinkowski

§  Fulbright Commission Chair, Mr. Patrick McDermott

§  Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy, Mr. John Hennessy-Niland

§  Fulbright Commission Executive Director, Ms. Colleen Dube

§  Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn

2:30 pm

End of Event
Boarding the ship…
…with its impeccable maintenance.
Fulbrights touring.
Jonathan and Amanda playing tunes.
Impressive guest list.
DCU education expert.
Acting Ambassador to Ireland.
Director of Fulbright Ireland, Colleen Dube.
Irish Fulbrights for 2013-14.
A gift for our hosts.
Dublin’s new Lord Mayor.
The new Fulbright scholar in Marine Science (who I got to interview in January).
The new Fulbright student in engineering (who I got to interview in January).
Fulbrights on deck.
The Lord Mayor and an outgoing Fulbright.
View from the top deck.
Photo ops…
…with our host and the Lord Mayor.
by shannonchance

Victorian Times at Ryan’s Pub

Ryan's Victorian Pub

Ryan’s Victorian Pub

The snug at Ryan's Victorian Pub.

The snug at Ryan’s Victorian Pub.

The count down is on for me.  I’ve got about six more weeks in Europe, with one being in Rome.  So, amid finalizing research projects and submitting papers, I’m trying to visit sites I’ve overlooked and people I will miss.

These are some photos of my visit to Ryan’s Victorian Pub, just across the Liffey from Heusten (train) Station. At Ryan’s, they serve up a lovely Beef and Guinness Pie!

by shannonchance

Dublin’s Capuchin Friary

Photo downloaded from Flikr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/7335188220/

Photo downloaded from Flikr.

There’s a  beautiful Capuchin Friary  right near my apartment in Dublin. The wooden ceiling is spectacular.  The photos I have on hand right now don’t do the place justice, so I’ve included two that I found on line as well.

Photo downloaded from WikiMedia. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dublin_Capuchin_Friary_at_Church_Street_2012_09_28.jpg

Photo downloaded from WikiMedia.

by shannonchance

Irish Weather

We’ve had 2-3 weeks of glorious weather here in Dublin. People seemed stunned. A few people even started complaining that it had been 75 degrees for too long. Too hot, some said. And truly, we did have a day of high humidity — almost unknown in this fair city.

The past few days ushered in a return of regular irish weather. In Ireland, experiencing “all four seasons in one day” isn’t unusual.

Above, I’ve uploaded some photos from my stint across town and back today.

The photo below was taken from my seat atop a double-decker bus. It offers a glimpse of Dublin city traffic… and shows you why I don’t bike here more often!

This photo, taken from my seat atop a double-decker bus, offers a glimpse of Dublin city traffic... and hints as to why I don't bike here more often!

Yes, we ARE passing that truck!