Category / Visiting Ireland

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

Seals of Dalkey Harbor

The picturesque little town of Dalkey is a short DART or bus ride from Dublin city center.  It’ s one of my favorite little towns in Ireland… the architecture is beautiful and the harbor is full of life.  Watching the seals play is always a treat.

Dalkey makes a nice day trip from Dublin… especially when paired with a visit to Dun Laoghaire.  (On Sunday afternoons People’s  Park there is teeming with vendors and activity, and the waterfront is a pleasant place to walk.)

Dalkey’s main street…
…with a typially Irish sort of street pattern.
Dalky has a cool nooks and crannies everywhere… here’s a place with one-person offices to let.
And Dalkey also has two little harbors. The seals like to play in Dalkey Harbor.
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

Lovin’ the Dub

It’s vacation time of year here in Dublin, and friends are making a point of catching up with me before they go on holidays and I return to the States . It’s been such fun catching up with people I enjoy… like Eileen, Joe, Nancy, and Tom.

Fulbright helped me connect with such interesting folks… teachers, scholars, engineers, linguists, musicians, and technology gurus… and that was just yesterday!

Dinner with Dr. Eileen Goold at Matt the Thresher’s
Reflection on Exchequer Street
Lunch at The Green Hen with Dr. Joe Dennehy.
The Cobblestone with Dr. Nancy Stenson and friends.
Piper Neil Mulligan, his son, and his brother Tom.
Some of the Mulligans who played music at the Cobblestone last night.
I’m making new friends everyday…
…here’s Simon…
…a new character I met at the Cobblestone last night.
by shannonchance

Remembering the Glow of Dun Laoghaire

Dun Laoghaire harbor

Dun Laoghaire harbor

It’s overcast in Dublin today, so I’m pulling out some images from a recent sunny Sunday in nearby Dún Laoghaire, a  town in the suburbs of Dublin.

Dún Laoghaire is accessible from Dublin city center by train and bus, and it makes a lovely day trip. On the weekend, “Peoples Park” is full of market stalls and vendors with prepared food, raw ingredients for purchase, crafts, and other quality goods. The water front, with its harbor and beach, provides a relaxing place to stroll.

The town’s official website explains:

Dún Laoghaire is a town on the east coast of Ireland, about seven miles (11km) south of the capital Dublin. Its focal point is a splendid harbour and the town is surrounded by spectacular rolling hills.

…Historically Dún Laoghaire has always been a ‘Gateway to Ireland’, Dún Laoghaire gets its name from the Irish translation Fort (Dún) of Laoghaire. It was once the seat of King Laoghaire, the ancient High King of Ireland before the Vikings sailed from Scandinavia and established themselves in Dublin.

Dun Laoghaire beach

Dun Laoghaire beach with a view over to Howth (the peninsula on the left of the image, past the end of the pier).

by shannonchance

Day-tripping to Glendalough

Glendalough 13

Glendalough boasts a beautiful natural landscape and a religious site constructed during medieval times.  It provides an ideal day trip from Dublin.

The Wikipedia site is full of interesting information about the place.  It starts by explaining:

Glendalough or Glendaloch (/ˌɡlɛndəˈlɒx/ glen-də-lokh; Irish: Gleann Dá Loch, meaning “glen of two lakes”) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin, a hermit priest, and partly destroyed in 1398 by English troops.

by shannonchance

Picking Back Up in Portugal

I dropped the ball telling you about my trip to Portugal and Belgium… I still have lots to show you!  When I last wrote about my Fulbright Inter-Country Lecturing adventures, we were in Aviero and Agueda with  José Manuel Nunes de Oliveira.

Here are a couple more of the modernist buildings at the University of Aviero.

by shannonchance

Reflections on Francis Hutcheson

This is the plaque that Fergus Whelan posted on the stair tower at the Church on Mary Street (a religious building now operated as a bar and restaurant). The plaque honors Francis Hutcheson, “Father of the Scottish Enlightenment,” whose ideas made their way into the US Declaration of Independence.

The plaque’s coverings catch refections of the buildings across the intersection, at the west end of Henry Street. Here you see Primark’s world headquarters (the lovely red brick building with the patina-ed copper dome) to the right of Francis’ likeness.

Francis Hutchenson plaque