I fulfilled the plan that Tim and I were to visit Ireland in September of 2017. It happened when my sister invited me to spend time in Ireland for a break from the emotional upheaval of grieving the passing of my Tim. I arrive in Dublin on September 5, 2017.
Today, Beaumont House, built in the 1900s, belongs to the Sisters of Mercy and as a guest of my sister I spend the first five days of my time in Ireland. This property originally belonged to Arthur Guinness and his wife Olivia. They had a country residence built on another part of this property in 1764 which later became a convalescent home run by the Sisters of Mercy; it is now taken over by the Irish Government and stands vacant.
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| Beaumont House, Dublin |
Dublin is a vibrant, bustling city and similar to other major cities in the world it has a significant number of diverse people from different parts of the world. The streets are adorned with architectural buildings dating back to the 8th century.
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| Statute of Daniel O'Connell |
As I stroll along these streets, taking photographs and observing the crowds, I note that the Dubliners are known for ignoring the stop cross walk signs; simply when the opportunity arises they cross the street even though the little red man is glaring at them. Eventually, I learn to go with the crowds in a mindful but anxious manner. But I notice that the drivers accommodate the pedestrians. How charming! The Statue of Daniel O'Connell is prominent on O'Connell Street. He is known as the liberator of Ireland.
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| Trinity College, Dublin |
Trinity College is abound with history that has unique but drab-looking buildings. The Book of Kells and the Long Room Library are housed in one of these buildings. The Book of Kells contains lavishly decorated script by the monks, in Latin, of the four gospels. It began on the Island of Iona near Scotland and later to avoid persecution they moved to Ireland to complete the scripts.
I spent a significant amount of time walking around The Long Room Library taking pictures of the busts of my favourite philosophers; John Locke--political philosopher and Socrates--Greek Philosopher. |
| The Long Room Library, Trinity College, Dublin |
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| Bust of Socrates |
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| Bust of Locke |
On a Saturday, Sr. Liz shows us the sights of the outskirts of Dublin. We stop for a long walk on the walkway in Clontarf, then proceed to view the Irish Sea from the Summit at Howth. We continue to Malahide for lunch and then onto to Dun Laoghaire for a quick memory visit to Carysfort Park where Sr. Tryphonia, my sister, resided when she was in novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy. I used to visit her while I was in London some fifty years ago. Carysfort Park
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| Sr. Tryphonia and I at the summit in Howth |
We drive back to Beaumont via the Dublin city streets passing the High Tech area where companies like Google have their offices. We cross over the Samuel Beckett Bridge that is shaped like a harp. Very fine piece of architecture.
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| Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin |
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