Rebels and Writers...

Kilmainham Jail was built in 1796, and has held many important prisoners in Irish history, as well as petty criminals and thieves (including lots of people stealing food during the famine). 14 prominent leaders of the 1916 rebellion were executed by firing squad in the courtyard. One of the rebels was so sick (and said to be dying already) that he had to be carried in on a stretcher and tied to a chair in order to face the firing squad. Pretty redundant, if you ask me, but I guess that's the way capital punishment works...

The jail is an interesting piece of Irish history, and the setting for a few movies (In the Name of the Father, for example). It was closed in 1924, and remains open as a museum.

After visiting the jail, we went to a literary pub crawl. Led by two local actors, the crawl covers a few venerable boozy joints (and a couple of non-boozy ones) that relate to Irish literature. The actors kept us entertained between pints by performing scenes from Beckett, Joyce and Wilde, among others.

A few days later, I went out to Sandy Cove to visit the James Joyce tower. OK, James Joyce only lived there for about a month (without paying rent), but it's now a museum dedicated to him.

The tiny stone steps were challenging to climb, but the view from the tower is lovely.

On Monday, I head off for a 3-day tour of southern Ireland (to kiss the Blarney stone and all that touristy stuff), and then it's a whirlwind of preparation for the Iceland trip!

Space Invaders!

OK, so I have been a fan of the Space Invaders for many many years. Not necessarily the videogame (though that's pretty rad, too), but the actual little creatures. When I was in my ironic-T-shirt-wearing phase, I had one that featured the little guys emblazoned across my chest, with the phrase I scored with Space Invaders... I know, so clever -- but it made me some friends.

I first heard about the Space Invaders project when I worked at Shift Magazine -- a good 6 or 7 years ago. I'm a great admirer of anonymous public art, and was particularly interested in the international scope of this one... Over the years, I've kept loose tabs on the project -- one man, some tiles, and a whole globe to cover. I admit that every time I travel, the hope of seeing a Space Invader crosses my mind at least once.

Imagine my delight the other day, walking home with Diana, when I suddenly noticed one of the little guys sitting there on the wall. It was my version of celebrity-spotting -- I got quite excited.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch....

I'm officially going to Iceland!

As of this morning, I received confirmation for the two workcamps I wanted to do -- a Viking Festival and a Folk Festival -- and am now scouting airfares and other details. I'm looking forward to the physical challenge of the workcamp, and the opportunity to check out Iceland. True, it's not exactly a fun-in-the-sun summer holiday, but that would be boring anyway...

I'll be headed over there the first week of June, and staying until mid-July... Happy days!

On the vanity front, I cut off about half of my hair -- giving me the shortest hair I've had in over 10 years! It will take some getting used to, but I'm pretty pleased with the results:

On Belfast and Turning 30…

I went to Belfast last Wednesday to see my sister. I was so excited to see her, to hang out with family, to be around a familiar person. We only spent two days together, but those two days rejuvenated me, and gave me renewed strength… (Thanks, Laura!)

Our magnificent host Ollie dutifully took us to his local watering hole (the infamous Bot), introduced us to his buddies, and gave us a consolidated history lesson of Belfast. We took a taxi tour through the Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods of West Belfast. Looking at the peace wall that separates the areas (the gates are still closed at night), you realize just how recent the violent history is. The murals are compelling (and quite militant) and the fortifications on the houses near the wall (steel barriers to prevent damage from flying bricks) remind you that the current peace is still quite tenuous.

This is not ancient history -- this is now. When we got out of the taxi on the Protestant side to take pictures, Ollie commented that a few years back, he wouldn’t even have gotten out of the car. Everyone I talked to had a family member or friend who had been affected by the “troubles.”

My sister left on Friday, and on Saturday, I met up with Diana and Tom, who drove up to celebrate Tom’s father’s 60th birthday party. The party was great fun, with good food and people and music.

At about 12:20am, I was chatting with a friend of the family when she casually asked me how old I was. I shyly replied, “actually, as of about 20 minutes ago, I’m officially 30.” This sparked a bit of hoopla (which I had been sort of trying to avoid), and it was decided that my birthday needed to be marked in some way. The result was a few shots of vodka, and a photo (below) to commemorate the moment. Personally, I thought using the bananas to form the 3 (Diana’s idea) was a stroke of genius…



So how do I feel now that I’m 30? Hard to say. Not that different, really. I’m still unsure about where exactly I’m going. And it’s still a lonely journey. But I’m feeling more motivated now, and I have a feeling that it won’t be long before I’m back in action…

Donegal – Everything and Nothing

The first thing you notice about Donegal are the colours. The powerful combination of green hills, blue ocean, sandy beaches, and brooding skies means you are always looking at a fantastic mix of contrasting shades. Throw in some meandering sheep and cows, and the occasional brightly painted house, and you’re pretty much walking through a living painting.

There is actually very little agriculture in Donegal. For all its aesthetic, the soil is actually pretty poor and most of the land is devoted to peat and grazing livestock. The roads are not in the best condition (driving on the narrow winding roads is taking your life into your hands – which we did a lot), and the climate is strangely temperamental (you can get an idea from the cloud formations in the pictures below).

We were there for Tom’s friend’s birthday party, and stayed at a very cute B&B right near a beach. We spent most of our time wandering around Donegal to see the sights (waterfalls! the ocean! frolicking lambs!) and breathing in the fresh (and windy) air. Among other things, we ate phenomenal seafood chowder at Nancy’s, played a game of Pitch ‘n’ Putt (yes, I actually played golf), wandered into the Atlantic ocean (I made it up to my knees, but Diana, armed with a wetsuit and went all the way in), and drank Buckfast (a Donegal, um, specialty that tastes like carbonated cherry wine) in the back of a minibus.

Diana says Donegal is her favourite part of Ireland, and I can see why. The stunning terrain and laid-back lifestyle of the area are pretty mesmerizing…. I’d go there again in a heartbeat.

And Speaking of Birthdays…

So here I am, staring down the barrel of my Dirty Thirty. Who could believe it? Though it seems strange to have a birthday in a place that is not home and where I don’t have friends, it seems kind of fitting. I don’t have to go through the anxiety attack that often accompanies 30 – that “Oh my god, what am I doing with my life?” feeling. After all, I’m smack in the middle of that already.

No specific plans for my birthday – in fact, I’m not sure if I will still be in Belfast or back in Dublin. But I’m sure there will be some pre-birthday celebrations in Belfast with my sister. Which reminds me, I need to go catch the bus to Belfast now…

Dublin – A Brief (and Overdue) Synopsis

Apologies for the radio silence... the last 3 weeks have been a bit of a blur. I admit that I have done a lot of relaxing, reading and generally being a slug, but I have actually managed to get out and do things somewhere in there…

Dublin is a busy and cool city. It’s very walkable, safe, and quite pleasant. Though it’s not a hot-bed of architectural treasures, there’s definitely a sense of history that permeates. Because Dublin is becoming a hip (and expensive) international city, you occasionally get a feeling of cosmopolitan growing pains: fashionable bars nestle into the banks of the Liffey River among the traditional Irish pubs – but Guinness is always to be had.

There’s been plenty to do around here. Among other things, I’ve touched a mummified body at St. Michan’s, crawled through a subterranean tunnel at Knowth, admired graffiti from 1808 (no kidding) in the neolithic passage grave at Newgrange, chatted with a man at Christ Church about the floor tiles and the Franciscan-Benedictine monk rivalry, walked along the cliffs in Howth, and chewed roasted barley at the Guinness Brewery. And yes, I’ve had a few pints here and there.

Last weekend Diana and Tom and I went to Donegal, which I will do a separate entry about, and this week I’m off to Belfast for a couple days to see my sister – I can’t wait!

A sampling of photographs are below (when I get myself together, I’ll put up a proper slideshow of everything I have).










And on the continuing plans…

The hardest thing when I meet people is when they ask me how long I’m here for, or what I’m doing. I can’t seem to find an adequate answer. One guy put it well when he said that I was like the subplot of a comic book – in the “Meanwhile…” phase. I liked that.

I’m still working out some plans for the fall… Grad school? Back to Spain? Something else? The irons are in the fire, and I’ll let you know what happens.

I’m also starting to hatch some evil schemes for volunteer work in the summer – I’m thinking Iceland.

More to come on that.