Second chances and fresh perspectives
Planning a day trip to Dublin is always a stressful one for me, from where to eat to what to visit. I have never seen the attraction to the city and have, admittedly, in many cases advised people not to go. Even the night before leaving, a lady, born and reared in Dublin herself but now living in Cavan, said it wasn’t worth visiting. Those weren’t her exact words but her description may prove offensive to some.
I was visiting with my boyfriend who wanted to see Ireland’s capital city. Unfortunately, the first thing I considered was the fact that he is not from Ireland. More to the point, he doesn’t look like he is from Ireland. Considering recent activities in the capital, I wondered if it would be risky to go. We decided to go with vigilance.
The day was wet and windy, not ideal but we decided to go ahead anyway. Arriving at around ten, we went straight to Póg café on Tara Street. I would highly recommend - amazing food, coffee and staff.
We then caught our DoDublin bus, which we had pre-booked the night before. It cost €25.20 each at a student rate with a 10% discount. I won’t lie, all the locations we visited could have been walked to or accessed by Dublin bus, so I am not sure if I would book it again. It was handy though, especially given the rain. It stopped at 25 attractions every 30 minutes, and you could hop on and hop off as you pleased. The bus driver gave a guided tour of the city, which was nice too.
We hopped off at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, which was €9 to enter as a student. The Cathedral, built in honour of our patron saint, is beautiful with its stained-glass windows and Gothic style architecture. It is also the burial ground of the author Jonathan Swift. One of his quotes from ‘Thoughts on Various Subjects’, which read “In Ireland we have enough religion to make us hate but not enough to make us love” is displayed in the Cathedral. I would apply this the world over, not just to Ireland.
Our next stop was the Irish museum of Modern Arts, which was 100% the highlight for me. Admission to the museum was free, an added bonus. I came across a painting by Àjàó Babátúndé Lawal called Faradà Street, which I adored. The more I looked at it, the more I saw. To me initially it portrayed the inequalities of social classes, with the left of the painting depicting three kids together playing alongside a thatched hut. The shoeless children are looking up at what seem to be teenagers in uniforms on their way to school. The teenagers are looking down on the children. I really can’t tell if this is one scene or if they are two different moments in time. The scene on the far right is of three adults dressed in finery with abundant food and drink in front of them. The trio are standing together and smiling, as if a photographer is standing in front of them. Very thought provoking, Àjàó’s work is focused upon a Yoruba saying ‘Odò t’ó bá gbàgbé orísun yí ó gb’, which translates as ‘the river that forgot its source will eventually dry up’. Is it that the people on the right have forgotten their roots, overwhelmed by their riches? I spent around 20 minutes looking at it. Each time I look I see a different perspective.
The museum also has an Exhibition named ‘Self-Determination: A Global Perspective’ in which my favourite section was a timeline of Irish and International history since 1913. I can’t recommend it enough, if you find yourself in Dublin with some spare time absolutely go.
Next stop was the Phoenix Park, which I visited for the first time. I was looking forward to spotting some deer but, with the day that was in it, three red squirrels had to suffice. From there, we got the DoDublin bus back into the city centre and went to Reyna, a Turkish grill shop on Dame Street. I adored the chicken mezze plate, which came with bulgur rice, salad, pita, hummus and falafel. The place is a must-try, the only down point is we had to pay for tea afterwards, which is apparently supposed to be complimentary after a meal in Turkish restaurants.
We walked along Grafton Street, not entering any shops but just enjoying the Christmas lights, the chill in the air, the buskers and the sound of faint chatter. While sipping on Butlers hot chocolate, we made our way to the O’Reilly Theatre where we had a booking for a candlelight concert of Hans Zimmer’s Best Works. The concert was unlike anything I have ever experienced before, the theatre was in full darkness with only candles to light the stage. The sounds of a cello, two violins and a viola filled the room for one hour of pure listening pleasure; my favourites being This Land from The Lion King and Cornfield Chase from Interstellar.
Usually highly critical of Dublin, I adored this trip. Everything went according to plan, there was no need to be nervous and we really enjoyed the sights and the atmosphere within the city. While Dublin absolutely has its problems, it is in its own right a beautiful city.