Dublin awaits. We started with a stroll through St. Stephens Green. This park is like Central Park and at one time was restricted to high society. Today everyone enjoys the trees, grass, and ponds.
Next walk down the pedestrian street called Grafton Street. Licensed buskers, mostly musicians, play for the passersby in the hope of a donation. U2 got its start here.
The River Liffey is crossed to a prominent statue of Daniel O’Connell who is credited with Catholic Emancipation from British rules that had unfairly penalized Catholics. They could not vote or own land. We were told that there is a statue of him in every town in Ireland.
Nearby is a cool portal where one can wave at people looking at their portal in a different part of the world. Watch this video. We are waving at people in The Philippines.
Behind stands a 394-foot tall thin, steel needle, The Spire. It was erected as a millennial celebration and completed in 2003. We are told that the Irish are never on time so the fact that it didn’t finish in 2000 keeps in character.
Across the street is the GPO which stands for the General Post Office. This was command central during the Easter Rising. There is an informative museum in the basement.
The Irish that wanted to overthrow the British rule saw their opportunity at the beginning of WWI. The British were distracted with the war. However, 200,000 Irish were WWI soldiers FOR the British which complicated public opinion.
It was never going to succeed and the leaders knew it. The armed rebels had 1,500 people. The British sent in 20,000 trained soldiers. It was over in a week. In the end, 3,000 were arrested. When fourteen were executed, public opinion shifted and the men became revered martyrs.
Music is alive in Ireland.
One thing that Irish songs have is MANY verses, but one has to listen to them all since it is a ballad and tells a story.
Storytelling is a revered art in Ireland. Irish Catholics were not allowed an education to read and write. So during long winters around the fire, stories helped to pass the time and were handed down through the generations.
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