Italians, "Father Ted" and the Rod to God

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Geo: 53.3331, -6.2489

Katherine called around 8:30 last night and said that she and Michelle were finally at the hotel and were going to go downstairs to the pub. I joined them down there and got to meet Michelle, and we sat at a table out in the courtyard. But we quickly realized that what K and M really wanted was the restaurant that's attached to the hotel, not the pub. So we went back upstairs to the restaurant (the Copper Alley Bistro) to get some dinner. I just had a plate of chips because I had had a sandwich and some Hula Hoops a little earlier (along with a chocolate orange Rice Krispie treat; too orangey). We were all so tired and a little punchy – and the half-pints of beer didn't help much – that I don't remember much other than that Katherine ordered a goat cheese salad, which came with a wheel of goat cheese on top.

The restaurant is run by a very solicitous Italian man, and it occurs to me that I've heard all kinds of people speaking Italian in the last 24 hours or so. Unless everyone in Dublin is taking some sort of Italian language course and practicing constantly, then the Italians like to come to Ireland in September. It's doubtful they're here for the national rugby finals, which take place today. Probably half the people we saw on the street today were wearing some sort of team gear or team colors: Kilkenny is playing Tipperary and for the life of me I can't figure out which team is more popular. Me, I'm rooting for Kilkenny, but only because (say it with me now) it's a long way to Tipperary ...

The other big accent I've heard is ... well, I don't know exactly what it is. It might be Russian (though I don't think so) or Polish or maybe even Croatian. It takes a few seconds for the ear to adjust to English spoken with an eastern European accent and Irish pronunciation.

I've also seem some evidence of religiosity. The man next to me on the Aer Lingus flight yesterday dropped one corner of his paper and quickly crossed himself as our plane started to taxi down the runway. And this morning when I had breakfast (I was solo), the lady sitting across from me was clearly saying a silent grace before tucking into her toast.

The music ended up not going quite so late last night, and I turned on the air conditioning anyway so that I had a lot of white noise drowning out anything else. I actually slept reasonably well, even though I woke up at 1:48, 4:20 and 6:40. My alarm went at 7:00 but I re-set it for 7:30. The shower was okay but with not much water pressure. At least the water was warm.

Being Sunday, nothing really opens up till noon. We couldn't even visit Christ Church because Mass wouldn't be over till around 12:30. Katherine, Michelle and I decided to take the O'Connell Street walk that Rick describes in the Dublin chapter. We walked up Lord Edward Street and stopped off to see the outside of Dublin Castle, and then continued on to O'Connell Street. Along the way, we saw a shop advertising “Fountain Pen Repair” and “Propelling Pencils,” the “Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers' Society,” at least two American-style diners, and several very colorful pubs.

We walked up O'Connell Street, stopping by the GPO to have a quick peek through the windows. Michelle has a friend whose great, great uncle (or something like that) was executed inside the GPO during the Easter Rising in 1916. We also stopped in at Penneys (!) so Katherine could buy some socks.

There is a new (as of 2003) spire in the middle of the street that doesn't commemorate anything, though it was ostensibly built for the millennium, and that cost five million euro to construct. It's quite tall, and the locals refer to it as the Stiffy on the Liffey (also, the Rod to God).

Also in the middle of the street (I should explain that there's a large, pedestrian-friendly median that runs down the middle) at the taxi rank is a glass case, inside of which is a statue of Jesus looking benevolent. It was put up in memory of a former taxi rank organizer, and it's rather a sweet thing for the drivers to have done. However, the sign made me itch for my red pen. I'll post the picture. Points to anyone who can tell me why the sign made me crazy!

We continued on up O'Connell to the Gate Theatre (currently playing: Noel Coward's “Hay Fever”😉 and then to the Garden of Remembrance, which commemorates those who were lost during the 1916 uprising. It's a pretty little garden, mostly built around water. The pool has some nifty mosaics lining the bottom; they are ancient weapons. In ancient times, when two tribes warred but then made peace, they would throw their weapons into a body of water as a symbol. At the end of the pool is a large bronze statue depicting the children of Lir. Lir was a Celtic king who had four children. The children's stepmother was jealous and thought that Lir loved his children more than he loved her, so she turned them into swans and banished them. I wonder why stepmothers always get such a bad rap in fairy tales and mythology. How many wicked stepfathers can you name?

Walked back down the street – fighting through the throngs of rugby supporters along the way – and turned down Henry Street to find the National Leprechaun Museum. We found it. We paid our 10 euro apiece and went in. It was an entertaining enough 20 minutes, but it most certainly was NOT worth 10 euro! It's just a silly collection of stuff, but not silly enough to be a good laugh. Still, we did learn from our guide/storyteller the origin of spitting into one's palm before shaking on a deal. The Irish used to believe very strongly in “the little folk,” leprechauns and fairies and the like. It was said that if you did a deal with a fairy, the fairy would pay you real money but when you got home and opened your purse the money would be gone, or your purse would be filled with leaves. It was also said that fairies were fantastically germaphobic and hated dirt. (P.S. The technical name for the fear of germs is mysophobia.) So if you were a farmer trying to sell your pig at market and you had reached a deal with a buyer, you would spit into your palm and extend your hand for the buyer to shake. If the buyer shook your hand, you knew that the money would still be in your purse when you got home. If the buyer refused to shake, you would cancel the deal because you knew you were dealing with a fairy. We were also told the story of the Salmon of Knowledge, but the whole concept made me giggle so I don't remember much about it. So, while we did learn something, I kind of wish I still had my 10 euro.

We had lunch at Malones Traditional Fish & Chips ... run by an Italian guy. Tasty fish, tasty chips, and lots of vinegar and salt. What more could you want? Well, dessert, I suppose.

We are now back at the hotel in our respective rooms, resting up before meeting our tour group at 5:00. More later!

LATER: Met the group at 5:00 for introductions and dinner in the Copper Alley Bistro downstairs. I'm one of three (!) Teresas, although one of them is a Theresa. I sat next to Sonja and Gary, who were there with Sonja's sister (who is now my tour buddy) and Gary's cousin. Then there are three Kelly couples. The men are brothers, and their sister is along as well. When John and I were on the Paris tour, we had three sisters and a cousin, and our guide referred to them all as The Sisters. Now I've got The Brothers, but I prefer to think of them as the Kelly Gang. I think we've got two couples from Canada, quite a few people from the Pacific Northwest, of course, and Virginia, Florida, Kansas and Illinois too. It looks like a good group.

Declan Field is our guide, and he told us a bit about himself. He was born in Cork, raised in Dublin and has lived in the Burgundy region of France for the last 24 years (he's 48). His partner Ginny is English, and they have two daughters. (I must say, an Irishman and an Englishwoman living in France doesn't seem the most likely of combinations.) When he's not leading tours, he's a painter and sculptor. He sat next to me at dinner (where I learned that it was not rugby fans we saw earlier, but hurling), so I said, “Since you've been living out of the country for 24 years, you're probably not a 'Father Ted' fan.” And he got a big grin and replied, “I'm a massive 'Father Ted' fan! I look like Father Ted!” Which he very much does. He says his brother looks very much like him, and they are thinking of entering TedFest on the isle of Inishmore next February. We quoted a few of our favorite lines (or in his case, his favourite lines), and I asked him about the house that was used for the exterior of the parochial house on the show. He knows where it is, and he thinks we even drive by a sign for it, but the bus is too big to get down the road to it. So I'm a teensy bit bummed about that, but I'm very happy he's a Ted fan. He told me that not too long after Dermot Morgan died, he went into a fish shop and there were three women working behind the counter. They all looked up at him and exclaimed, “Jaysus Christ, it's Father Ted back from the dead!” He loves the episode where Ted has to kick Bishop Brennan up the arse.

After dinner we took a walk back across the river, covering some of what Katherine, Michelle and I had seen earlier in the day. On Henry Street, he pointed down toward the spire and told us the Stiffy on the Liffey story, and then when we stood closer to it in front of the GPO, he said that it's so tall it acts as a sundial across a large swathe of the north side of the river.

I did pretty well today jet lag-wise, but it's only 9:00 now and I'm starting to feel the effects. So I think I'll massage my feet, watch some TV for a bit and then turn in. Yes, it's non-stop excitement here in Dublin!

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Photos

Memorial on O'Connell Street
Sigh ...

The Rod to God
Not a terribly good photo. The light was fading.

Comments

[Kate Szyperski]

WOW! There you are in Dublin! How wonderful and exciting. Glad to hear your trip over wasn't too bad, even though you didn't get to sit with your friend (that is too creepy that they lost her whole reservation! At least she was able to
be on the same plane still!!) That's hilarious that the fish 'n' chips place is run by an Italian guy! Can't wait for your next update!! Enjoy!!

[JK]

You got my da' streaming Ted now... good for you, so!