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FAQ

I just got an email from my lovely mother, that seems to say that I have not been very clear as to what I’m up to (in the interests of staying updated on sundance). So – I will answer her questions here:

 I want DETAILS about all those wonderful pictures…and your trip.  Where are these places (on a map)?  Sligo, Westport, etc.

I will go add some details to photos in a minute. You can always look at a map (just saying). I went North from Dublin to Northern Ireland then West to the coast,  and now I am heading down the west coast till I get to Killarney/ Glengarriff and then I’ll head East and back to Dublin.

How do you get there?  Bus, train?

Bus Eirrean, which is pretty reliable, although there is restricted service in Winter. Still, lots of nice scenery when I’m traveling along (on the way to Galway there had been a severe frost the night before and the whole landscape was white-tinged).
Who’s Lena?  One of your roommates?  Is she travelling with you?  Are you alone?

Lena was my roommate in Dublin. She is not traveling – she is still in Dublin, along with the other 2 flatmates, Gisele and Leane, who are Brazilian. (I’ll post photos of people when I have my goodbye parties, and actually take some more). I am traveling by myself, although I am meeting some people in hostels, or on tours (I’ve clustered with some Americans over the last 2 days).
Where are you staying?

Hostels for the most part, although a B&B in Donegal, when that was my only option. Pretty much the hostels have been nice, if a bit industrial. My current one in Galway is awesome – super homey and cozy, which is why I’m staying longer.

Christ Church cathedral:  Anglican? RC? How about St. Patrick’s?  How long has it been there?  CC looked really ancient.  What were the ruins?  An earlier part of an earlier church?  Who was that woman Esther / Hester Johnson?  I never heard of her.  Who was “Strongbow”?  Any info on the stained glass?  I want plaque details!
Ummm…. its been a really long time since I went there (one of my first weeks in Ireland). I don’t actually remember anyone named esther – stella? She was Jonathan swift’s longtime companion. Here’s the Christchurch overview frmo their website:
Viking Dublin’s cathedral was built on this site c. 1030, and briefly became a cathedral priory under the Benedictines at the end of the 11th century. In 1162, the archbishop of Dublin, Laurence O’Toole (later canonised) introduced the canons regular of St Augustine to the cathedral where they remained until the Reformation. When Henry VIII broke from Rome, the Irish Church, however reluctantly, had to follow suit – and a majority of the bishops did. In Christ Church the last Augustinian prior, Robert Castle alias Paynswick, became the first dean, and the chapter followed suit by changing from regular to secular. The present shape of the cathedral dates from the 1180s when a new programme of building was instigated under the first Anglo-Norman archbishop, John Cumin. An extended quire was added in the 14th century, and the collapse of the south wall of the nave in 1562 necessitated a temporary rebuilding, which lasted until the 1870s! George Edmund Street, one of the foremost Victorian architects of the time, undertook a complete restoration of Christ Church between 1871-8, at the expense of a Dublin whiskey distiller, Henry Roe, who gave £230,000 (£23m today!) to save the cathedral.As part of this restoration, Street transformed the cathedral and added an elegant bridge across the road to a new hall built for the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, today used for an exhibition on medieval Dublin called Dvblinia.

1030 –   Tradition dating of the original Viking Church
1172 –   Laurence/Strongbow plan of present cathedral
1240 –   The cathedral as planned is complete
1358 –   Archbishop John de St. Paul builds the “long choir”
1487 –   “Coronation” of Lambert Simnel as Edward VI
1551 –   Easter Day: English Prayer Book first used
1562 –   Collapse of the south nave wall and roof
1742 –   Choir join in world premiere of Handel’s “Messiah”
1871 –   Seven-year restoration/rebuilding of the cathedral
1980 –   Two-year major restoration of roofs and stonework
1984 –   New Kenneth Jones Organ
1993 –   Planned restoration of the crypt
1993 –   Cathedral choir celebrates its 500th anniversary
1995 –   Cathedral girls’ choir founded

A guide to the cathedral can be found here: http://www.cccdub.ie/visitors/guide/cathguid.html

And from the St. Patrick’s website:

Saint Patrick on his journey through Ireland is said to have passed through Dublin. In a well close to where the cathedral now stands, he is reputed to have baptised converts from paganism to Christianity. To commemorate his visit, a small wooden church was built on this site, one of the four Celtic parish churches in Dublin.

In 1191, under John Comyn, the first Anglo-Norman archbishop of Dublin, Saint Patrick’s was raised to the status of a cathedral and the present building, the largest church in the country,  was erected between 1200 and 1270. Over the centuries as the elements,  religious reformation and persecution took their toll, the cathedral fell into serious disrepair, despite many attempts to restore it. Eventually between 1860 and 1900 a full-scale restoration based on the original design, was carried out by the Guinness family.

Saint Patrick’s has contributed much to Irish life throughout its long history.  The writer and satirist Jonathan Swift was dean from 1713–45. His grave and epitaph are situated near the entrance of the cathedral. The massive west tower dates from 1370 and houses one of the largest peals of bells in Ireland. The choir school was founded  in 1432 and the cathedral choir took part in the first performance of Handel’s Messiah in 1742. The Huguenots worshipped here from 1666 to 1816.

From this site: http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/ you can take a tour of the cathedral and learn more about its history under the history tab on the left.

The pic of the bird was really beautiful!  Also most of the other animal pix.  Your camera must be really wonderful, to show such detail.  What kind of bird was it?  How does the Dublin zoo compare with, say, the Bronx?  Or SF’s?  Or San Diego’s?  Were those really tons of GBHs on a rooftop?  They looked too small….plus, I’ve never seen GBHs flock.  Or was it some other type of heron?  Maybe a smaller one?
The bird is an Irish robin (the first bird pic of mine). I LOVE my camera. The zoom is absolutely awesome. My uncle Daniel and my dad picked it out specifically for animal shots. It is a Canon Powershot S3IS. The dublin zoo is quite small, and doesn’t compare with any of the ones listed above. Still, although it has fewer species, I was quite impressed with the habitats. And it does have a whole Irish farm section, which is Ireland-specific. they weren’t GBHs (although I did see one of those (I think) in Sligo? Donegal?). They were about the size of night herons (in the bay area). I’d have to get an Irish bird book to figure out what they were – they weren’t on display at the zoo – they were just hanging out, so they didn’t get a plaque.
St. Stephen’s Park is really lovely, too.  Was it near your home?
There is a map of Dublin here: http://www.dublintourist.com/maps/dublin_city_-_flash_version.shtml
This shows some of the major sites. I (and Kristl) live in Ranelagh, which is South of the grand canal. I worked in Donnybrook which is the neighborhood to the East of Ranelagh, and my library was in Rathmines, which was to the West. All 3 are quite nice (Donnybrook is postal code D4, which is the posh/snobby area, Ranelagh and Rathmines are D6). walking between the neighborhood was about 5-10 minutes. To get into the city center, you could walk, but being a lazy bum and right by the luas (the lovely shiny tram line) I took that in, which was 3 stops to Stephen’s green (also where RCSI is) and about 10-15 mintues.
The nature pix of Sligo? are really gorgeous!  Why do the rocks/cliffs form vertically?  Why are the stones near the sea round?  Are they petrified tree stumps?  Or actual rock?  I would like to know the geology of that region!  How very interesting!
Ummm – most of the pics are nature pics… I’ll try to go add comments to them. I do really love the scenery, particularly out west here. Every geological feature has been explained to me as: this is from the last ice age. I assume it also has to do with the types of stone, but I only find out what those are when I’m on a tour. The round stones you’re refering to are at the giant’s causeway? Those are lava that cooled very evenly and contracted into perfect hexagons, which is quite rare. I assume cliffs always form vertically… But not being a smart-ass, My guess would be softer rock is worn away, leaving the harder rock in cliffs? But thats a guess – you’d have to ask a geologist.
What’s the story of the kitchen that fell into the sea?
Just that it was on a cliff, and clearly not as stable as they thought, so during a storm the kitchen fell into the sea (all the servants in it died). That’s how the driver told the story.
I can see why you’d like to live in that room!  Where is it? Kylemore Abbey?  Which is where?  Who lived there (after the monks)?  What is its history?
Yup – Kylemore abbey. It was built as a honeymoon home/present by the Henrys. He was a wealthy surgeon/ entrepreneur, she was much younger and died just 4 years after marriage of Nile fever in cairo. He eventually sold it, eventually a duke owned it but went bankrupt, and it was sold to cover his debts. Eventually the benedictine nuns (no monks) bought it (1920 something). I guess the order formed elsewhere, but then was made the order of Ireland and although they were in France off and on, they finally escaped during one of the world wars and came to Kylemore permanently.Honestly, I didn’t read much on the nun’s history, as it wasn’t quite as interesting. They’ve been running a boarding school, but soon that will close as they focus on tourism. They refurbished the chapel, and restored the abbey front to what it would have looked like when the Henrys lived there (pretty, pretty). It is in Connemara, which is on the West coast. The nuns still own it. They also run a pottery shop and tea room. The website is here: http://www.kylemoreabbey.com/about.asp
A map of the counties of Ireland is here: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Ireland.html
I’ve been to Dublin, Armagh, Antrim, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Connemara, Clare, and I’ve probably passed through some others while driving.
Details, I want details! I’m trying! You (meaning anybody reading) can always leave comments (on photos, too) and I’ll try to answer as best I can! 🙂


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This entry was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 1:13 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One response to “FAQ”

  1. Karen says:
    February 5, 2007 at 3:13 pm

    Thank you, sweetie! I appreciate the travelogue details. What a wonderful journey…

    And regarding my complete lack of geographical knowledge, a) remember, I’m an American; and b) I only pay attention to the names of places that show up in crossword puzzles anyway! (Aar, Ural, Oder…)