An Irish March

The last week or two have been packed full of delightful Irish experiences - some high-brow and cultural, some kid-friendly, and some downright weird. I wanted to remember them here.

David’s and my first full-size music concert in Dublin was to see the Lumineers at 3 Arena. I like the Lumineers but would not consider myself a die-hard fan. To explain by example, David and I were not sure if there was an opening band; so when the first band came on we were like, “Is this the Lumineers?” (it was not). All that said, I’m always up for good music and I’m so glad we went — the crowd was electric! It felt like a full sing-along and the whole concert was incredibly upbeat. My favorite member of the band was the barefoot pianist/percussionist who was just visibly living his best life and did not stop moving. Later I asked some Irish friends if the crowd was just so enthused because it was one of the first post-COVID concerts and they very nonchalantly said, “Nope, that’s just the Irish!” Here's a short video of the enthusiastic crowd:

On Friday the 4th Sally’s school celebrated World Book Day by having the kids dress up as a character of choice. Sally chose Leila Vernon from The Magic Misfits. This book was likely largely unknown by her classmates, but I hope her ardor inspired someone to ask a parent to check it out. Written by the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris (yes, Doogie Howser, MD as well as Barney Stinson, among other roles), the series is a real delight and I’d highly suggest it to any kiddo starting at about 7 years of age.

Tuesday March 8 was International Women’s Day and I attended a special tribute to the occasion at the National Concert Hall featuring the National Symphony Orchestra. This was a truly special night and I’m very grateful to my friend Olivia for suggesting, and booking, it. The orchestra started by playing the Ukrainian national anthem, and lots of performers had various yellow/blue accents to their outfits (discrete or otherwise). The pieces performed were a melange of orchestral pieces written by women, spoken word by local [female] poets, traditional Irish instruments (fiddle, pipes, accordion, guitar) played by female musicians accompanied by the orchestra, and even opera. I was completely spell-bound by the talent and beautiful mash-up of traditional and classical genres. The National Concert Hall is also did not disappoint, with an enormous Waterford crystal chandelier adorning the main hall.

In sharp contrast to all this culture, I had a beach experience I wanted to share (now we get to the weird bit). When you head out for any sort of outing here, there is always a chance of rain. It could be clear-skied and gorgeous but it still might rapidly cloud-over and dump on you. It follows that this happens not uncommonly during a run as well. So, it was just starting to dribble as Riley and I ran through the chilly evening along the beach when I noticed a large flock of seagulls circling the shoreline. At first I [incorrectly] assumed there might be some fish up close to the surface, but then I noted an older man throwing something from up on the shore. As I got closer, I saw that he had parked his car, left it running with door open and lights on, and hauled a huge trash bag full of kitchen scraps over to the edge of our rather classy beachfront. He was not just throwing some bread scraps, he launched a full devoured chicken carcass over my head at the birds and I had to jump on Riley to get her off of it (she thought the sky was raining food) and then run away from the Flock of Seagulls. And I ran, I ran so far away I just ran, I ran all night and day. I couldn't get away. (Oh, please please tell me you see what I did there!)

Just after that, however, as I was concurrently swearing and laughing about this ridiculous situation, it started to absolutely pour and Riley and I were treated to the most gorgeous double rainbow. Stunning. Unfortunately this website doesn't let me post panoramic shots so instead you get this one of Riley looking tortured.

Nic Gomez arrived on Monday for a visit and it was so fun to have him here. On Wednesday Nic and I visited the Seamus Heaney exhibit at the old Bank of Ireland building across from College Green. Seamus Heaney is a Nobel laureate for literature and one of Ireland’s most beloved literary stars. He only passed away in 2013 (just 3 days before Sally was born) and spent his later years living right on the [previously mentioned] Sandymount strand. I first heard of him on a hike a couple of months ago in Wicklow that featured quotes of his poetry etched in rocks along the path. I understand why he is so cherished by the Irish public. Not only was he keenly able to put pen to paper, but he also seemed like a really nice man with a loving family and was influential in the Good Friday agreements that brought an end to the Troubles between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the 1990s. As with almost every exhibit I’ve visited in Ireland, the docent was extremely enthusiastic and spent a long time telling us about Mr. Heaney and the exhibit before we even went in. I even without apprehension bought [my first ever] book of poetry at the end!

On Thursday Sally had a quintessential Irish experience when our very kind neighbor, Kevin, invited her over to plant potatoes in his back yard. He had even obtained a special, “potato-growing” burlap sac for her to bring home to grow our own potatoes. Kevin is a delight to start with (always full of good craic) and a wonderful neighbor (one of our many, I’m happy to report) all around. We have been so fortunate to have always lived in houses with really good neighbors - it makes such a difference and I am most grateful.

On Friday we let Sally stay home from school so we could all hang out with Nic. We walked around Merrion Square Park in the rain and then had a behind the scenes tour at the National Gallery. This was a very cool way to learn about the gallery. We spent about an hour with the conservators, learning what they do and how. I think we were all astounded to learn what a big process it is. It’s not a subject I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about previously, but if asked I would have said they spend most of their time using special chemicals and brushes to clean up paintings and other works of art. We learned that the physical process is only about 1/4 of their job - they spend the rest of the time researching the work and its time period and genre, talking with other galleries about similar works of art or similar media, and researching/presenting to colleagues about the conservation process. Fascinating. Also they were so generous with their time and easy to chat with. Really a treat.

We went from there to lunch at House Dublin, in which we [by complete chance] were sat in the pink room. Unsurprisingly, we were all pretty excited about this development. A delicious lunch ensued.

Finally, we had also have had couple gorgeous days outside the past couple of weeks. A family trip to Guinness Lake and the Sally Gap in Wicklow, Riley and I ran out to the Poolbeg Lighthouse, and the 3 of us hiked around Bray Head. Life remains good!