First of all, everything you heard about Ireland is true except the weather. The people are friendly; there is a rich literary tradition; and Irish music is in every pub. Also take note, when they talk about “having a pint,” remember they are not referring to ice cream.
The weather in May-June is supposed to be cloudy and drizzly with temperatures in the mid-60s, but we enjoyed unusually sunny, dry weather with temps in the low 70s, which is unheard of. I hear Spain got all the lousy weather.
Generalities aside, here’s a rundown of my bookish adventures.
Trinity College and the Book of Kells
Fortunately, you can schedule your tour of the Book of Kells ahead of time, so waiting in line was manageable. But before you actually see the 9th century Book of Gospels (the size of a ancient metropolitan phone book in a glass case, no tourist pictures allowed), there is an introductory exhibit and audio tour that gives you a rundown of the different elements of the book and how it was created.
From the exhibit you go directly into the Old Library's Long Reading Room (shown at the top of the posting) which houses ancient volumes of Irish works that are currently being removed individually and cleaned meticulously with a mini-mini vacuum. Judging from the videos that explain the process, these preservationists would never survive as automobile detailers.
I did purchase a Book of Kells ball cap with monogramed letter M. I used it daily during the entire trip to keep the blazing Irish sun out of my eyes.
National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland is within walking distance of Trinity College and it currently is hosting the W.B. Yeats exhibit mentioned in my previous post. They have a sitting area, where various narrators recite a Yeats's poem while the poem scrolls on a screen accompanied with images. No Liam Neesem voiceover ☹, but I did learn how to pronounce “Lapis Lazuli”.
In the lobby of the library, they have a Lego version of the building. Admittedly, as my grandchildren can verify, I don’t have the patience to do intricate Lego re-creations, but I do appreciate the effort it took to construct this one.
Jonathan Swift and Oscar Wilde
I did not know that both writers were Dubliners. Swift was born in Dublin and moved to London as child, but later returned to be the dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral from 1713 to 1745, where he was laid to rest. Oscar Wilde's boyhood home is adjacent to Merrion Square where there is a statue of the poet, playwright and renown wit. Nearby is a pedestal displaying his more well-known quotes.
Books Shopping
There are a lot of bookshops in Dublin and all over Ireland, but as we walked the streets (all these places were within walking distance of each other), I was in pursuit of a copy of J.P. Dunleavy’s 1965 novel The Beastly Beatitudes Bathlazar B. Set at Trinity College, I read the novel decades ago and I remember the irreverent voice of the narrator and the peccadillos of his perverted divinity student sidekick Beefy.
We did go to The Gutter Bookshop (so called because of the Wilde quote “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars")”and The Winding Stair Bookshop overlooking the Ha' Penny Bridge. At the latter, I bought another Dunleavy classic The Ginger Man (1955).
Unfortunately, I left my vacation copy of TransAtlantic (2023) by Colum McCann in the hotel room (no substitute for a housekeeping tip, I know), so the rest of trip I obsessed on finding a replacement copy, which I finally did in Kinsale at Prim’s Book Shop. This is an unusual shop because when you go through the back door you are butted up against a drippy, underground seawall.
Many thanks to blog readers who sent me their tips and suggestions and a special book shopper thanks to my partner Denise who planned the trip and made sure to include this literary crawl.
Comments