The park behind Dublin Castle also doubles as a helicopter pad.
The sculpture above commemorates the Special Olympics, the only time it's been held outside of the U.S.
Mary finally found her whiskey sour, rye whiskey please. We head back home tomorrow.
We began our trip in Dublin and are ending it here as well. We had a celebratory dinner on our last night with Jim and Patsy, and while they went to stay near the airport, we headed to Trinity College to stay on campus in the Graduate Memorial Building. The room is nothing fancy, but you can't beat the location and the setting.
While the college was established in 1592, most of the buildings date from the 18th and 19th centuries, each laid out on a cobbled or grassy square.
We are staying in the Graduate Memorial Building, house 28, which looks on the grassy square directly behind the Campanile.
Our room is on the ground floor, the farthest window on the right of the photo below.
A real treat walking by our first game of cricket.
The Parliament is housed in Leinster House, a mansion built as a city residence in the mid-1700's. The first Irish government moved here in 1922, and both the Dail (House of Representatives) and the Seanad (Senate) meet here 90 days a year.
A sculpture of Countess Constance Markievicz, a revolutionary nationalist, a suffragette, and a socialist, stands outside the visitors' entrance to the building. She was second in command at St. Stephen's Green during the Easter Rising of 1916. She had been the first women elected to Parliament but refused to take her seat because of her opposition to English rule over Ireland. She was imprisoned for her role in the Rising.
Above is the room where the 60-member Senate sits; this body is largely ceremonial although they can refer a bill back to the lower house for revision. Members are appointed, and a vote several years ago to abolish the Senate failed at the polls. Below is where the 166-member House of Representatives sits; it was built in 1897 as a lecture hall. The glass was added to the observation gallery for the visit of President Kennedy.
Above is a banner commemorating the 'Fighting Irish' - a NY brigade who fought in the Civil War and was led by Thomas Meagher ( one of the leaders of the failed 1798 rebellion who escaped from an Australian prison and went to the U.S.). This banner was presented to the Irish People by JFK when he visited. We heard several times from people we met in Ireland about the many Irish who fought on both sides during the U.S. Civil War.
As Parliament members enter the building, they walk between portraits of the leaders of both sides of the Irish Civil War of 1922/23 - a war which divided former comrades from the War for Independence. One side supported the 1921 treaty with the British which created the Irish Free State made up of 26 of the 32 Irish counties, and one opposed it, leading to additional bloodshed.
Ireland officially became a republic in 1948.
"History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme."
Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright - from The Cure at Troy
The votes have been counted and it's official - Ireland is the world's first country to approve gay marriage through a vote of the people. The final result is just over 61% voting yes; with all districts except one voting in favor.
We arrived at Dublin Castle about 2:30 pm, wanting to be part of the historic celebration. We had a great time chatting with folks, and one man in particular was very helpful in identifying the dignitaries and giving us the background on things.
As districts reported in, the big map of Ireland would reflect the votes; green signified a yes vote and each time another district turned green, there was a huge cheer from the crowd. As many waited, anxious to know how their home district voted, huge cheers arose as the map began to turn green, particularly when the more conservative western counties reported in favor.
Senator Katherine Zappone and her wife, Dr. Ann Gilligan, were married in Vancouver and have been waging a court battle to have their marriage recognized in Ireland. Their appearance was loudly cheered.
Politicians of all sorts appeared. Below we see the back of Gerry Adams (white shirt on the right) standing next to Pantibliss, a drag queen and one of the Yes campaigns leaders, as they participate in a panel discussion on Irish TV.
We finally left the gathering about 2 hours later, realizing that the official vote wouldn't be announced for several hours. As we were leaving, we introduced ourselves to Senator Zappone and Dr. Gilligan. It turns out Zappone grew up in north Seattle, and attended both Holy Names Academy and Seattle University!
As we came back to our room at Trinity College, we heard huge cheers come from outside - the vote had been officially announced just after 7 pm. It's a great day to be Irish!
LP: The vast Neolithic necropolis known as Bru na Boinne (the Boyne Palace) Is one of the most extraordinary sites in Europe. A thousand years older than Stonehenge, it's a powerful and evocative testament to the mind-boggling achievements of prehistoric humankind.
The visitor's centre overlooks the core of the archaeological landscape, and is built to mimic the grassy tomb structures.
Newgrange was excavated between 1962 and 1975, when the Roof Box was discovered through which the mid-winter sun penetrates into the chamber. Based on archaeological evidence, the white quartz facade was reconstructed.
Views from Newgrange above and below.
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