This past week reminded me of the good old days, when instead of having class we would jam into a big yellow school bus and go on a field trip! This week was very similar to that, minus the whole big yellow school bus thing. On monday in lieu of History class we went into the city for a 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour with Lorcan. In true Irish fashion it started to rain just as we got to Trinity. Lorcan really knows his stuff and spoke very quickly and with humor. He told us a bit about Trinity, the Daniel O'Connell statue, the Post Office (which has great historical context..1916 Rising), the Four Courts and the Dublin Castle. Much of what he told us we already had learned from either our History class or otherwise. Regardless, it was still informative and interesting.
On wednesday, in leu of having History again, we went to the Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Gaol was the Dublin jail, built in the late 1700s and famous for housing many leaders of Irish rebellions such as the 1916 Rising. It was also on the jail's premises that many were executed.
The jail itself is now a museum, and a very haunting, yet remarkable building. This part of the jail may seem familiar, and that's because it's featured in many films, and is a popular place to film. Films include, the Italian Job, Michael Collins, In the Name of the Father, and a few others. Also, the acoustics are fantastic, so of course U2 have recorded here, as well as shot their music video for their song A Celebration.
We had a great tour guide who took us around the jail, into the cells, and through the corridors.
It's a sad experience visiting the jail and hearing the tragic stories. It was in the corridor that during the famine was over run with starving men, women, and children. There are copious documents reading "four year old boy in for stealing one loaf of bread." During the famine, the jail because a destination, for they were guaranteed a roof, and three meals a day, regardless of gaining a criminal status, these over crowded, infested living conditions were paradise compared to starving to death.
I saw the cells of Joseph Plunkett, Eamon De Velara, Michael Davitt, and Charles Parnell. Sadly, I also saw the very place that many men took their last breath. The 14 leading men associated with the 1916 Rising were executed on the premises by the British.
One of the most tragic and famous stories about the jail is that of Joseph Plunkett and his darling Grace. The two were engaged to be married however he was imprisoned and sentenced to execution. On the eve of his execution, the two were wed in the jail, witnessed by two guards. The two were not allowed to speak to each other, only to exchange their vows. Grace has to leave, but was allowed 10 minutes with her new husband at 2 am just before his execution. The two sat in a room together for 10 minutes without saying a word to each other. Although this country is full of outstanding beauty, the Irish struggled for every bit of it. I guess true love knows no spoken word.
The field trips were excellent! Being here, in Ireland, and learning about the history and culture is so refreshing. It's a very nice break from the nitty-gritty of in depth psycho-analysis back at Wheaton.
It's amazing that I only have 4 more lectures left before exams, spring break and the internship phase! Wow!
It's starting to look like spring around here! Although it has been very green since our arrival, the crocuses are up and blooming, and the daffodils are shooting up too! I did run in shorts today, but I may have jumped the gun a bit. My legs initially were a bit too cold, but by the end it was great! Today was a great day to run in the park for there were about 5 games of football (soccer) happening.
This is a very moving and great sculpture outside of Kilmainham, commemorating the 14 men executed for their involvement in the 1916 Rising.
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