Favourite Dublin Places

I apologize for this site’s content this week, as it’s been all about Ireland. This is because a) I haven’t had time or consistent connectivity to do the usual reading on ye olde Intarweb and b) this site is first and foremost about what interests me. This week, that’s mostly Ireland. Next week, the normal array of subject matter shall return.

I’ve discovered that there’s perhaps more joy in returning to a place than in visiting it for the first time. At least that’s the case if you’ve lived in a place, left it and come back. Our mind favours good memories over bad, so we rediscover former homes through rose-coloured lenses.

With that in mind, let me tell you about some of my favourite spots in Dublin:

Trinity College – I had the good fortune to walk through this gorgeous, 500-year-old campus every day for most of the time I spent in Dublin. Today I walked through it at dusk, and the light hitting the campanile that stands near the entrance was beautiful. I have fond memories of pausing on my walks home to watch rugby practices and sometimes cricket on the rugby ground and College Park.

Merrion Square – Is there a finer block-long park in the western world? Walk through it during a rainstorm, and its smells like a jungle. It’s a tremendously charming place, with its well-tended flora and peculiar statuary.

Natural History Museum – I’ve written about this place before, so I’ll just quote myself:

It is a macabre paean to the Victorian era in all its splendour. Nearly hidden behind the Dail (the Irish Parliament), it’s a fantastic Victorian building. The stuffed bestiary that resides inside is beyond compare. Most of the animals are inside glass cases, and each is fastidiously labelled with the name and date of death and purchase by museum. They go on and on and on. There is every animal under the sun in here. And it’s not just mammals either–there are four floors, and two of them just have birds and fish and insects aplenty.

The second floor window of the Winding Stair Bookstore – It’s as bohemian as a cafe gets in Dublin, and despite the uncomfortable benches is an oasis of casual calm in the centre of the city. I wonder, is it named after Yeat’s poem, or did Yeats name his poem after the cafe? Probably, but not definitely, the former.