Where: Dublin, Ireland
When: April 14, 2001 / February 1, 2018
With: Loren, Doug, Jon / Dave
While Ireland is very distinctly its own country, it spent a very good chunk of its existence as a colony of the British Empire. Therefore, while there is a ton of history in Dublin, the buildings that hold the most significance for the Irish people is their fight for independence. The crazy thing to realize is that this didn't actually happen that long ago. In fact, after some genealogy research, it seems my family was long gone before Ireland became a free republic.
The fight for Irish freedom is probably most epitomized at Dublin's General Post Office. I know, what? Back in the day, the GPO would have been the staple of communication for the city of Dublin. And in April 1916, on Easter Monday, Irish Republicans took over key locations throughout Dublin, declared the country a free republic and made the GPO their command post. They hoped to gain an advantage over the British, who were in the full throes of the First World War.
After six days of fighting and attacks and ambushes on the British all over the city, the Irish finally surrendered, outnumbered and having been completely bombarded by artillery. When the main instigators of the uprising were hanged, it sparked a fire in the Irish people. A very long story short, British parliament voted on and agreed to Irish independence by December 1918, and eventually Ireland became a free country.
The GPO became a symbol of the Irish Resistance that is still appreciated today. While it has obviously been restored from the artillery bombardment, remnants of the fighting still can be seen. On the columns outside, marks from bullets and shelling still scar the stone.
When: April 14, 2001 / February 1, 2018
With: Loren, Doug, Jon / Dave
While Ireland is very distinctly its own country, it spent a very good chunk of its existence as a colony of the British Empire. Therefore, while there is a ton of history in Dublin, the buildings that hold the most significance for the Irish people is their fight for independence. The crazy thing to realize is that this didn't actually happen that long ago. In fact, after some genealogy research, it seems my family was long gone before Ireland became a free republic.
The fight for Irish freedom is probably most epitomized at Dublin's General Post Office. I know, what? Back in the day, the GPO would have been the staple of communication for the city of Dublin. And in April 1916, on Easter Monday, Irish Republicans took over key locations throughout Dublin, declared the country a free republic and made the GPO their command post. They hoped to gain an advantage over the British, who were in the full throes of the First World War.
After six days of fighting and attacks and ambushes on the British all over the city, the Irish finally surrendered, outnumbered and having been completely bombarded by artillery. When the main instigators of the uprising were hanged, it sparked a fire in the Irish people. A very long story short, British parliament voted on and agreed to Irish independence by December 1918, and eventually Ireland became a free country.
The GPO became a symbol of the Irish Resistance that is still appreciated today. While it has obviously been restored from the artillery bombardment, remnants of the fighting still can be seen. On the columns outside, marks from bullets and shelling still scar the stone.
The inside has been restored to a full working post office. However, there is now a museum in the basement that goes through the events leading up to the uprising and how the six days unfolded. They had a pretty cool movie that showed aerial views of Dublin and how and where the ambushes on the British forces were carried out.
Walking along the River Liffey are a couple of other notable sights. One of the most prominent is the Four Courts (prominent because I've taken photos now on all my trips to Dublin without actually knowing what this building was.) This served as the, not surprisingly, four courthouses of Ireland when it was completed in 1802. However, the part I found most fascinating was that it was also the record office. And when Civil War fighting took place in the 1920s, an explosion set fire to the west wing of the building that housed hundreds of years of Irish records. Ughh...as geneaology has become a hobby of mine, this kills me deep inside as to what information was lost.
Of the several bridges spanning the River Liffey, the most famous is the Ha'penny Bridge. Built in 1816 of cast iron, this pedestrian bridge, originally called the Wellington Bridge, used to cost a half penny to cross. While its free now, it is still the prettiest little bridge in the city.
Of all the sights in Dublin though, my favorite, hands down, is the Garden of Remembrance. Created in 1966 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Uprising, this park is meant to honor all those who gave their lives for Irish freedom. This place is beautifully moving.
A cross-shaped reflection pool sits in the middle, surrounded by flowers and grass.
The main focal point at the end of the pond is a statue of my favorite Irish fairy tale come to life, the Children of Lir. In the story, Lir and his wife have four children, one girl and three boys, but after his wife dies, he remarries. The new wife, jealous of the love between father and children, turned the children into swans, destined to float around for eternity. However, after 900 years, the children were released from the spell after finding Christianity, turning into withered, old humans before rejoining their parents in heaven.
I love how the statue shows that transformation between the pain and helplessness of what's happening to them. I also love that I have a great digital and film version of the statue from each of my visits to the garden.
While Dublin is not a huge city, it is filled with lots of stories and history. There's probably so much more than what I saw, but at the end of the day, I'm just glad they won their freedom.
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