Review of Dublin Trip (LONG 17.6K)
Lynn Sills
DUBLIN GET-TOGETHER DINNER
I love Dublin! In spite of her size (over a million population) she
has a subtle charm that grows on you. But I'm afraid I would do
rather badly if I tried to define it. No wonder Dublin has, in the past
few years, become such a popular tourist destination!
More than 1000 years old, (founded in A.D. 988) with low-rise
18th century buildings, (not a highrise or skyscraper in sight)
she still retains that old European feel that American tourist find
so enchanting.
I was back in Ireland after an absence of many years and best of
all I was back in Dublin - a "port of call" that has been dear to my
heart for a long, long time.
As a ships purser I had sailed to the UK and Ireland for a number of
years and some of the most treasured memories of my long career
were those wonderful, carefree days when a "pint" was not priced in
"pounds" as I found to be so now.
This get-together dinner was organized by Lionel Knott of Boyle,
County Roscommon, Ireland and with an apology to him, I must confess
it was not only the great get together we enjoyed that called me back
to Dublin - it was those wonderful memories that beckoned me once
again to the "Emerald Isle".
This get-together evolved many months ago when Patricia Kooyman,
of Delft, The Netherlands, and Lionel Knott begin exchanging e-mail
about getting together for lunch one day while Patricia would be in
Dublin attending a professional conference.
One letter led to another and pretty soon another "get-together" was in
the works and a date - August 24th - was set. Of course, I answered a
general invitation post with a "count me in" and so it went.
Determined not to be late for this dinner, like in Montreal, I decided
to leave two days early - giving me plenty of time. Or so I thought.
Early on in the week I sent an e-mail to Lionel asking him to reserve
a room for me at a hotel I found on the internet - Sunnybank Hotel -
for the nights of August 23rd and 24th. Things were shaping up.
I travel stand-by only, and not being able to get a flight direct to
Ireland, I opted to fly to Manchester, UK then connect for a flight to
Dublin.
At 8pm on Thursday 22 August we were airborn and I was on my way!
Arriving Manchester International Airport at 8am the following morning
(there is a 5 hour time change) I found the airport terminal (terminal 2)
to be one of the nicest I have ever seen. Very modern (it is only two
years old), it also is well designed and a real joy to pass through.
There was one problem however - all flights to Dublin that day - on
every airline - was booked solid. Not a seat to be had on any airline
any any price. It seems there was a "Bank Holiday" starting this day
(I think we call it a long weekend ) and everybody, it seems, was getting
out of town for a final summertime "week-end get a way".
Anxious to be getting on to Dublin, I checked with the Travel Information
Desk in the terminal about getting a rail ticket to Holyhead (about a six
hour ride from Manchester) and then a ferry across to Ireland. I was told
there was a one day BritRail strike (timed because of the holiday no
doubt) so that was out. .
No flights. No rail service. So what's a fellow to do. The only thing I
could do - stay in Manchester. RyanAir is the only Manchester/
Dublin carrier operating out of terminal two. Both Aer Lingus and BA
operate from Terminal one. So with credit card in hand, I booked a
flight with RyanAir (the first one available) leaving 11:45am the next
day (Saturday). Not only did I have to pay a top price (93 pounds) for
the flight but in addition there was a 3 pound surcharge because I
used my visa card.
Then back to the Travel Information Desk to see about getting a place
to stay for the night. And here I lucked out! The Travel Information
Desk not only dispenses travel information, but also acts as a hotel
booking agent for stranded passengers like myself.
I had a wide range of choices - Hilton, Sheraton, etc. - but decided to
stay in a bed & breakfast close to the airport. The price was right
(17 pounds($27.50)/night and this included transportation both from
the airport then and return the next morning (Saturday). Also a
full "English Style" breakfast was included in the price. Not a skimpy
"continental" breakfast.
After making my choice I then went to the Thomas Cook "Change
Bureau" and exchanged some dollars for UK pounds. Since the Travel
Info Desk takes a 10% deposit (which they keep) on all reservations
I paid them 1 pound 70 pence leaving 15 pounds 30 pence to be paid
to the B&B.
This B&B is run by a Mrs. Harrison and within 20 minutes she was at
the airport to pick me up. Her home is located two miles from the
airport at 211 Styal Road, Heald Green, UK (about 10 miles from down
town Manchester) and the phone is (0161) 437 285. Highly recommended.
Less than a five minute walk from Mrs. Harrison's B&B there is located a
very nice, modern lodging called Travel Inn. This is on the style of our
Quality Inn, Ramada Inn, etc. and is very nice. The attached pub is called
the "Beefeater Pub" and that is even nicer.
This inn is owned by the Whitbread Hotel Company and the price for a
room is 45 pounds for one to four people. Very modest for a family. The
details are: The Heald Green Beefeater and Travel Inn, Finney Lane, Heald
Green, Stockport, Cheshire SK8 2QH Tel: (0161) 499 1044 Fax: (0161)
437 4910 - I didn't check out any of the rooms but I sure checked out the
pub - and it was great! <grin> (This is a lot of details but if just ONE
person can use it then the effort - and space - is well spent.)
The reason I went there in the first place was to see if I could send a fax
to the hotel in Dublin letting them know of my delay. And yes, they would
be happy to fax the Sunnybank in Dublin for a fee of 1 pound 25 pence. Of
course I accepted the fee and felt much better knowing the hotel at least
knew I would not be arriving until the next day.
That evening I returned to the "Beefeater Pub" for a few "pints" and a
bite to eat. Some of the patrons tried striking up a conversation with me
(they recognized my American accent everytime I ordered a "pint") but it
was very difficult. Almost like being in a non-english speaking country the
"up country" accent was so strong. In spite of that, had a great evening
and turned in with happy thoughts of Dublin on my mind. After a delicious
breakfast Saturday morning, Mrs. Harrison took me back to the airport for
my flight and I was on my way - at last!
The flight over to Dublin was 35 minutes and uneventful (the best kind)
and there are no immigration or custom formalities of any kind on this
flight. Immediately upon entering the concourse from the plane, I spotted
another "Change Bureau" and bought some Irish Pounds. The exchange
rate of British Pounds is about the same as Irish Pounds (sometimes
called "Punts") but the two currencies are not easily interchangable
between the UK and Ireland. By 1pm I had a cab and heading for the hotel.
At least, I would not be late for this get-together dinner!
I really don't like booking into a hotel without checking it out first but
in this instance I had a no choice but even if I did it would have been
my first choice without hesitation. It was really my style of lodging.
Sunnybank Hotel, 70 Botanic Road, Dublin 9 - Telephone is
1 830 755 and Fax is 1 830 6726 (Near Botanical Gardens)
I recommend it very highly.
Small (28 rooms), affordable (30 pounds/single), good location (20
minutes by public bus from center of town - with a bus stop right
across the road from the hotel) and a very friendly staff. The largest
room of all was the pub with live entertainment this night (Saturday).
My room (number 5) was quite large, telephone, TV, private bath room
with plenty of hot water and very good water pressure in the shower.
I was anxious to get downtown to see if anything had changed (it had
not) and and after a shower and dressing, walked across the street to
the bus stop. Within minutes one came along and I hopped aboard (80
pence or $1.25) for the short ride downtown. Since it was a warm,
beautiful afternoon, I strolled around for a couple of hours, from pub to
pub, recalling some of those long ago memories. This city must have
more pubs per square mile than any other in the world!
This is not to say there are no cultural attractions! After all, this is the
Capitol of Ireland!
There is the National Museum and the National Gallery.
Then there is the Trinity College Library (built 1712/1732) and which
contains the "Book of Kells". This is an illustrated and illuminated
copy of the gospel's created by Irish monks in the early 9th century
at the monastery of Kells.
The Dublin Castle (13th century), Christ Church Cathedral (built 1172)
St.Patrick's Cathedral (circa.1195). The remains of Jonathan Swift,
author of "Gulliver's Travels" is entombed here. Also the Irish Museum
of Modern Art and the Dublin Writer's Museum can be seen. This
museum contains the works of James Joyce, William Butler, Yeats,
Oscar Wilde, Brendan Behan, and Bram Stoker among others, as well
as letters, photos, and memorabila going back to the 9th century.
Our dinner was to be at the "Gallagher Boxty House" in the Temple Bar
area of Dublin and had been scheduled for 8pm. Since the GBH does not
accept reservations, Lionel had suggested we meet in front of the restaurant
about 7:30pm and while waiting for a table we could have an "introductory"
drink at a nearby pub.
This sounded like a very sensible idea so about 7pm I started heading for
the Temple Bar area and found it to be absolutely delightful. Lionel, in an
earlier e-mail had described Temple Bar as - "an area of narrow cobbled
streets with a Bohemian atmosphere" - and he was absolute correct! Not
only that, this area is near (about 2 blocks) Trinity College and the entire
area was jammed with college students. What a neighborhood!!
I had no problem at all finding Gallagher's but since it was not yet 7:30
this gave me a chance to check out the pub across the street. The name
was "Ye Old Dubliner Pub" and it was great - and very crowded. (If my
photos come out good I may have an excellent "album cover" here.<grin>
I stood near the door while having my "pint" so I could keep an eye on
the GBH but I don't know why. I had never seen Lionel in my life and
when he did show up I wouldn't know it. And there was a huge crowd at
the door trying to get tables. So at 7:30 sharp I went back across the
street to wait.
It was not long when a very nice young man, and his lovely companion,
came up and said to me "You must be Lynn!" He introduced himself as
Lionel, and his companion as Angela, and so the evening begun. Not too
much later a family of three showed up and they introduced themselves
as Jim Scott, his wife Irene and their daughter Victoria. Now the only two
missing was Patricia Kooyman and her colleague who were coming in from
The Netherlands for the conference in Dublin.
Since there was no point in all of us standing on the sidewalk in front of
GBH waiting for Patricia, her colleague, and a table, it was decided all,
except me, would go across the street for a "quick one". I elected to wait
because Patricia (along with her husband) had been at the get-together
dinner in Montreal only two weeks earlier and we knew each other.
Sometime after 8pm I heard someone call out "Hi Lynn" and there she was.
Patricia and her friend, who was introduced as Regina. Patricia explained
they were a little bit late because their plane coming in from Amsterdam
was late. But no matter. All were present and that's what was important.
I asked Patricia and Regina to hold my place in line while I went across
the street to let Lional know his other guests had arrived. By this time I
could hardly get in the door. Then Lionel went across to GBH to see when
a table for eight would be available and came back saying about "one hour".
Since Victoria (Scott) was the youngest she volunteered to "stand watch"
in line in order to protect our table rights. So there we were, in the Old
Dubliner Pub, having the time of our lives, with a wonderful dinner
together to look forward to. I tell you, those Irish sure know how to live!!
At about 9:30pm our table was ready and in we went. The table had room
for four on each side and the seating went something like this.
I sat on one corner, then facing me was Jim Scott. Jim is retired as a
Quality Control Manager (electronics) for a firm in NJ. Now lives in Israel
(Jerusalem) and serves as a volunteer at Christian Biblical Resources.
Jim, his wife Irene, and daughter Victoria are touring Ireland while enroute
back to the US for a vacation and a son's wedding.
Next to Jim was Angela O'Brien. Angela tells me she is a mushroom
farmer! Loves meeting people and having fun. The Irish are born with the
gift of gab and are an outgoing lot, and she is certainly no exception.
What a wonderful, sparkling, personality. A genuine 100% "Irish Lass".
Next to Angela was our host Lionel Knott. Lionel is 31 and comes from
Boyle, County Roscommon (as does Angela) and owns a retail store
(menswear) in Boyle. And, like Angela, Irish to the core. Loves to travel
but cannot do as much as he would like because of his business. He
enjoys reading all the travel journals from the travel-l list.
Next to Lionel was Patricia Kooyman of Delft, The Netherlands. Patricia
is in town attending the "European Community Electron Microscopy"
Conference. She is a chemist by profession and I had the pleasure of
meeting her and her husband Wim (who is a Chemical Engineer) at the
Montreal get-together on October 9th.
Across from Patricia sat Victoria Scott. She says she is a "history fanatic"
and hopes to get a job in this area someday. She plans to stay in the US
and will not be returning to Israel with her parents
Then next to Victoria sat her mother, Irene. Irene lives with her husband,
Jim, in Jerusalem, and said to me " This is a great way to meet. So glad
the internet brought us all together - and we are having a great "Irish Visit"
here.
Next to Irene (and to my right) sat Regina Bokel. Regina is here with
Patricia attending the "EUREM" Conference in Dublin. Regina visited the
Olympic Games in Atlanta for 10 days and she kept me enthralled with
her stories. Regina is a physisist by profession receiving her master's
degree in physics from the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands and
is well into her doctorate program which she hopes to complete "some day".
And then we come back to me to round out the eight - but enought said
there. But let's talk about the food! Specfically "boxty".
While we were outside waiting for our table Angela explained what "boxty"
is and I will try to translate what she told us here - but am not to sure if
this is completely correct.
It seems a "boxty" is a traditional Irish dish made from potatoes. In this
case the potatoes are made into sort of large pancake. The potato pancake
is then filled with whatever filling is available i.e. beef, pork, vegetables, e
tc.
and then the pandcake is rolled to form a crepe.
Since I am somewhat of a coward when it comes to eating strange dishes
I ordered corned beef, cabbage, and boiled potatoes for my dinner.Next to
me, Regina had a "boxty" of some sort and it looked quite good.
I did not check out the others but everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner
very much. No "pub grub" here - the food was delicious!
Around midnight our party begin coming to an end. Angela, had by
some magic, tracked down two American girlfriends who were in town
and had brought them in about 11:30.
Lionel, ever the Irish gentleman, stood for a round of drinks for the girls
and then it was time to start saying our "goodbye's". Time moves ever
so fast when one is having so much fun!
Jim and his family had to get back to their place somewhere on the
outskirts of town, and I had to get back to my hotel. I was checking out
at 6am as I had a flight out at 7:30am Lionel could not get away, but he
was good enough to call a couple of cabs for Jim and I.
As the cab I was in was heading back to the hotel, the driver and I
noticed one police car after another racing the same way we were going
with lights flashing and sirens sounding. They seem to be coming from
every direction!
When we got to my hotel, we saw they were there!! I saw about 4 police
cars in front and in the parking area alongside. Neither the cab driver or I
could guess what the problem was but my first guess was a holdup,
robbery, or something. It turns out a customer in the hotel pub had begin
"acting up" and the management called the cops! Talk about "overkill"!
I identified myself as a hotel guest to one of the policemen and had no
problem getting inside to pick up my room key.
At 6am sharp, with a cab waiting for me outside, I said my last farewells
to the hotel staff and was again on my way. This time everything went
smooth. No plane delays, good weather, and in early Sunday afternoon I
was again back in Newark to pick up my car and head for the "Jersey
Shore".
It had been a wonderful get-together. The people of Ireland were just as
I remember. Warm, kindhearted, gentle, polite, and just as wonderful as
I recall them to be so many years ago. Thank you Lionel for making this
get together such a fun time for all of us..
Lyndell (Lynn) Sills
ly...@cybercomm.net