Post-Tour
Saturday in Dublin
GPO Museum
We walked from our hotel to O’Connell Street for our first stop of the day at the GPO Museum, where we learned more about the 1916 Easter Rising and modern Irish history.
Glasnevin
We then boarded a bus* to make our way to Glasnevin, Ireland’s National Cemetery where more than 1 million people are buried. It was founded by Daniel O’Connell. We had a great tour there.
*This was our first time on a bus in Dublin. When our stop was displayed on the electronic board, we went to the exit door but the driver didn’t stop. At the next stop, a woman came up next to us and pressed the red button on the post (this signals the driver to actually stop). Apparently, because passengers were actually boarding the bus at the previous stops, we didn’t see anyone press the red button. It wouldn’t have occurred to us to do this because at home pressing a red button or pulling a cord on a train or bus would usually indicate an emergency. In Dublin, it just means you want to exit the bus. Now we know.
An Unexpected Development
While at Glasnevin, Henry developed a foot problem, requiring us to leave the cemetery, taking the bus (now that we were experienced bus riders) and the LUAS tram to return to the hotel. Henry discovered that his left big toenail had split and half of it had folded back, separating from the skin. I asked the very helpful front desk attendant about urgent care and he told me that they had A&E (Accident and Emergency) at St James's Hospital. We gratefully accepted his offer to call us a cab to take us to the A&E.
While there, we saw a physician’s assistant, two doctors and two nurses. The separated part of the toenail had to be removed (ouch!) but they provided Henry with ointments and bandages. We paid the bill (on a credit card – we were later reimbursed for a portion by our health insurance and the remainder by our travel insurance) and called a taxi to take us back to the hotel. It wasn’t quite the Saturday evening in Dublin we had anticipated. While I don’t recommend a visit to the A&E while on vacation, everyone treated us very well so it wasn’t a terrible experience. Wearing a shoe, however, was now very uncomfortable. I looked online and was able to find a shoe store on O’Connell Street that sold Birkenstocks, had a pair in Henry’s size and would be open Sunday morning. It was now rather late on Saturday evening so we returned to the Legal Eagle for another wonderful meal.
Sunday in Dublin
St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral
After buying a pair of walking sandals for Henry, we walked over to St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, where one of my ancestors was baptized in 1758. While taking photos in the current church, Henry noticed a man who seemed to belong there and told him about our mission. He turned out to be the facilities director and escorted us down to the lower church where he showed us the baptismal font that would have been used in 1758. He then came back after a few minutes with the actual pitcher and bowl that would been used to baptize my ancestor. He offered to take a photo of us holding the pieces.
Hugh Lane Gallery
Continuing our stroll through the city, we saw the Garden of Remembrance on our way to the Hugh Lane Gallery, which houses collections of stained glass (including some by Harry Clarke) and Impressionist paintings.
It was another lovely day to be outside, so we wandered through the city on our way back to the hotel, had dinner and finalized our plans for our last day in Dublin.
Monday in Dublin
St Catherine’s
To visit the church, St Catherine’s of Alexandria, where four baptisms and three weddings of my ancestors had taken place between 1750 and 1820, we decided that, being pressed for time, we would take a taxi. The present church, dedicated in 1858 on the same site as the original one, is in The Liberties section. Our knowledgeable driver took us through a labyrinth of tiny streets and pulled up right in front the church! He waited while we went in to take photos and then took us to our next location.
Dublin Castle and Bewley’s Oriental Café
We toured Dublin Castle before having lunch at Bewley’s Oriental Café (where there are more Harry Clarke stained-glass windows) on Grafton Street.
Christ Church
Being refreshed, we spent some time at Christ Church Cathedral, which was heavily restored in the 1870s. Today’s building is a mixture of medieval and 19th century styles
St Audoen’s
Our last tour of the day (and our vacation) was at St Audoen’s, a medieval church next to the ancient city walls.
We had to start packing. We had run out of time and there was still so much more to do in Dublin.
Tuesday in Dublin
Traveling Home
We checked out of our hotel (which was excellent, as were all of our accommodations on this trip) and took a taxi to the airport.
We were sad to be leaving but, while here, we ate well, slept well and enjoyed a variety of marvelous adventures. Many of the tour activities were ones we would have selected if planning the trip ourselves. Some were not. Every single experience was worthwhile and we wouldn’t have given up any of them. I always consider a day wasted if I haven’t learned something new. There were absolutely no wasted days in Ireland! The memories of our fantastic journey will be with us forever.
​
This was our first Rick Steves tour but it certainly will not be our last.