An Afternoon in Dublin

Andrew and I spent the afternoon in Dublin--Laura had the flu and opted to stay home! The statute is of Daniel O'Connell, which is found on O'Connell Street! The tourist blurb on this is "This statue is of Daniel O'Connell (featured on the old £20 note), politician, patriot, and champion of the temperance movement. He gained the right for Irish Catholic to enter parliament in London in 1829 (Ireland was then ruled by the England) and later campaigned peacefully for the repeal of the Act of Union of 1801 (when Ireland became officially part of the UK) but was forced to stop by the English armies who threatened his large meetings (1 million+) with cannons (Ireland became a republic in 1919). Look closely and you should see bullet holes from the battles of 1916-'21."

There are several kinds of street artists--musicians, painters, etc. Here is an artist located at nearby the O'Connell statute--the picture doesn't do the painting justice! The river here is the Liffy--this divides Dublin between North and South. The walking bridge is one of the original pedestrian bridges across the river. The church below is located off of Grafton Street--a busy tourist shopping area. We spent the afternoon in the Museum of Decorative Arts and History--they had a special exhibit on Soldiers--appropriate for their location in an old British Barracks.