Culchies on the Capital Culture Trail. Museums, Galleries, including Visual Poetry. The Photography Of John Minihan

 Cork Culchies on the Capital Culture Trail

Visual Poetry. The Photography Of John Minihan

The stairs at the National Gallery. Only the risers are coloured. So, you see the
colours as you go up, not as you descend.

We began our Dublin culture trek with a “serious” visit to the National Gallery and ended it with a laugh a minute roll through the National Wax Museum. In between, we visited the National Museum, The Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), and GPO.

We had just an hour to spare when we reached the Gallery in Merrion Square and headed straight up the stairs (there is no lift) to the Hugh Lane rooms and to the John Minihan Visual Poetry in particular.  Minihan, who Hot Press recently called a "quiet architect of cultural memory", was born in Dublin and raised in Athy and, at 16 years of age, began his photography career with the Daily Mail in London. Soon he was shooting the stars of the art world, of painting, music (Springsteen), and literature (most notably Samuel Beckett).

All the photos here are in black and white, which he regarded as the true colours of photography. While shots of the famous helped make his reputation, he never forgot his roots and regularly returned to Athy to photograph the local characters, a task he would replicate in West Cork in later years. 

Entitled “Visual Poetry”, it is an amazing exhibition and continues until October 11th. Much more info on this video here.

A few steps away, you’ll find the Gallery’s most famous painting, The Taking of Christ, by the Italian maestro Caravaggio.  Centuries between the Italian and Irish artists but Caravaggio’s technique of transfixing subjects in bright shafts of light and darkening shadows reminds me of Minihan’s Black and White. I’d like to think there’d have been a mutual bond between them had they met.

Look at that head of hair on the man from the bog. Pic taken on a previous visit.

Bodies From The Bog

We had promised ourselves a return visit to the magnificent National Museum (archaeology) in Kildare Street, We have been there a few times and still the magnificent dome inside the door took my breath away. Entrance is free, do pop in and take in that dome at least. There are 9 areas of interest (over 2 floors, no lift) and we had two in mind: Ireland's gold and Kingship & Sacrifice (where we found the bog bodies).

There were three on display, from the National Museum of Ireland collections - Gallagh Man, Co. Galway and Baronstown West Man, Co. Kildare and Croghan Man. 

The latter, an Offaly man, is dated to between 362 and 175 B.C. The Gallagh man is 470–120 BC while the Baronstown West guy is much more recent, dated to between AD 242 and 388. The Meathman, another of bodies recovered from Irish bogs, is dated between 700 and 400 BCE. And, yes, they found he had used hair gel. 

Also on the trip:

Two French Restaurants in Dublin 2

EPIC - Irish Emigration Museum

Three Dublin Cafes worth noting.

Bouef & Frites. Superb Steak

Culchies on the Capital Culture Trail.  Visual Poetry. The Photography Of John Minihan

Gold (this from Tipperary) forms part of the impressive collection at the National Museum

Award Winner Disappoints

at MoLI

I had long anticipated visiting Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) but left disappointed. The historic building has been beautifully restored and the rooms are magnificent. Aside from an extensive Joyce area, it barely scratches the surface of Irish literature. Inspiring quotes abound but memorabilia of the many Irish authors is scarce. All in all, for me it falls flat. 

The lovely Commons Room serves as a day time restaurant.

Wax Museum. For The Craic. And The Odd Screech!

Shadow of a gunman, Wax Museum

We had a very enjoyable visit to the National Wax Museum with surprises around every corner. Certainly in the Hall of Mirrors, where you’ll struggle to find your way, bumping up against yourself, sometimes shoulder to shoulder, in an almost disquieting way, a way that soon becomes frustrating. But, stick with it, if I can do it, so can you.

There’s a series of horror surprises but also family-friendly exhibits, fantasy zones and Irish history and a “musical pub” with some of our best known performers. Group options including schools, parties and murder mystery experiences. It is a lot of fun, within yards of O’Connell Bridge.

Lightfinger at the Wax Museum

Witness History

The GPO Witness History is located, in fairly cramped quarters, inside the historic building on O'Connell Street. So cramped that a guided tour will hold up the self-guiders.

Stamps issued in 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the Rising

Quite a bit of memorabilia from that pivotal week in April 1916, photos of the freedom fighters and tales of the dead, both old and young (2-year old Sean Francis Foster was shot in his pram - see stamp above).

Highlight is perhaps the 17 minute immersive film that runs frequently during the day. The fighters shout, bullets fly; noises comes from all sides and the rapid screen changes combine to make this dizzily immersive.

Time then to head to the peaceful Green Garden Kitchen cafe upstairs.

You can just turn up at many of Dublin's main attractions but other places including Old Kilmainham Gaol, the Rock 'n' Roll Museum, and EPIC should be booked in advance.

DUBLIN CAN BE HEAVEN. Conrad Dublin offers respite to our Fair City Dwellers during county lockdown

 DUBLIN CAN BE HEAVEN

Conrad Dublin offers respite to our Fair City Dwellers during county lockdown

Enjoy your Capital city during the county lockdown and stay in style at Conrad Dublin

Conrad Dublin is inviting Dublin residents to come and explore the city and enjoy a luxury overnight experience that includes a guaranteed room up-grade, welcome signature cocktail on arrival, delicious three course dinner from their select menu, breakfast the following morning, early check-in, late check-out plus complimentary onsite car parking from €259 per double room per night.

For those looking to workout during their stay, hotel guests also have access to the hotel gymnasium and also are in easy reach of Dublin’s green spaces including the gorgeous Iveagh Gardens and iconic St. Stephen’s Green.  With many shops and department stores open, it is also an ideal opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping!

Last month, Conrad Dublin launched a brand new concept – The Terrace Kitchen & Social House complementing the Pantry & Café that had opened a few weeks prior.  Open 7 days a week for breakfast/brunch, lunch, Afternoon Tea & dinner the vibe is very much chilled out with cool tunes by secret DJ, stripped back service, marble tables and soft leather chairs inside. The heated outdoor terrace is an amazing spot to enjoy the views of the gardens and sip a glass of champagne whilst watching the world pass by.

Conrad Dublin operates under strict Covid-19 policies and procedures https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/cleanstay/ 

DREAM AWAY AT CONRAD DUBLIN.

DREAM AWAY AT CONRAD DUBLIN

Enjoy a break to the Capital and stay in style at Conrad Dublin

 

The lobby at the Conrad

Conrad Dublin is inviting guests to come and explore the city with friends and family and enjoy a Dream Away experience. The hotel will re-open under strict Covid-19 policies and procedures https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/cleanstay/

The Dream Away booking experience affords guests the freedom to adjust their travel plans during these uncertain times. With an impressive array of advantages on offer including; Late Check Out/Early Check In (subject to availability), Waived Early Departure Fees, 24HR cancellation policy, No deposit required, Complimentary car parking, 10% off Flexible rates and an additional 10% off for Hilton Honors members (total discount 20%) there’s no better time to book your perfect escape.

“We are so looking forward to welcoming our guests back to Conrad Dublin. Our team have worked hard to ensure a safe and welcoming environment and we are implementing the “Hilton CleanStay” initiative developed globally by Hilton offering a new standard of hotel cleanliness and disinfection to ensure our guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay: Hilton CleanStay with Lysol protection. The program has been developed with experts from RB, maker of Lysol and Dettol, brands trusted for safely disinfecting surfaces. In addition, experts from the Infection Prevention and Control team at Mayo Clinic will advise and assist in enhancing Hilton’s cleaning disinfection protocols at all Hilton properties, which includes Conrad Dublin” said Martin Mangan, General Manager

To celebrate the re-opening Conrad Dublin is offering some bespoke experiences including a fabulous Picnic package where guests can experience the beauty of Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens and spend an afternoon grazing with a delicious Conrad Dublin picnic hamper filled with your personally chosen treats and finest champagne. From €190 for two to include luxury picnic.

For the culture vultures, why not book the Literary Tour at Conrad Dublin where you will get to experience the James Joyce’s Dublin Walking Tour and a private Jameson Masters Whiskey tasting on return to the hotel at the Conrad Terrace. From €190 for two to include James Joyce Walking Tour and private Jameson Masters Whiskey Tasting.

Discover the beauty of Dublin City by Horse Drawn Carriage. Immerse yourself in the history of Georgian Dublin on this tailor made tour and enjoy champagne on the Conrad Terrace on your return. From €280 for up to four guests to include horse drawn carriage ride and champagne.

Why not treat the clan and book the new Conrad Family Room? The brand new Conrad Family Room has large interconnecting King and Twin bedrooms affording you the luxury of space as a family. The Conrad Family Room can accommodate up to 2 adults and 2 children and includes all the essential comforts of home, a cosy sanctuary after a busy day seeing the sights. Enjoy a movie on the 48-inch TVs, complimentary Wi-Fi within the comfort of your room. Younger guests will enjoy a welcome amenity in their room on arrival. For our smallest guests, cots are available upon request, as well as a baby bathtub and more including in-room “Baby kit” (upon request) with amenities such as a bottle warmer, baby bathtub and the famous Conrad bear. The interconnecting family room from: €350 per night for 2 adults and 2 children under 12 years of age.

Explore Dublin culture at your leisure, taking in some of the sights and experiences of our iconic fair city. Just a two-minute walk from St Stephen’s Green, the luxury hotel is ideally located in the centre of Dublin’s culturally rich city. With secure on-site parking, an overnight at Conrad Dublin is an easy experience to navigate plus an ideal city base for exploring the city.

To learn more about or connect with Conrad Dublin, please visit www.conraddublin.com, call +353 1 6028900 or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Press release

Thinking of visiting Dublin as it opens up? 36 Hours in the Capital. A Hotel with Pawsonality! On Spuds and Stroganoff. Wine & Whiskey.

Thinking of visiting Dublin as it opens up?
36 Hours in the Capital. A Hotel with Pawsonality!

On Spuds and Stroganoff. Wine & Whiskey.

Oscar Wilde, on his own little mont

It is just after lunchtime when we arrive at Heuston Station on a short visit to Dublin (in March last). First we have to get rid of the suitcase and so we hop on the Luas and then walk over to the Mont Hotel to check in. 

The first person, well not a person, we see is Monty the resident dog, a very calm and sociable French Bulldog. This is a dog friendly hotel and four of the 96 rooms are set up for you and your four-legged friend. The bad news is that they don’t allow big dogs!

The Mont Hotel

Monty

The 2019 hotel, part of the O’Callaghan group (they two other hotels in close proximity, the Davenport and the Alex), is quite central: Merrion Square Park (2 minutes), The National Gallery of Ireland (5); Grafton Street (10). Our room wasn’t the biggest but was well equipped and very comfortable. 

The bar has quite a bit of craft beer in bottle, a corner for dining, and three big screens if you want to catch the football. They also have an Italian themed menu in the restaurant (where you also have your breakfast - no Full Irish though as the buffet doesn’t have any pudding, black or white).

Braised Lamb Boxty Dumplings

After sampling some of the wines at the Liberty Portfolio tasting,  later that afternoon, we headed out to Temple Bar for dinner. Our choice was the Boxty House. Just as well we had a reservation as it was very busy on a Monday night. 

It is all about the humble spud here and only here will you find the original and authentic Boxty wrap.They serve the 3 types of Boxty found in the border counties of Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh.

My main course, a very flavoursome one indeed, was the Braised Lamb Boxty Dumplings. Delicious tender spiced lamb, marinated with chilli, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger, sautéed with Boxty Dumplings and served with cooling Tzatziki Sauce.

Portions are large enough here as we found out with our other mains: the Corned Beef Boxty (tender slow-cooked Corned Beef with Sautéed Cabbage and Kale in a parsley sauce in a Boxty Pancake). Terrific flavour on the plate as well.

Lunch at the Kemp Sisters IMMA

Believe it or not, they also do Boxty Crisps and you can taste those with the Mushroom and Chickpea Pate served with a sweet onion chutney and those crisps. 

The Boxty Crostini Trio starter gives you a great idea of what you are in for. Here, they serve three pieces of Toasted Boxty Loaf with different toppings: Irish Brie and Red Onion, Smoked Salmon and Chive Sour Cream and St Tola Goats Cheese with Tomato Sauce. I enjoyed that very much indeed.

And don’t miss out on their own Jack Smyth beers, brewed locally. You can try all four on a tasting tray for a tenner. I choose a pint of the IPA, all the beers are on draught, and enjoyed it very much with the dinner. Excellent friendly service here.

James McKenna's 'Ferdia at the Ford'

Following a visit to Kilmainham Gaol  on the following morning, we headed back to the Kemp Sisters café in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The sisters are well-known for their colourful flavoursome dishes and we enjoyed a couple here in the large basement restaurant. 

My pick was a pepper, onion and brie Quiche with two salads, one apple and beetroot, the other couscous based and that boosted the energy levels for the short walk to the nearby Roe Distillery. And a shot or two of whiskey powered the longer walk back to College Green and then on to The Mont and Monty.

Something different that night with a visit to Olesya’s Wine Bar and Bistro in Exchequer Street. Some 400 wines on the list here so quite a bit of reading. Many are available by the glass with a  choice of sizes, the smaller at 100ml, the large 190ml. So we tried and enjoyed a few.

The wines come from all over the world and, with Olesya originally from Russia, there are a few Russian dishes on the menu. Naturally enough, I picked a couple! A couple of excellent ones, I might add.

Solyanka Soup

Stroganoff

One was the delicious Solyanka Soup. This rich soup came in a large bowl with a variety of very finely shredded smoked meats, ham, and sausages, also olives, a slice of lemon and a dollop of creme fraiche. And a generous amount of delicious bread, nicely heated. Great stuff on a cold and windy night on the streets of Dublin. Eating and drinking in it!

I must admit I didn’t realise that Stroganoff is a dish of Russian origin but here they insist it is. In any event, their Classic Beef Stroganoff version is superb. Back to the Sin Bin, the bar at The Mont, for a bottle of Porterhouse Pale Ale.

The following day, we strolled up to the adjacent park to see Oscar Wilde, before heading off to Heuston to catch the mid-morning train to Cork.

For the latest on the Mont Hotel's reopening, please click here .

Also on this trip:

Kilmainham Gaol

Hands On Fun during Roe and Co Whiskey Tour

Some Previous Dublin visits

• Little Museum of Dublin https://www.corkbilly.com/2019/01/the-little-museum-of-dublin.html
• Summer Days in Dublin https://www.corkbilly.com/2015/07/summer-days-in-dublin-capital-food-and.html
• Silk Road Café and the Chester Beatty https://www.corkbilly.com/2019/01/eastern-flavours-and-culture-at-silk.html
• Pearse Lyons Distillery https://www.corkbilly.com/2019/01/pearse-lyons-whiskey-lifts-liberties.html
• 44 Hours in Dublin including Wax Museum, National Museum of Archaeology, https://www.corkbilly.com/2014/03/44-hours-in-dublin.html

Kilmainham Gaol 1796-1924. So Many Tales. So Many Tears.

Kilmainham Gaol 1796-1924.

So Many Tales. So Many Tears.

The (more modern) East Wing

I am looking at a pair of spoons in a case with a glass cover. Just two spoons, a little bit bigger than tea spoons. They look, in the dim light, as if they are made of plastic, maybe (but more unlikely) of bone.There is a caption alongside. It explains that they were once used by inmates of the gaol, that they were made with horn so that they could not be sharpened and used as weapons or tools in an escape.

I am in the museum rooms of Kilmainham Gaol (opened in 1796, two years later Henry Joy McCracken became its first political prisoner). There is quite a lot to see here (over 10,000 objects have been donated). Quite a lot to read also. We have just completed the mid-morning prison tour. I must be thinking about lunch because, instead of reading all the details, I find myself selecting items to do with food.

Here, Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford married

One inmate is quoted: ‘One thing that struck me in Kilmainham was the semi-starved aspect which all the convicted prisoners presented. They seemed to be utterly dejected and weak, and unable to undergo any amount of physical fatigue… I do not think that we are entitled to enfeeble the bodies of prisoners in order to reform their minds.”

The quote is from none other than Charles Stewart Parnell. He was in fact a prisoner here but a first class one. He was treated very well indeed because he was an elected politician.

In the 1916 corridor

For many years, the jailers benefitted from the extraction of fees through the sale of food and drink. It was one of the perks of the job. You read much the same about some South American prisons today. By the late 1830s, the arbitrary regime under which the rich prisoner could dine in relative style while his penniless fellow inmate starved in miserable conditions was finally eliminated. Yet, Parnell was imprisoned in 1882 and lived in some style, even able to interact with visitors.

The Great Famine (1845-49) saw an explosion in the prison population. One reason was the introduction of the Vagrancy Act in 1847. Intended to clear the streets of the unsightly poor, its effect was to swamp the prisons with those found begging in the streets. At least in prison you had the “luxury” of a meagre but life-saving prison diet but there was a downside, the chance that you’d succumb to the disease ridden overcrowded conditions.

And then there’s that box of chocolate. In March 1921, a Black and Tan officer presented death row prisoner Thomas Whelan with the treat. In the hours before his execution (14th March 1921), Whelan sent the box to a young girl Alicia Mann (8) with a message that if he were reprieved they could eat them together, if not she could eat them herself. Alicia never opened the box.

A poignant story indeed. And this is one of the saddest tours. Very popular though and, even in off season, you will need to book. Our guide was Erin and she did a great job taking a bunch of multi-national visitors through the old gaol. Men, women and babies, even young children on their own (5-year old Matthew Rossiter, for example), were imprisoned here for often trivial offences.

It was only in the latter stages of its existence as a functioning prison that Kilmainham began to hold political prisoners in large numbers, those from the rising, from the War of Independence and then from the Civil War. One of the first places you visit is the chapel, the scene of the eleventh-hour wedding of Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford in May 1916.  Plunkett was executed just hours later and Grace would be back in a few years as a Civil War prisoner.

Here James Connolly died

The Stonebreakers’ Yard where the leaders of 1916 were shot is visited later. A cross marks the spot where most of them fell. But the already seriously injured James Connolly could not make the walk across the yard and so he was shot by the opposite wall. Tears are never far away here.

The most bitter tears though are reserved for the deaths of the Civil War, inflicted by Irishman on Irishman, not just in Kilmainham (which closed in 1924) but throughout the country. If you visit, make sure you read Peter Cassidy’s final letter to his mother. He and three 19 year olds were the first executions of the Civil War. Many more would follow.

Grace Gifford's Cell

While it may be tough going at times, a visit is highly recommended. There are some light notes too from our excellent guide, including at the end when she tells us with some relish that we are "free to go". Also, did you know that films such as The Italian Job, In the Name of the Father, and Michael Collins, were partly filmed here, also RTÉ’s Rebellion drama series, along with a U2 video?

Just a tip, if you are walking. If you come from Heuston Station, follow the signs for the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Go through the IMMA entrance and courtyard and then walk the avenue through the grounds and, when you exit through the castellated gates, you’ll find the gaol directly across the road. Go back the same way and you’ll find the excellent Kemp Sisters café in the basement of the IMMA where I enjoyed a lovely lunch!

If you are intending to go, even if you are unable to go, then you will benefit hugely from visiting the excellent website here. 

Also on this trip
Hands On Fun during Roe and Co Whiskey Tour