Lunch: The Brazen Head, Dublinia Museum, Epic Museum, Podcast: Petrified, & Dinner: Smokin' Bones

So, had a decent night's sleep on Thursday night - albeit I couldn't seem to get the aircon right, and it was noisy enough to require earplugs. And on Friday morning, was thinking about what to do for the long afternoon stretch that I had free - now, I'd passed Dublinia, the Viking Museum, so had a look at getting a ticket for that, being nice and close - and lo, they offered a discount if you bought a ticket to Epic, the emigration museum, with it! which I'd heard great things about and also wanted to see. So I worked out my timings and booked that as well.  All before lunch..

The Bram Stoker Festival, which a London Museums A-Z (LoMAZ) group were over for, kicked off that day - and one of the group, Alice, flagged a series of events, including a free guided walk - Life, Disease and Death at Collins Barracks - sadly, it was since cancelled, as were many things because of nationwide civil service industrial action. Was meeting my sometime companion, M, for lunch at The Brazen Head (advertises itself as Ireland's oldest pub, hmm) - she was on the trip as well. 

Made my way down there, and as I was nearly there, and trying to cross the road, she was calling me urgently that the place was filling up. Apparently, they let each room fill before opening another - by the time I got there, she was taking a table in the third room.

The menu freely offers historical tidbits:

And, of course, they're set up for Hallowe'en!

We were sat under a picture of Michael Collins, of all people!

Well, we both had the beef stew - just like almost everyone! M also had the soup, and enjoyed it  I didn't fancy it. Have to say, the stew wasn't all that - don't get me wrong, it was fine, but nothing special, for the €23 they charge.. both Sauvignon Blancs on the menu are French (I asked, as there are no details on the menu), and we had the house. Which was also fine. The dessert menu is one of the most pathetic I've seen - a brownie, or an Irish coffee. I skipped it, and had more wine.

On the way out, another celebrity:

Then M departed for the Charleville Mall Library - I hadn't fancied it, it seemed too far out for something I had no interest in - and headed to Dublinia. Paving stones, reminiscent of archaeological finds, lead the way more attractively than the written signs:

And there's a timeline!

I was a bit early, but no problem. Plenty of statues, plenty of reconstructions:

(Spoiler - a week)

There is a big bit about slavery:

There is a very interesting assessment of the Battle of Clontarf:

They show us the Runic alphabet:

Ah, and then the arrival of the Normans - who, of course, were also descended from Vikings!

Lovely reconstructed scenes of everyday life:

Crikey! and these days you can do it in a couple of hours by sea.. faster by air, of course:

A timeline of medieval Dublin:

Sobering stats:

Ah, the good old Black Death:

Gawd, how times have changed:

You can learn all about ancient remedies:

Now, it took me a few gos to hit his nose with the balls supplied.. didn't have any effect though, despite the promise of a prize!

A medieval market:

Nothing like a scale model:

Lambert Simnel, who was put forward as the imprisoned Earl of Warwick, and thus a candidate for the throne! Didn't last long.. and luckily for him, it wasn't held against him because he was so young:

Zipping through history, we come to the Silken Thomas rebellion - one of many that failed. I learned about this in school.. got well sick of hearing about failed rebellions! 

..and so we come to the end of medieval Dublin, with the stringent application of the reformation:

There's also a bit about the Wood Quay excavations, which brought a wealth of findings - there was a massive campaign to block the Dublin City Council offices that were subsequently built on the site:

As impressive as the museum is Christchurch itself, where it's housed:

Sadly, it seems I missed another exhibition in the cathedral.. but then, I had places to be. And so, a longish walk to Epic - here's the Ha'penny Bridge (that used to be the toll on it!):

And wow, here's a nostalgic sight - all that used to be down here was the Point Depot (aka 3Arena), and the number of times I walked down here, under these arches, for U2 concerts.. and it was an iffy enough area, too! Not so much, these days:

The Epic Museum turns out to be in a massive building - called the CHQ building:

They have evidently already gotten into the spirit of Hallowe'en! Good to see:

Albeit that I had a ticket, I still had to queue - has to be scanned, plus they give you an audioguide if necessary, and a passport, with names representing each of the 20 rooms in the museum:

You get it stamped in every room (if you want) - this was mine at the end, which I photographed just before recycling it, as they suggest.

The museum takes a look at emigration from all sides - and for me, the answer to this is.. if I had to, yes:

Another of those timelines, tracking major Irish emigrations:

Now, I remember, when I was in school, all the talk was of us being educated for export - we fully expected that most of the class would emigrate. In the event, many did - most returned. I emigrated later, with no desire to return:

Not everyone had the choice:

Yeah, as a result of the Great Famine, Ireland became the only country in Western Europe whose population decreased during the 19th Century. But that wasn't the only reason for emigration, and of course, economics played a part:

Ohh man, the sheer hypocrisy of Charlie Haughey, Taoiseach (equivalent of PM) of Ireland, who, as the country struggled, was telling us to tighten our belts, as he was buying 
Charvet shirts and keeping a mistress:

And next, we saw the jobs that emigrants were likely to get:

There is a section on the persecution that caused much emigration - for example, the village where I grew up was founded by a guy expelled by Cromwell, with his famous phrase, "To Hell or to Connaught!" - Connaught being where the poorest land was:

There was a bit about the Irish that fought and died abroad:

..including in the Spanish Civil War:

From the Penal Laws to more recent persecutions, many people have felt forced to flee the country because of laws that inhibited their freedoms:

Let us never forget the shame of the Magdalene Laundries - which resulted in many illegal foreign adoptions:

Homosexuality was as persecuted in Ireland as anywhere:

Now, I remember the vote for gay marriage.. it was said that it was won by all the emigrants who returned for the vote, and persuaded their elderly relatives to vote the same way!

Ooh.. how about some female persecution!

Contraceptive train, anyone?

I also remember the divorce referendum - wow!

There is a bit about Irish people making it on the world stage:

And let us not forget The Troubles:

Thing about Sonia O' Sullivan - she only performed well about half the time, crashed and burned in between, with no idea why:

It was lovely when the late Queen came to visit - not least because we got to work from home because she was flying into Cork, and I was based in Cork Airport Business Park at the time!

..and then there was a return visit:

Irish Nobel Laureates for Literature. Funnily enough, I didn't see anything about the Irish scientist who shared the Nobel Prize in 1951 for splitting the atom!

Ah, I also remember the day that Mary Robinson was elected the first female President of Ireland! Jeez, little kids who were interviewed at the time were asking whether she'd be "the President's wife"..

Famous Irish people, or descendants of Irish emigrants.. well they don't get more famous than JFK!

How about Dana, first Irish winner of Eurovision! (and we still hold the record..)

Irish people that have held worldwide influence. Note Bram Stoker, bottom, near the left, wearing garlic and holding a cross..

Sports - Irish sports, aka GAA, have been exported around the world:

One section is devoted to scientific innovations:

Anyway, there's also a section about Irish people who contributed to various technological advances around the world. And of course, one for those who fought for causes they believed in:

And then, there were those Irish that achieved notoriety for less.. admirable traits!

Ah, and as I remarked afterwards to JW, here's the LoMAZ section - they have a habit of dressing up!

And now we come to the Irish cultural section - and an explanation of the céilí! Heavens..

Ahh.. and the old songs. Who, of a certain age, from Ireland doesn't know Moore's Melodies?

There was a fabulous campaign in the latter 1910s to preserve Irish cultural tradition - songs and stories:

Oh, BTW, did you know that tap dancing emerged from a fusion of Irish dancing and the native dancing of people of African origin? No joke..

And Irish music helped to lay the foundations for country and western, as it pervaded the folksongs of rural America:

Story songs.. versions of Irish songs, we are told, have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, and Johnny Cash:

Irish music found a home in music halls:

Ah, my mother loved John McCormack:

Riverdance has to have a mention - the interval act at Eurovision 1994, which was held in Dublin, music by Bill Whelan, staging by Moya Doherty, choreographed by the principal dancers, Michael Flatley and Jean Butler.. it revolutionised Irish dancing in the eyes of the world, removing its staid image. Whereas the lead dancers have a flamboyant style, even their supporting dancers - although maintaining the staid posture of traditional Irish dancing - come in such numbers that appear dramatic in themselves. Its impact really can't be underestimated - all of a sudden, Irish dancing was cool:

One of the 20 rooms is a reconstruction of an Irish pub, where you're shown a shot of an Irish session in a London pub (I can testify, there's a strong loyalty to Irish culture among the London Irish):

Hmm.. a table with pictures of typical Irish dishes, and a typical Irish menu:

Oh, look how much further I had to go..!

Jeepers, in the "storytelling" section, they have a wealth of Irish authors to choose from:

You are supposed to be able to swipe this - I couldn't manage it, although the guy after me did:

You can see their names on the books on the walls though:

Oh look, Dracula!

It is really cool that booths are provided, in which visitors can experience for themselves examples of Irish performances - in each booth, samples of each format are played on loop:

Focus is also placed on Ireland's place in the world. There's a big exhibition on Ireland joining what was then the EEC:

..and in short, I finally came to the end of what is a truly epic story! I'd heard good things about this museum, and am delighted to report that it lived up to expectations. Picked up a couple of t-shirts in the gift shop - one with a picture of Mary Robinson, and including her quote upon her election, to the effect that the women of Ireland changed, that day, from rocking the cradle to rocking the system.. I was parched afterwards, following my afternoon's exertions, and popped into the nearby Starbuck's, in the same building, for a bottle of water - just before they closed for the night, as it happened. I then repaired to the loo.. where I saw an ad for something I would really have liked to have gone to, had I had time!

Do you know, as we were browsing the festival schedule, events were selling out in front of us! So the only thing I managed to get booked in the festival that day was a live horror podcast called Petrified, showing in the Project Arts Centre (PAC). It was walking distance from there, so I set out:

Now, I made a small miscalculation in my direction - which did allow me to discover the remains of a medieval tower!

I did correct my path in due course - I'd never been to this venue before. The bar, it transpired, wasn't open yet, so I waited downstairs until it was, and we were told we could head upstairs to it. I got a drink, by which time there were no empty tables - so I squeezed myself in at the end of a large one that was just occupied by two people. I drank my wine, and read messages from poor Shelley, who was having terrible trouble flying over. By the time the house opened, every single seat was occupied, as was every inch of floor space - that bar is in no way big enough.

I did like the minimal, but atmospheric, staging:

Seating is on upholstered benches, many of which include plaques with dedications to their donors. I was rather taken with the one on the bench in front of me, which, rather than someone's name, includes an Irish phrase that means, essentially, "Live long and prosper":

The podcast of which this show is an example tells horror stories.. and so it proved that night. Three actors on stage, embodying different characters - the main character, that of a young primary school teacher and aspiring actor, was played by one, the others playing supporting characters. The story concerns this young teacher's acting ambitions, and asks just how far she's prepared to go to achieve her goal..

The story itself is revealed gradually, its ultimate implications only hinted at, even by the very end, but it works perfectly as a vehicle for the imagination, the full implications absolutely horrific. The writing is excellent - but oh, it's the performance of the actors that will stay with me.. the contrasting perkiness of the young teacher when dreaming of acting, and the absolute horror of her entire demeanour as she realises the price she might have to pay. Mainly conveyed through facial expressions, I might add, as all the actors are constantly holding scripts. The others also move fluidly from friendly banter to active menace, easily conveying both as required - and one has a variety of voices, for use in portraying different characters. An absolutely amazing production - and a great introduction, for me, to the festival!

Booked to eat at Smokin' Bones afterwards - and with Shelley not there yet, and it being a bit late for M, I only had Alice for company at that. I started out with bar seating, but when I amended the booking to two people, I got standard seating.. much better.. plus, she discovered a Wowcher for that! Nobody in the group apart from we four ever did engage in the actual event, so it was to be the four of us, or some combination, all weekend. Anyway, my show was supposed to last for 90 minutes, but in the event, only lasted an hour - even with a Q+A, I was something like 50 minutes early for the restaurant. They had a discussion about where they could seat us, but I was seated pretty quickly - and I see some buildings have started on the Christmas decorations already!

You can see the sign for the PAC in the background - I'd simply booked the closest place! Anyway, I messaged Alice, who was delighted, as she was, as she told me, sitting on her own in a pub and welcomed the chance to come meet me a bit earlier.

Unfortunately, my meal wasn't the most successful - the portions are massive, and with the rich BBQ sauce in which my chicken was doused, I found the flavour overwhelming, and only finished half of it. The sides, mind you, were gorgeous, the onion rings patently homemade. Now, the Wowcher didn't cover alcohol, so I had to pay for mine separately - but it still represented excellent value!

Walking back to the hotel, I passed Dublin Castle - closed for most of the year, as Ireland holds the EU Presidency:

With all the hard work it'd had to do during the day, my phone was nearly dead as I started back to the hotel - indeed, it finally died when I was only halfway there! I was lucky to be able to remember the remainder of the route. But - as you might have noticed - blogging has been delayed for a number of days - simply because the Epic Museum took so long to describe! and I haven't had time, while embarking on one of LoMAZ's typically hectic trips. Anyway, more in the next post..