Last day in Dublin

Another sunny day in Dublin…..took a trip to New Grange a Neolithic era tomb.  Pretty amazing– over 5000 yrs old.  It is built so the sun comes in at day break once a year on the winter solstice.  I entered a lottery to be one of 50 winners who get to enter and bring a friend.  Last year they had 33,000 entries.

I learned a little about Irish names:

1. If your name starts with an “O” (O’Brian,etc.) you are from that family

2.  If your name starts with a “Mac” you are a son of Brian, etc.

3.  If your name starts with a “Fitz” you are an illegitimate son of Brian, etc.

I had a yummy lunch at the cafe:  Spinach/mushroom/sunflower seed/pine nut casserole with two salads.

We then traveled onto Tara.  This is another “mound” site. I spotted some Druids there playing the harp  (looked a little like Rastafarians).  I was able to get my hands on some Fairy Dust.  I have proceeded to sprinkle it over me and my suitcase.  I have plenty left.  Nice church and graveyard at Tara.

Now is time for your Irish literary question: who was Mooy Bloom and where in Dublin was she a chambermaid?

Did you guess she was the wife of Leopoldo Bloom of Ulysses?

The next picture is of the Women’s Hospital.  Built a long time ago when it was improper to use the word pregnant so folks would say a woman with child was “rotund”.  The story goes they would go into the hospital rotund and come out flat with a baby…..you have to love the Irish!

The rest are some pictures from my neighborhood.

And lastly—–a picture of our bus drivers Rosary beads.

I think Dublin is my favorite place……….now I’m off to Edinburgh.