m AT U R I TA / i r e L A n d 7

PoEts anD BEEr

the irish capital Dublin

1 o’connell street , dublin’s biggest street, has seen a lot of fighting – but you’ll be safe visiting the souvenir shops that line it now. To see reminders of ireland’s civil War, look for the bullet marks (= holes left by shots) on the statue of irish politician daniel o’connell at the river end of the street. also be sure to stop by the general post office. The impressive 19^th -century building was the headquarters of the 1916 easter rising (an unsuccessful rebellion against British rule).

went to Dublin to experience the Irish sense of humor and to have a little brain break from itranslating (because in the Czech Republic I have to think about the language all the time).

First, let me tell you a story about how fun and kind Irish people can be. I get on the bus from the airport and ask the driver if he can tell me when a certain stop will be. He replies “no”. I say “okay” and go sit down, a bit scared. My husband insists (= states strongly) “he’s kidding”, meaning the bus driver was just joking with me. And my husband is right. The bus driver tells us when to get off; he also calls his colleague to get exact directions to our hotel. A wonderful Irish start to a beautiful Irish weekend!

2 The 12^th -century st. Patrick’s cathedral is the largest church in ireland. it is dedicated to st. patrick, the patron saint of ireland. irish writer Jonathan swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels ) was the dean (= a priest in charge of managing the cathedral) from 1713–1745 and is buried there.

I love to read, so a lot of my time was spent wandering (= going) around the many bookstores in the city and reading the newspapers. Luckily, Dublin has some nice parks to sit and read in and enjoy the “green” the country is so famous for. St. Stephen’s Green, one of Dublin’s largest parks, is right in the middle of the city.

3 The coolest part of the city to hang out (= spend time) in and listen to traditional music is the temple bar area. it’s really small, only about two or three streets next to the river, but this is where all the best pubs are. and if you are really into irish drinks, you can tour both the guinness brewery and the old Jameson distillery, where the famous beer and whiskey are produced.

You can see books, papers, and other personal items that belonged to writers such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce in the Dublin Writers Museum. There is also a beautiful space called the Gallery of Writers, filled with portraits and busts of Irish writers. Jacy Meyer (USA)

4 founded in 1592, dublin’s trinity college is the oldest university in ireland. its library contains several million printed books and also valuable old manuscripts (= handwritten documents). The most famous one is the beautifully illuminated (= illustrated) Book of Kells, written by irish monks around 800 ad.

if you would like to learn something about irish language and music, there is an interview with radvan markus, a charles University teacher and musician, on the Bridge website.

BRIDGE | March | 2012