Dublin, Part 2

Interesting discovery about our day in Dublin.  John actually took very few pictures, although we waited, often, for him to do so.  Lots of architectural detail, though!

After the Brazen Head, we took a walk along some streets north of the river, seeing barristers and solicitors and shoppers and finally landing at The Church, which was just that.


 

 A church, now a restaurant. 

We had a nice lunch before heading up the street to the General Post Office.  One of our main purposes for this trip was to understand a little bit of why John's family emigrated.  His great-grandfather left in 1920; his wife and children left in 1922.  This was right at the time of the War for Independence and the Civil War.  The War for Independence had a start in the Easter Rising of 1916, which started when Irish rebels took over the General Post Office on Easter Monday of 1916.  (Cormac told us they would have done batter to take Dublin Castle, but, there you are.)  They were there for about a week, before British shelling got the better of them, and they surrendered.

We walked along lanes, seeing where a neighbor of ours charged a British barricade.  Seriously, the O'Rahilly lived in a house around the corner and up the road a block or so from where we are staying.  He bled to death in a doorway, but not before writing a sweet note to his wife, which reads

Written after I was shot

Darling Nancy,

I was shot leading a rush up Moore St took repose in a doorway.

While I was there I heard the men pointing out where I was and I made a bolt for the lane I am in now.

I got more one bullet I think.

Tons and tons of love to you + to the boys + to Nell + Anna.

It was a good fight, anyhow.

Please deliver this to Nannie O'Rahilly 40 Herbert Park, Dublin

Good bye darling

"It was a good fight, anyhow." 


We saw where nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell bravely walked up to the British to negotiate the non-negotiable surrender, and where Patrick Pearse actually did surrender.  Then we took a tram ride out to the west of the city, to Kilmainham Gaol,

and heard of the executions of 16 of the rebels.

We ended the day in front of a little cafe around the corner from the O'Rahilly's house.  Cormac left us to enjoy a lovely dinner, we then walked home, and we fell into bed!