"I always warm to things that are of Dublin."

This past weekend I took a trip to Dublin with some friends. I had been to Dublin once before a few years ago and I absolutely loved it. When I returned this past weekend my feelings for it did as well. It feels like such a special place—it’s so different from Cork and Galway and all the other places I’ve visited on the island so far. It’s not necessarily better, it just feels as though it carries with it this inexplicable energy shift. Like New York, it reminds me of a giant web, one that connects interesting people, unaware of the way their lives and stories intertwine on a daily basis. The air is heavy with sadness, yet it’s simultaneously light with hope. I’m not sure to what extent I can both assume and write about the feelings of hope and despair that permeate the streets of Dublin, as I know I’ve only scratched the surface of the history and lives of those who live there. But, there is something so special about it regardless.

The weather turned out to be beautiful, the Christmas market was bustling, and Temple Bar lived up to its acclaim. However, my favorite part by far was our visit to the MoLI—the Museum of Literature Ireland. I immediately bought tickets to the MoLI after finding out about it. The museum paid amazing tribute to an array of Irish writers, some of whom were writing over a century ago and others who are still writing today. There was a whole exhibit dedicated to Peig Sayers, famously known as the “Queen of Irish Storytelling”. There was another exhibit that revolved around Joyce and Ulysses, and another that focused on YA authors; one of whom I recognized (Louise O’Neill) after attending a Women in Leadership talk at UCC.

Check is the video from the MoLI website:

After our day in Dublin came to a close, I headed over to the MoLI website to see if there were any upcoming events (and possibly even some job opportunities) that I could attend in the future. They have various resources online that promote “lifelong learning”. There's a webpage dedicated to contemporary Irish literature, and a virtual exhibition called “Dublin Gothic: A City’s Haunted Literary Legacy”. The section dedicated to Ulysses was particularly interesting; it celebrates the novel’s 100th year of publication through nationwide creative responses to the book. In truth, I have never read Ulysses. I’ve always found it quite intimidating and continue to push it aside, waiting for a time when I’m “ready to read it.” But after this experience, I’m beginning to rethink my putting it off for so long.

I wanted to conclude this blog post by adding a few quotes from some Irish authors that were featured in the MoLI. (Also, I've added some pictures to the portfolio section of my site. Feel free to check them out!)

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“We spoke with different voices. But when she was telling me her story her words became my words.” —Kate Cruise O’Brien

“The best piece of advice I can give to anybody who’s starting to write is that you write, you rewrite, you rewrite, you stop, you despair, you write, you rewrite, you amaze.” –Frank McGuinness

“Whether on the page or the stage, I always warm to things that are of Dublin.” —Bernard Farrell

“‘Dublin’s a grand city,’ he thought. ‘It’s almost as good as Cork.” —Patricia Lynch

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