Maggie had today off so we thought we'd show her a little bit of Dublin and do some stuff that would interest a middle-schooler but perhaps couldn't entertain our seven year old.
As per our request, she looked through my guidebook and found Kilmainham Gaol dog eared and suggested that we go there, but she couldn't really answer my second question for her: "Why?"
The only reason people go, and why I want to go, is because of the horrible institution's relationship to the Easter Rising and the fact that most of the leaders were executed there. The tour itself is said to focus on this part of Irish history and focuses on the heroes that died there. It is sometimes described as the "Irish Bastille."
Really, I thought it would be a bit gruesome for her. I don't really require some dissertation in an answer to my question as to why she would want to go somewhere or see something. Perhaps just a little forethought.
Instead we headed to the National Museum of Ireland only to find it closed on Mondays, so we wandered through the National Library (these two are free which is so great because you don't feel obligated to stay for hours on end). There was a great exhibit on the life and work of W. B. Yeats (that link leads you to EXACTLY what we saw today), however, I have to admit that I am woefully uneducated on the man and was familiar with literally none of his work. Ultimately, poetry is not my form of choice, but if I do enjoy it, I have a few particulars that I like.
Afterward, we headed to Maggie's second choice: the Book of Kells at Trinity College.
We had visited on our trip two years ago, but it was a bit rushed and Johnny was only four at the time. So it was nice to go again and take a bit more in. Unfortunately, only two pages of the book are actually on view.
Here is a link to one of the most famous pages, the Chi Rho (or the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek).
The book is essentially the four gospels of the new testament transcribed by Celtic monks in approximately 800 ad and decorated, but the whole exhibit is how the monks created the gorgeous colors and transcriptions, how they ran from the vikings and saved the "great Gospel of Columkille."
The details are amazing. Some of them have meanings that can be uncoded or are representative of biblical ideas, but others are just decorative. See below.
There is an excellent animated movie about the Book of Kells that I highly recommend (there's also an iPad app, but I'm too stingy to buy it).
In the movie and in the exhibit there was reference to an old Irish poem by a monk in the 9th century about a cat called "Pangur Ban." In 8 verses of four lines, the author compares the cat's activities with his own scholarly pursuits. Here is the poem in its entirety!
Tonight Johnny and I headed to hurling. He was a great sport again. I know I am asking a lot - it is in the gloaming when we leave and dark while he plays and while we ride home. He's gotten really good a riding and tolerating my nearly constant nagging at him about how to ride bikes in a city and be careful for cars who aren't watching out for bikes. I'm really proud of him. He's doing great too--at least as good as the average kid out there (although he thinks he's terrible). And all the coaches know him. I overheard one guy today call him "Minnesota" in this big voice. One drill today was like one I've experienced in hockey where two kids essentially played keep away with the ball, one trying to protect it while the other tried to steal it. It was amazing how difficult it was for both kids and how it wore him out.
Tomorrow is "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Tuesday" or, at home, "Fat Tuesday"!
The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be "shriven" before the start of Lent.
The idea behind having pancakes on this day was to rid your pantry of all of the excesses (eggs, cream, sugar) and get it down to a simpler state in preparation for the Lenten fast.
In the UK they have "pancake races."
According to Wikipedia: "The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake. The pancake race remains a relatively common festive tradition in the UK, especially England, even today. Participants with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air and catching them in the pan whilst running."
I got this recipe from Dervla and thought I'd give it a shot this afternoon in practice for tomorrow. Maggie is having four girls over and Oscar, Pierce and Dervla will be here too so we'll need loads of pancakes!
We are excited to have a full house!
They weren't perfect. We had some very course flour (used mainly for brown bread). For tomorrow's pancakes we have some fine flour!
We'll be missing our Annunciation family tomorrow celebrating Carnaval but hopefully we will make up for it with full-bellied-friends!
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