Today was a fantastic, sunny and warm day in Dublin and we took it all in.
Maggie and I hiked in to Blackrock to do a bit of Starbucks study time, and walking through the Blackrock market. Then we headed back home. I couldn't bear being inside as it is so completely rare here to have a little warmth and the sun shining so Sheila, Johnny and I grabbed some lunch bagels at "Itsa" and headed down to the Forty Foot for a picnic.
I have loved the Forty Foot or at least the idea of it since we got here and have mentioned it and blogged about it in many times here but I'll just reiterate for any new readers. The Forty Foot is a promontory on the southern tip of Dublin Bay at a little village called Sandycove. People have been swimming in the Irish Sea from here, year round (and particularly at Christmas) for over 250 years. It used to be for men only, but during the 1970s some "women's libbers" demanded that the exclusion end and, apparently, all took a buck-naked plunge! It is now co-ed. It's name is not entirely clear. Some think it is the depth of the waters, others think it is the width of the tiny road leading up to it. Probably it was named after the 42nd Highland Regiment of Foot a regiment of the British Army which was said to have been stationed there.
After picnicking at the Forty Foot Johnny had to see the top of James Joyce's tower.
"The Martello Tower on Sandycove Point is one of a series of fifteen similar towers built around Dublin in 1804 to counter the threat of an invasion by Napoleon. The design was based on that of a tower on Cape Mortella in Corsica which had resisted a British attack in 1794. In 1904 the tower was demilitarised and put up for rent at £8 a year by the War Department. The first tenant was Oliver St John Gogarty, a medical student and budding poet, who moved in in August and invited the twenty-two-year-old James Joyce to join him. Joyce was slow to take up the invitation and did not arrive at the tower until 9 September, by which time their friendship had cooled. The first chapter of his famous novel Ulysses. published in 1922, was set in the tower with characters based on himself and his companions and with the implication that he had paid the rent."
And here is a picture of a sailboat by the Muglins!
Johnny went to a party at the "Leisureplex" and we headed up Killiney Hill with our friends Ed and Susan and three of their four kids (their youngest also had a party to attend). Pictures to come. We always have a great time with them as their four kids keep life lively and interesting and as they are always up to helping us see more of the area. Sheila and I had walked up to Killiney Hill before, but as it turns out, saw nothing in comparison to what we saw today. We plan on bringing Johnny up on Friday (his last day of school is Thursday!) when his schedule frees up.
Susan's eyes sparkled a little when I mentioned my interest in the Forty Foot. She's on board for us taking a dip before we leave. Maybe sometime in the evening this week.
Maggie and I hiked in to Blackrock to do a bit of Starbucks study time, and walking through the Blackrock market. Then we headed back home. I couldn't bear being inside as it is so completely rare here to have a little warmth and the sun shining so Sheila, Johnny and I grabbed some lunch bagels at "Itsa" and headed down to the Forty Foot for a picnic.
I have loved the Forty Foot or at least the idea of it since we got here and have mentioned it and blogged about it in many times here but I'll just reiterate for any new readers. The Forty Foot is a promontory on the southern tip of Dublin Bay at a little village called Sandycove. People have been swimming in the Irish Sea from here, year round (and particularly at Christmas) for over 250 years. It used to be for men only, but during the 1970s some "women's libbers" demanded that the exclusion end and, apparently, all took a buck-naked plunge! It is now co-ed. It's name is not entirely clear. Some think it is the depth of the waters, others think it is the width of the tiny road leading up to it. Probably it was named after the 42nd Highland Regiment of Foot a regiment of the British Army which was said to have been stationed there.
 |
| The Forty Foot, Howth in the background. |
 |
| Johnny in Forty Foot Jail. |
 |
| The Dublin icon through the Forty Foot perspective. |
 |
| Getting ready to jump? |
 |
| Diver 1. |
 |
| Diver 2. |
 |
| A ship in the harbor. |
 |
| Steps at the Forty Foot. |
 |
| More swimmers and Dalkey in the background. |
 |
| The Dun Laoghaire and the Poolbeg Smokestacks in Dublin Bay. |
"The Martello Tower on Sandycove Point is one of a series of fifteen similar towers built around Dublin in 1804 to counter the threat of an invasion by Napoleon. The design was based on that of a tower on Cape Mortella in Corsica which had resisted a British attack in 1794. In 1904 the tower was demilitarised and put up for rent at £8 a year by the War Department. The first tenant was Oliver St John Gogarty, a medical student and budding poet, who moved in in August and invited the twenty-two-year-old James Joyce to join him. Joyce was slow to take up the invitation and did not arrive at the tower until 9 September, by which time their friendship had cooled. The first chapter of his famous novel Ulysses. published in 1922, was set in the tower with characters based on himself and his companions and with the implication that he had paid the rent."
And here is a picture of a sailboat by the Muglins!
Johnny went to a party at the "Leisureplex" and we headed up Killiney Hill with our friends Ed and Susan and three of their four kids (their youngest also had a party to attend). Pictures to come. We always have a great time with them as their four kids keep life lively and interesting and as they are always up to helping us see more of the area. Sheila and I had walked up to Killiney Hill before, but as it turns out, saw nothing in comparison to what we saw today. We plan on bringing Johnny up on Friday (his last day of school is Thursday!) when his schedule frees up.
Susan's eyes sparkled a little when I mentioned my interest in the Forty Foot. She's on board for us taking a dip before we leave. Maybe sometime in the evening this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment