Friday 20 June 2014

The 6 day trip to Ireland - Dublin (Day 2 late afternoon) - Merrion Square, Oscar Wilde Memorial and St. Stephen's Green - The 11th of June 2014



Soon after having walked out of the National Gallery of Ireland we headed towards the Merrion Square which was just a few metres away so as to locate the Oscar Wilde Memorial. It was quite different  from every other memorial we had seen before, but bearing in mind the personal characteristics of Wilde I feel it was appropriate and most original.




















Despite being fairly close to where we intended to go to afterwards we found ourselves walking farther away in search of something to eat once we realised we hadn't had anything since the early morning breakfast and it was already late afternoon.


















Just around the corner from the Governmental Houses we came across a Café but soon felt discouraged to walk in upon having read what they had written on its outside board, though by then we had already been made aware that the Irish sense of humour was fairly peculiar ...

































We had a very tasteful slice of cake and a soft drink in a café across the road to appease the apparent hunger  just before we came across the now closed to the public Huguenot cemetery, hemmed between two modern office buildings.


Having fled France after the edit of Nantes in 1598 and later encouraged by the invitation of the first Duke of Ormond and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, hoping that Ireland's economy would benefit from the Huguenot skills, they quickly became a dynamic community in Dublin, soon enjoying commercial  success in textiles, finance, wine importation, watch making and other businesses, supplemented by a reputation for integrity, as attested by the saying "as honest as a Huguenot".
























We then strolled around the beautiful St. Stephen's Green which covers a huge area of approximately 550 by 450 metres. It was very relaxing even though we walked a lot so as to expore its secretive corners with bust statues on and the large lake, homne to ducks and other water fowl. 



























 
 
 
Theobal Wolfe Tone (a leading Irish Revolutionary figure regarded as the father of the Irish Republicanism) Memorial.




















The great Famine Memorial.








O'Donovan Rossa Memorial (the irish Fenian Leader).






















The three Fates'statue (a gift from the German people to thank the Irish for having found foster homes for up to 500 children following World War II).


 















(To be continued)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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