At Long Last-Friday and Saturday in Ireland and England

Friday, May 9, 2008

We had been told to prepare for the possibility of rain during our stay in Ireland and England, and our last full day in Ireland brought the first possibility we might get a soaking. We awoke this morning to overcast skies and cooler temperatures than what he had been experiencing on the Emerald Isle. After another traditional Irish breakfast, we set forth on a bus tour of the Dublin, learning about some of the various types of housing options and the influence of Georgian architecture on the city. We also passed by the 82,000-seat stadium that is the pride of the city and also hosts the Celtic Games.

Each of our two motorcoaches had individual tour guides offering a variety of information about the city. The guide on my bus, Catherine, was particularly willing to answer our questions, even about negative issues facing Irish society such as homelessness and alcoholism. But it was through some of the city’s more historic sites that she proved invaluable.

One of first major stops of the tour was a visit to Trinity College, which is located in the heart of Dublin, to learn about the Book of Kells. Trinity College itself is one of the world’s oldest universities, having been established under the charter of England’s Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The library, where the Book of Kells is housed, is known for being one of the great research libraries in the world, holding the largest collection of printed books and manuscripts in Ireland and, since 1801, holding the right to claim a free copy of all British and Irish publications under the relevant copyright acts. The library’s more than 3 million volumes are housed under 8 buildings.

The Book of Kells is housed in what’s called the Old Library. Written more than 1,000 years ago, the Book of Kells reflects the change in Ireland from the worship of pagan gods to Christianity, containing lavishly decorated copy, in Latink, of the four gospels of the Bible’s New Testament – the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Book of Kells has long been associated with St. Colum Cille (521-597 A.D.), who founded a monastic order on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland in about 561. Its believed the Book of Kells was produced in the early 9th century by the monks of Iona, working both at Iona and at Kells , in Ireland’s County Meath, where they moved after 806 A.D. The Book also contains many of the traditional Celtic symbols and designs cherished by the Irish people. The Book of Kells was sent to Dublin around 1653 for security reasons and came to Trinity College in 1661.

After viewing the exhibit on the Book of Kells and the actual book itself, we completed our visit to the Old Library at Trinity College by visiting what’s known as the Long Room on the library’s second floor. Entering the Long Room provided many of us with a “wow” moment. Some 65 meters long, the Long Room is the main chamber of the Old Library and houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books, many of which are currently undergoing a painstaking restoration effort thanks to the contributions of private donors. Almost cathedral-like in scope, the Long Room, is dominated by shelf after shelf of books along a central open area. Along either side of the Long Room are marble busts of some of the great thinkers and writers from throughout history, along with noted Irish leaders. The collection of busts was begun in 1743 when 14 were commissioned by sculptor Peter Scheemakers.

After leaving Trinity College, we next headed for St. Michan’s Church, which has great historical significance to not only those who appreciate great music, but also to the history of fine arts. Established in 1095, St. Michan’s is Dublin’s oldest parish church located on the north side of the River Liffey. The present church building dates back to 1685. The church organ was built by John Baptiste Cuvillie between 1723 and 1725 at a cost of 470 pounds. Legend has it that George Frederick Handel used the organ to practice for the premiere performance of his most celebrated oratorio, “The Messiah,” which took place in 1742 with the combined choirs of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in a hall in what is now known as the Temple Bar area of Dublin just south of the River Liffey.

The other significant fact about St. Michan’s Church is the presence of several preserved mummies in burial crypts under the church. The mummies were discovered in the last 19th century and have been a staple for visitors to the church for more than a century. It is said that the combination of the consistently dry atmosphere in the vaults – likely resulting from their construction of moisture absorbing limestone and the presence of methane gas. Among the mummies are a pair of brother lawyers who were executed, drawn and quartered for their roles in the Irish Revolution, as well as a warrior from the Crusades whose mummy is believed to be more than 650 years old.

Our bus tour also included a pass through the neighborhood frequented by playright Oscar Wilde and where famous Irish novelist James Joyce grew up and lived most of his life, as well as Phoenix Park, a name given to the area by the British as a derivative from a traditional Irish word. Phoenix Park is immense, totaling nearly 1,100 acres. The park is larger than New York City’s Central Park and is home to several critical locations, including the Irish presidential mansion on which the design of The White House in Washington, D.C., is based, the American Embassy and the Dublin Zoo. After the bus tour, many of us headed back into the heart of Dublin to explore the shopping areas along Nassau and Grafton streets, as well as visits to the National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland.

This evening would see the Wind Ensemble perform a joint concert with the Aarhane Community Band in Ireland’s largest church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Located on a site where St. Patrick was said to have baptized Christian converts in a well in a park adjacent to the cathedral. The Normans built a church on the site as early as 1191 that was rebuilt in the early 13th century and is the current building seen today. The west tower of the church was rebuilt by Archbishop Minot in 1370 after a fire, and a spire was added in 1749. Irish writer Jonathan Swift, author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” served as dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745 and is buried there.

Performing in St. Patrick’s proved to be a highlight for the Wind Ensemble. Certain pieces -- including “Vigil’s Keep” by Julie Giroux; “A Lark in the Clear Air,” a traditional Irish tune arranged by Associate Director of Bands Clifton Taylor; and “Armenian Dances” by Alfred Reed – seemed to resonate in the gothic arches of the cathedral. The significance of performing in such a historic church was also not lost on the Wind Ensemble members.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Today has largely been a travel day, as we bid a fond farewell to Ireland and boarded a Stena Lines ferry to cross the Irish Sea to Britain. Our bus drivers, Eunen and P.J., had become part of our traveling family, and we said our good-byes to them with a tinge of regret.

The ferry ride was vastly different from what we expected. The ferry was akin to a cruise ship without the cabins. The seating was around tables arranged in lounge style, and despite prior warnings of potential motion sickness from choppy seas, we enjoyed a smooth ride. The ferry came complete with a food court, a large gift shop, video game and casino arcades and a currency exchange station.

After the ferry ride of more than an hour and a half, we arrived in Britain, meeting our English tour guides in Holyhead, Wales, before departing on a nearly 8-hour bus ride to London. Like western Ireland, Wales was very mountainous and offered several breathtaking views of the coastline. As we traveled deeper inland, the lands and rolling hills resembled Ireland a great deal, but just as beautiful. One of our tour guides, Bob, gave us an overview of how England is divided into counties, all ending with the term “shire,” which refers to the historic use of sheriffs in the British counties. Bob also gave us an overview of the differences between greater London and the traditional City of London, a one-square mile that is the original city.

Our journey across England has largely been on what we would consider a traditional Interstate highway. We did make a stop in a town with an extremely large name. In traditional Welsh, the name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Translated, it means "The Church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the red cave." What a mouthful!

We made a couple of other rest stops along the way to London to give our bus drivers a statutorily required break. The rest stops came complete with a two- to three-restaurant food court, convenience and gift store, and a bevy of coin-operated massage chairs which many of us used to great relief after being on the bus for awhile.

We reached the outskirts of London shortly after 8 p.m. that evening and immediately got caught in a traffic jam since road work was under way on the main thoroughfare leading into the city. Once we got through it, we moved through the outer city quite quickly before coming into the Notting Hill district (the area made famous by the Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts film a few years back) and then into the Kensington district where our hotel, the Copthorne Tara, was located.

Upon arrival, many of us took to the streets to explore the immediate area around the hotel, many of us stopping at the McDonald's on Kensington High Street where Princess Diana used to take princes William and Harry for burgers as children, according to our tour guide. They would often walk to the McDonald's from their home in Kensington Palace, just a couple of blocks away. After a brisk walk, we were all ready to settle in for the night, for a busy day awaited us on Sunday.