The plan for today is to visit Dublin’s EPIC Museum… It’s a museum about everything Irish. But it’s mostly about the ten million people who’ve emigrated from Ireland, where they went, and what they’ve done.
Then we’ll explore the area around Trinity College –a part of Dublin that we haven’t seen yet. We might have to do a lot of walking today, so I’m starting it off with another one of those big Irish breakfasts. I’ll need to have some gas in the tank!
But First, Pizza!
Those Irish breakfasts can’t be beat. By the way, while we’re on the topic of food, we had pizza and salad for dinner last night. The place, (Zizzi), was sleek, modern, and it was hoppin’. We were lucky to get a table. The pizza and salad were both excellent. It was probably our lightest dinner yet. (A word of warning – don’t come to Dublin if you’re serious about being on a diet).
The EPIC Museum
The books say that 10 million people have emigrated from Ireland. Is that possible? The population of Ireland today is only 6.5 million. It’s possible. It’s called “The Irish Diaspora.” And the story is told in the EPIC Museum.
“Diaspora” is a fancy word that means mass dispersion of people from their homeland. The Irish diaspora isn’t the largest. The largest is 17 million people emigrating from India. But India’s population is 1.3 BILLION. That helps put the massive exodus from Ireland in perspective.
The first wave of emigration from Ireland wasn’t by choice. England sent thousands of Irish prisoners of war to work as slaves in the Caribbean. Most were sent to Bermuda. One of Bermuda’s islands is still named “Ireland Island.”
After the 17th century, (the miserable 17th century), England had control in Ireland. The English government made Ireland a difficult place to survive as an Irishman. Large numbers of Irish left to find work abroad. Ironically, most of them ended up in England. (I bet the English didn’t see that coming, eh?) The Irish worked in English factories, built canals and railways, and assimilated into the English population.
Emigration peaked in the 1850’s, during the Great Famine. This time, destinations were farther afield. England enacted laws designed to force people out of their homes and off their land. The choice for many was starvation or emigration.
Canada, Australia, Argentina? Who Knew?
Canada, being a straight shot across the Atlantic, was a key destination. Today, 14 percent of the Canadian population claims to have Irish roots. The municipal flag of Montreal even has a shamrock on it. Who knew?
Australia became another preferred destination. Two million (!) Australians claim to have Irish ancestry. Argentina, too. Tens of thousands of Irish landed in Buenos Aires. The president of Argentina during WWII, Edelmiro Farrell, was the son of an Irishman.
Quite a few Irish came to the United States, too, particularly to the American Northeast. More than 30 million Americans claim to be of Irish ancestry. That’s 10 percent of the U.S. population. The first Catholic U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, had more than a wee bit o’ Irish blood in ‘im.
When you go through the EPIC museum, you can dive as deep as you want into any aspect of the diaspora. It’s interactive, so you can pick your spots. If you’re curious about the worldwide spread of Irish music, you can see and hear the whole story. The same goes for cuisine, politics, heroes, and villains of Irish descent. It’s epic!
It’s a short walk from the EPIC Museum to Trinity College. One could say, “Just cross the Liffy and you’re there in a jiffy.” With talk like that, it must be time for a pint. Aye, indeed!
Best Lunch Ever
The neighborhood surrounding Trinity College is nice. It’s hotsy-totsy, with Georgian buildings, museums, and parks like St. Stephen’s Green. There’s a lot of money in this neighborhood, for sure.
Speaking of “hotsy-totsy,” we decided to have lunch in a rather hotsy-totsy establishment that we happened to walk by. We couldn’t resist. The decor drew us in. The building used to be a very fancy bank. It was beautiful inside. The lunch was beautiful, too.
We ordered a whole roast chicken for two, with all the sides you would ever want. It was like Thanksgiving dinner, only better. I’m salivating right now, just thinking about it.
A hurling match was on televisions that were scattered around the bar. Servers tried to not be too obvious, but they were really into the match. We didn’t know anything about hurling, so they explained the game to us. Pretty soon we were all watching the game together. What a sport, and what a lunch. This one probably has to go onto my imaginary “Best Lunch Ever” list.
To be continued…
