Luck of the Irish

We headed to the GPO (General Post Office) for another dose of Irish history. The historical building served as the rebel headquarters for the 1916 Easter Rising. Still a functioning post office today, it also has a museum chronicling major milestones in modern Irish history. While the 1916 Easter Rising was not greeted with enthusiasm and joining in of the general Irish citizenry in the rebellion against the British, as the cause dragged on it generated sympathy among the public. The British brutal response to the uprising that was dragged out over time served to further the rebellion. The Irish flag as we know it today was flown during the uprising, with green symbolizing the Catholics, orange for the Protestants, and white signifying a lasting truce between the two. Many years and much bloodshed transpired before achieving that goal. We’re coming away with a better understanding of recent Irish history and the religious nuances in the civil conflict. History is certainly messy and hopefully we can learn from our discomfort rather than trying to whitewash it away and end up repeating it. Once we finished there, we hiked to the GAA Museum at the Crome Park Stadium. The GAA was an important part of preserving Irish culture and also intertwined with the fight for Irish independence. Hurling is a stick and ball game played by the guys while women play a similar game called camogie. We viewed clips of games plus the implements of the games. It’s fast paced and not for the faint of heart, with hockey like sticks called hurleys, a ball similar to a baseball, and only a helmet with a face guard for protective gear. Gaelic football is similar to soccer, only both hands and feet are used. In an interesting note, the GAA had a rule in effect from 1901 to 1971 that banned members from participating in or watching non Gaelic games. In 1938 the President of Ireland and GAA patron was expelled from the association for attending an international soccer game between Ireland and Poland. Obviously this was before the advent of TV. The museum also explained the ties between the stadium and the Pittsburg Steelers, which explained what the NFL was doing in Dublin at the beginning of our trip. Mystery solved, we’ll be able to sleep tonight, particularly after putting in almost 6 miles to take in these sights. Now it’s on to packing our bags and getting ready to fly home in the morning.Leggi altro