Dublin is Coming to Life!

In real-time, we are back to our regular routine after a two-week whirlwind visit from a dear Iowan friend. We did some sightseeing in Dublin and surrounds, and made a trip to Germany and Prague over a long weekend. As April rolls around, I pulled up the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) and saw the weekly list of free events growing by leaps and bounds. It's as if Dublin is awakening from a long Winter sleep into the full-tilt schedule of Spring and Summer. If this keeps up, I'll not have a single spare moment until November!

Dublin, it appears, is celebrating an April tradition with its annual Dublin: One City, One Book festival. Each year, the City Council selects a book of the month. They encourage everyone in the city to read that book, and also to involve themselves with more literature and poetry in general. A number of events (free and paid) accompany the festival and fit the literary theme almost every day this month. Look for me to attend and review some of the events here.

In April, Dublin (and Ireland) celebrates the one thousand (!) year anniversary of The Battle of Clontarf, fought near Dublin on April 23, 1014. Quickly, it spelled the beginning of the end for Viking power in Ireland and kept the island fractured into many small kingdoms. I don't know much about it (yet!) because I haven't (yet!) attended one of the many lectures and events put on by various societies, museums, and schools throughout Dublin. Check the above-linked Dublin Event Guide for the schedule of Clontarf lectures.

This week, already underway, is the Five Lamps Art Festival. This adds yet another long list of free and paid events all around the fair city of Dublin. This isn't related to our friends over at Five Lamps Dublin Brewery, but rather references an old wrought iron Dublin landmark on the north side.

Dodder fishing season began the day after St. Patrick's Day, but I haven't had time to dust off the old fishing pole and try my luck. With all of these events filling up my man-about-town calendar, I don't know when I'll find the time to get down to the peaceful riverbank!

It certainly won't ever be on a Tuesday. I don't know just why, but Tuesday at lunchtime seems to be a very popular slot for free events. I see a number of conflicting events, particularly lectures and recitals, lining up at 13:00 every Tuesday. I hate to have to choose between these events, I want to attend them all! Guess I can't complain as long as they are all free and I have the luxury of time to attend as many as I am able.

Finally, as if I didn't need one more pull on my time, Major League Baseball opens the 2014 season this week, and I will be playing Fantasy Baseball and MLB Beat The Streak games to be more involved and more in touch with my American roots. This extra distraction comes along just as the schedule in Dublin gets busier and crazier.

Never a dull moment for this unemployed trailing husband! Let this post be an answer to all those who have ever asked me, "What are you going to do in Ireland all day when your wife is working!?"

More Days Like This to Come