Derry Bogside Walk

The standard method of communication in contentious Northern Ireland seems to be graffiti and outdoor murals. In the mostly-Catholic Bogside neighbourhood, the Republican (anti-British) artists have constructed a series of (mostly) peaceful symbolic messages.

This area was once a literal warzone, bullets and gas once flew down these streets. Today, tourists like us can walk the guided stroll through the murals- with materials interpreting each one.

Peace- A dove (symbol of peace) and oak leaf (symbol of Derry) 

John Hume- Nationalist Leader Hume, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother
Theresa, and Nelson Mandela

The Hunger Strikes- Two hunger strikers in a Belfast
prison. Note the vandalism of the mural and the IRA
on the nearby wall.

Saturday Matinee- A kid and an armored car

Civil Rights

Operation Motorman (left) The Runners (right)
A soldier smashes a barricaded door with a sledgehammer and Bogside
residents flee from a gas attack

Free Derry Corner, Petrol Bomber mural

Bloody Sunday- Residents carry a body from the fighting

Bernadette- Bernadette Devin McAliskey
Nationalist leader

Death of Innocence- Annette McGavin, killed here in 1971 aged 14

Bloody Sunday Commemoration- Faces of those killed on
Bloody Sunday in 1972

After looking at all these peaceful murals, one would think that we were feeling good and hopeful, right? Well, a little bit.

In addition to the murals, we saw a lot of other material that we haven't shared here. Someone had written a letter to the British military asking for an official apology for the attack on Bloody Sunday in 1972. The military actually wrote a return letter- telling them, "...After a thorough investigation, it has been determined that no wrongdoing was committed by..."

What the heck, UK? You can't throw them a bone after 40 years? The letter was posted clearly for all of us to see, and to stir the pot in this already hot neighborhood.

Other stickers and graffiti promoted Nationalist extremist groups like the Bogside Republican Youth and other very sinister-looking organizations threatening violence. It seems that even the young generation holds the old grudges in this part of town.

The Derry Marathon was taking place this morning, and volunteers and supporters lined the streets of the Bogside- the home stretch of the marathon route. Just around the corner (and not photographed), vans of police stormtroopers with full riot gear, batons, and machine guns waited ominously just out of sight of the celebration in the street. There had just been a hotel firebombing three days before, after all...

Thankfully, there was no violence on this particular day. The SWAT teams went home empty-handed. We toasted the peace process with some fine and inexpensive English cask ales. We hoped that these two embattled groups could one day really, truly, celebrate and embrace each other.

...Maybe over some of these fantastic beers!

Cask Ales

Walking Around the Derry City Wall

We got up early on our first full day in Derry so we could maximize the beautiful day. From our hostel window high up on the hill, we got a great view of the River Foyle and the city below.

Derry from the Hills

Our first target was the old Derry city wall. Derry is known around Ireland for its recent contentious history and its 17th-century wall. Almost all of the original wall is still standing and intact, and the local authorities have thankfully opened the top of the wall for a scenic walk around the old fort city.

A few (unmanned) British guard towers still stand along the wall as a reminder of the very recent problems with violence and terrorism in the city. We saw more evidence of that later in the day...

Guard Tower

Old cannons (and replicas) still line the battlements of the wall. Some are (somewhat ominously) pointed out at the town below. Take that, King James II! 

Here's Lookin' at You!

City Wall Exterior

From the top of the wall, we could see most of the largely-Catholic Bogside neighborhood. The poorer Catholic population of Derry was long ago forced out of the high and dry ground and pushed into the low-lying, soggy, boggy Bogside. From the wall, the dip of the earth is clearly visible.

We could also just make out some of the Republican political murals, which we would revisit later in the day.

Bogside Neighborhood

But not everyone on this side of the Foyle is Republican, and we were reminded (here in Derry more than any other city) who was on which side with flags, graffiti (including murals), and walls. Connected to the old city wall was a much newer, higher wall. This protects a small Unionist neighborhood from the marauding Catholics in the wilds of this Bogside area. Ironically and sadly, it is called the Peace Wall. It must keep peace, but the message isn't very friendly...

It's extremely sad and frustrating- to an outsider like me- that people refuse to live together in peace here, and the high fences make it clear that real, lasting peace is still a long way off.

Peace Wall (?)

Iron Maiden's Eddie Hoover, Symbol of Britain's Military Might

Loyalist Message

...But at least some people are trying to push the peace process along. Not all the murals and artwork are sectarian or violent in nature. This beautiful mosaic depicting the Peace Bridge, a robin, and an oak tree (the symbol of Derry, from the Irish word for oak tree, Doire) is made of pictures of faces tinted different colors. 

Peace Mural

A sculpture around the corner depicts two colorless, sexless humanoids back to back. Passers-by can look through the eyeholes of one and see out the eyeholes of the other. This symbolizes the hope that two disagreeing sides can see the world as the other sees it, through the other's eyes.

Peace Sculpture

We ended our morning at the Guildhall, Derry's most iconic city building. From Guildhall Square, U.S. President Bill Clinton gave a rousing pro-peace speech. He even refused to say the name of the city (Derry or Londonderry?) to make sure no one was offended.

The Guildhall

Today, it houses the City Council chambers and a so-so (but free) museum.

Much more from Derry next Monday!

Glasnevin Cemetery

Our secret mission at the Botanic Gardens was actually to scout out a (not so) secret back entrance to Glasnevin Cemetery, Ireland's most well-known boneyard. The Botanic Gardens and the cemetery share a boundary, and recently a long-locked gate between the two was opened to the public.

I wanted to confirm the location (and existence) of this secret gate before including it in my eBook, and I was glad to find it open and operational. Without this gate, it would be about a mile walk around the southern end of these two properties to get to the main gate of the cemetery.

Just inside the cemetery gate- on the wall to the left of the main Botanic Gardens entrance- we could see the famous and imposing Celtic round tower of the Daniel O'Connell monument. More on him later.

Glasnevin Cemetery and O'Connell Monument

A number of Irish celebrities and heroes are buried here. The 1916 execution victims seem to be the only revolutionaries not to be buried here. I saw name after name on gravestones that I see on streets and bridges around town: O'Donovan Rossa, Markievicz, Griffith, Casement, and the list goes on.

The grave count here is reportedly over a million... and growing. The cemetery is still open for new arrivals. This would be a great place for more dark humor, but we (and dozens of other tourists) walked by a funeral with our cameras and guidebooks, so I'll leave it alone.

It is a marvel that they have buried so many here, but the grave markers are pretty densely-packed so...

Densely... Populated? 

The story of the cemetery is quite interesting. In the nineteenth century, the English (them again!) did not allow Catholics to be buried with Catholic rites in their own churchyards. The recently-deceased Catholics had to be buried with Protestant rites (GASP!) or unceremoniously buried with no clergy present (DOUBLE GASP!) I guess the English Protestants wanted to keep the Irish Catholics down even in the afterlife.

Until The Great Liberator Daniel O'Connell started his equal rights for Catholics campaign in the British Parliament. He argued that allowing the Irish certain civil freedoms would be beneficial to both sides and would encourage peace. The Brits agreed and, with O'Connell's help, put into law a number of civil rights for Catholics- among them burial rites. He achieved his goals politically- not violently- and his anti-violence platform inspired all future Irish Republicans and British Unionists to pursue their goals peacefully forever... wait, that's not right...

When the cemetery was first founded, it was a cemetery for all- Catholics, Protestants, and those of any other or no religious affiliation. Truly a big step for equality in the 1800s.

O'Connell Monument

For the book, I was only researching the free part of the cemetery, that's just the outdoor cemetery. There is a museum on the property with some interpretive cemetery materials, information about O'Connell and the founding of the cemetery, and some genealogy research materials. We also skipped the guided tour, but enjoyed a pleasant and reflective stroll nonetheless. 

Coincidentally, there is a documentary coming out at the end of October 2014 about the cemetery and its... inhabitants. 

National Botanic Gardens in the Fall

Earlier this year, I took a trip to the far northern edge of Dublin to visit the National Botanic Gardens up in the Glasnevin neighborhood. I had to little bit more research to do for my eBook, so this weekend we took the long (5.5 miles each way) walk up to Glasnevin to do some scouting and to check out the autumn foliage of the Gardens.

Botanic Gardens Front Gate

Ireland isn't really known for her deciduous forests flashing reds and golds in the fall, but we were curious as to what kinds of flowers and trees would be in bloom. We discovered, to our amazement, a little cactus and succulent patch. Outdoors! In Ireland! The gardeners here must truly be masters if they can keep cacti alive in the wet, cold, damp weather of Dublin. Fair play ta ye, gardeners!

Killer Cacti!

Even as the days are growing dark and cold, flowers are still in bloom in the outdoor gardens. We strolled through the native and exotic annual gardens to see the late-fall blossoms.

In the spring, I missed the food garden... Not that there would be much growing in April. In October, however, the garden was groaning with Irish produce. To encourage organic growing practices, the gardeners planted marigolds around the edge of the beds and installed this guy to keep out the birds.

Kitchen Garden Scarecrow

The Gardens are bordered on the northeast by the River Tolka, and we had a very nice stroll along the bank of the river after walking through the pine and oak forests.

River Tolka

River Tolka Weir

After crossing one bridge, we were both overwhelmed by the smell of roses. At the northeast corner of the Gardens, the rose garden was still blowing up with the color and aromas of dozens of rose varieties.

After the outdoor walk, we went inside the Victorian-era iron and glass greenhouses. Sara got this excellent picture of an Irish robin hanging out in the warm, damp hothouse.

Irish Robin

I suppose the gardeners keeping the cacti alive don't have the chops to grow orchids in the Irish climate. I guess I can give them a pass on that after seeing the indoor orchid and carnivorous plant display.

Purple Orchid

Lady's Slipper

Pitcher Plant

After a very long walk up and extended tour of the Gardens, we were tired and a bit thirsty. Luckily, there was a new craft beer pub that we wanted to check out on Clanbrassil Street, The Headline. There, we found Five Lamps Liberties Pale Ale on draught! We had been looking for a pint of that stuff for a long time, and it was worth the wait!

...We also tried some great beers from Carrig Brewing in Leitrim and Black's Brewery in Kinsale. Irish craft beers just keep getting better and better. And what a way to finish our day! 

Carrig Lager and 5 Lamps Pale Ale

Dublin Castle State Apartments

Thanks again to our main source of free tips, Dublin Event Guide for reminding me that on the first Wednesday of each month, all paid sites operated by Heritage Ireland (OPW) are free! Most OPW sites are always free, but some do have nominal admission charges. Kilmainham Gaol is a very classy and very worthwhile museum, even for 6 Euros. Newgrange Passage Tomb is also worth dropping a few bucks to see.

One Dublin paid OPW site about which I had my doubts was the Dublin Castle State Apartments. I have been to and around Dublin Castle many times before. The grounds of the castle, including the main courtyard, Dubh Linn Garden, and Chester Beatty Library are all free to visit- but to go inside, you'd better be ready to cough up some Euro Monopoly money, a teal-tinted 5 Euro note, to be exact.

...But not last Wednesday! The State Apartments were open for free, and I was finally going to see what all the fuss (and all the money) was about.

The first stop on the self-guided tour is the Battle Axe Landing, named in honor of the early Viking settlers who became the first of many foreign invaders in Ireland more than 1000 years ago.

Battle Axe Landing

Versailles-Light

The State Apartments here in Dublin Castle reminded me immediately of our visit to the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris... but not as large or as extravagant. The carpeting was plush, the gold leaf was generous, and the chandeliers were plentiful- just to a smaller degree than those in France.

The throne room was reserved for visits from the King and Queen when Ireland was still a British colony. What is now the Portrait Gallery was used as a hospital for injured veterans after World War I, known here as The Great War. Ireland had very little involvement in World War II, so when people refer to "The War" here, they mean WWI.

The Ol' Throne

Portrait Gallery

Yo, Bro! Check out this Anchor!

Gothic Windows

The highlight of the State Apartments (for me) was St. Patrick's Hall. This blue room is decorated with the heraldry or the families in The Order of St. Patrick. It used to be a ballroom and once hosted fancy British State functions and dinners. Now it hosts Irish State functions and dinners. This room has been used for the swearing-in ceremonies for every President of Ireland.

St. Patrick's Hall

I'm glad I caught the State Apartments on a free day. I'm a bit on the fence about the value in paying the entrance fee. It isn't nearly as important or as thought-provoking as Kilmainham Gaol, but it's ok.

The entrance fee also covers a tour of the Medieval Undercroft and the Chapel Royal, and we'll take a look at those in the next post.