It was with a degree of frustration that Dom agreed to trudge off once more to Dublin for some locum work, with another delay of the official opening date of his Waterford job. This being potentially my last chance to take a photograph of some of waht Dublin has to offer {such as the courtyard of Trinity College, above, home to the 'Book of Kells'}, I remembered to pack the camera.
My home for the week was the delightful 'Central Hotel', onn Exchequer Street, adjacent to the bustling pedestrianised malls of the Grafton Street area. If you're going to be lonely, do it with plenty of people around! By a miracle of rare device, my first evening in Dublin the sun broke through the clouds - in a state of stunned excitement I raced into the streets with camera in hand to capture this most peculiar of events.
It is hard to describe how truly lovely Ireland is when the bright gentle sunshine puts smiles on faces all round. Even the centre of the city transforms its mood and its sounds. There is a special elation that you can't seem to reproduce in places that enjoy a surfeit of sun. {Have I mentioned what it's like when it's cold and dark?}. I joined the throngs in The Temple Bar {above}, an atmospheric part of the city, where there is always some busking to be heard, and tourists queue to photograph the quaint shop fronts of the local pubs.
Determined to enjoy the sun from all angles I walked until dark, pointing my lens at anything of interest! This is where digitial beats film every time. Daniel O'Connell astride his famous street, with the infamous needle sculpture poking the sky behind, the variety of shopfronts looking surprised in the sun, the facades to the north and south of the Liffey. It all looked so clear and crisp - would that I could share it with Maggie, but perhaps we'll have another chance...
I had a slow, pensive walk to Heuston Station on the sunday morning, along the South side of the river, thrilled at the realisation I have become fond of this city, so far from home, and so different, but charming in its own dishevelled way. This time I walked with some reason to feel optimistic that the remainder of my year will find me in the company of my family, with work but a short commute each day. Wishful to the last!
