I stayed up late (or rather early) to watch the last U.S. presidential debate, so I’m a little groggy this morning. I force myself to get up knowing that my SuperValu grocery delivery window is 10:30-12:30. I have coffee and browse headlines on my iPad, my typical start-of-day routine. Around 12:10 the driver calls to say he’s running late. It’s a bright, crisp day with blue skies and scattered clouds, so I’m itchy to get out of the apartment to enjoy the relatively good weather. He finally shows up around 1:00pm. I put everything away, and then prepare a light lunch.
Another new friend I’ve been chatting with online, BT, is free this afternoon, and we agree to meet up for a walk. He bikes over to Temple Bar, and I meet him at the churro cafe on Crow Street, basically right across from my kitchen window. BT is an artist in his early 30s with dirty strawberry-dyed hair, hazel eyes, beard, medium build, and several small tattoos on his arms (which I assume he designed). He treats to coffee and an order of churros that we share on a metal bench/sculpture around the corner, since there are no longer any outdoor chairs and tables at cafes due to COVID restrictions. Then we decide to head eastwards towards the docklands area of Dublin, which has been branded “Silicon Docks” (although BT says that the locals don’t call it that).
On the way, we stop by the Books Upstairs shop where I had bought some poetry collections the other week, and although they’re closed for browsing, someone is there for customers who are picking up online orders. Businesses are adapting as best they can during the lockdown. It’s fascinating to hear BT’s take on Ireland politics, Dublin, etc. Apparently the protesters I saw yesterday on the O’Connell Bridge later moved on to the Grafton Street shopping area, and 11 of them were arrested. BT is glad the Gardaí are getting serious with enforcement efforts, and he tells me how there has been a growing fascist/right-wing element in Ireland in more recent years. He further goes to say he thinks their use of the Ireland flag is ironic given its symbolism for peace; I’ve borrowed the following image and explanation of the Irish Tricolour flag from the PatriotWood.com website (edited):
Ireland’s flag has a simple design, but its meaning is deep. It ultimately captures the desire for peace in the midst of conflict. The flag is nicknamed the Irish Tricolour for its equal sections of green, white, and orange.
Green: The left third of Ireland’s flag is green, a color long associated with Irish republicanism. This dates back to the 1790s, when the Society of United Irishmen launched a rebellion to end British rule and found an independent Irish republic. Their flag was green, the color that came to represent the side fighting for Irish independence.Orange: On the opposite half of the flag is the color orange. Orange is an important color in Ireland—it’s chosen by Protestant British unionists. In the 1690 Battle of the Boyne, the Protestant King William III defeated an army comprising primarily Irish Catholics led by the Catholic King James II. William’s title came from the Principality of the Orange, and as such, he was known as William of Orange. This led the the Northern Ireland–based Orange Order, a protestant supremacy group, to choose orange as their primary color when they were founded in 1795. With time, orange came to represent Protestant British unionists.White: Between these two opposing forces, represented by orange and green, lies the color white. White is the color of peace and purity. When Ireland’s flag was created, white was chosen as the central color to represent a lasting truce and hope for peace between the two sides. It represents the ideal that every person has a part in Ireland, regardless of political stance, religion, or ethnicity.
As we enter the Silicon Docks area, Dublin’s historic Georgian buildings give way to a sea of modern apartment and business towers. And cranes are everywhere, building more of them. It is very reminiscent of San Francisco’s Mid-Market, South of Market, and China Basin developments. I imagine that if I was teleported here without knowing it was Dublin, I’d have a difficult time knowing where I was.
View of the Samuel Beckett Bridge, opened in 2009, which resembles a harp laying on its side (the harp being the national symbol of Ireland):
On the northside of the Liffey, there seems to be a lot more ongoing construction, with whole city blocks being rebuilt from the ground up:
This small stretch of old houses, hold-outs to the massive developments, is quite a contrast to the modern building going up around them:
Also located on the northside at the end of the Luas light rail line is the 3 Arena, an indoor amphitheatre for concerts etc. that opened in 2008:
BT and I took the Luas back to the city centre, where we stopped for another coffee. BT tells me he has been awarded the use of a studio space for the next year and is waiting to hear back from the Dublin Arts Council about a grant (or “bursary”) for living expenses. Apparently he does photography, although he didn’t say much about the subject of his art, but maybe I’ll get to check it out at an exhibit of his that’s opening up in Temple Bar soon.
The streets of the northside shopping district seem like a ghost town:
Speaking of ghosts, someone recently asked if Halloween was big in Ireland, and it is! Decorations have been going up everywhere. Here are some on a school building I passed on today’s walk:
