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By mommie2zs in Buds —

Second Ireland Post: First full day touring Dublin on the On-Off Bus

Second Ireland Post: First full day touring Dublin on the On-Off Bus

The plan was to head out for the On-Off Bus, which had a stop at Kilmainham Gaol about 15 minutes walk from our home. If the Gaol wasn’t busy, we’d take a tour there, then jump on the bus to head to the Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship to fulfill one of Buds’ lifelong dreams.

Watching the gray day out the front window.
Watching the gray day out the front window.
Lovely glass trinkets displayed in a window.
Lovely glass trinkets displayed in a window.
Staring through the gates at Kilmainham Gaol.
Staring through the gates at Kilmainham Gaol.

The Gaol had a very long line, so we headed for the Tall Ship.

Waiting for the "On-Off Bus"
Waiting for the “On-Off Bus”
Much more awake.
Much more awake.
Jackets will be worn.
Jackets will be worn.
The cute little guy
The cute little guy
The local buses are double-decker, too.
The local buses are double-decker, too.
Riding up high, out in the open...and the wind.
Riding up high, out in the open…and the wind.

We drove through Phoenix Park, which is similar to Central Park, gorgeous green space stuck inside a busy city.

The lights in Phoenix park are still gas...hanging on to those traditions!
The lights in Phoenix park are still gas…hanging on to those traditions!
Huddle for warmth.
Huddle for warmth.

After buying our tickets for the Tall Ship, we popped into a hotel to use the restroom, and discovered they had an ice machine with plastic cups for us to use! The Buster is devoted to “icy cold water,” so the difficulty in finding ice anywhere had been hard for him.

The hotel we found that had bathrooms, and an ICE MACHINE! Buster was so happy.
The hotel we found that had bathrooms, and an ICE MACHINE! Buster was so happy.
Guinness by the tankload.
Guinness by the tankload.
Grabbing a little lunch before we go learn about starving immigrants.
Grabbing a little lunch before we go learn about starving immigrants.
Beautiful, beautiful ice.
Beautiful, beautiful ice.

We had a great lunch with all the business folk, then headed over for our tour.

Buddies.
Buddies.

The tour of the Jeanie Johnston was meaningful for all of us in different ways. Being in a tour group of around 25 people while trying to imagine crossing an ocean on board the ship with 140+ other people is a mind-boggling task. Realizing that the rates of death on many of these ships were atrocious, but the Jeanie Johnston had no deaths on her 16 voyages, due to providing food and healthcare while people were on board. Buds and I were stunned realizing that for these brave, starving souls, the meager rations provided on board would have seemed like a feast compared to what their own farms provided during the potato famine.

The Jeannie Johnston
The Jeannie Johnston
She fits in well here.
She fits in well here.
Paul, our guide.
Paul, our guide.
Spinning the tale of the JJ
Spinning the tale of the JJ
Squatting, and listening
Squatting, and listening
What parents did to try to protect their children
What parents did to try to protect their children
Below deck...the rather scary statues.
Below deck…the rather scary statues.

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Snuggled up, llistening.
Snuggled up, llistening.

DSCF1862

Find your joy where you can.
Find your joy where you can.
The bunk that a family of 5 would have shared for their 12 hours of bunk time per day.
The bunk that a family of 5 would have shared for their 12 hours of bunk time per day.
The Passengers' Act: Simple things like making sure fresh air could get below deck made such a difference for disease prevention.
The Passengers’ Act: Simple things like making sure fresh air could get below deck made such a difference for disease prevention.

There was even a baby born on board, and his parents gave him 16 middle names, one for each of the crewmen on the ship.

Monkey was overwhelmed by both the stories, and the scary statues below deck on the boat, so she got to pick our second outing of the day: The Leprechaun Museum.

We took our first trip on the Dublin Metro, The Luas, to get to the Museum.

Making new friends.
Making new friends.
Our first trip on the Luas.
Our first trip on the Luas.

Our tour guide at the museum either was actually a leprechaun named Christopher, or he had developed some decidedly leprechauny habits over the years. He bounced and twinkled and appeared and re-appeared from room to room. This was a delightful, light-hearted balance to our intense tour of earlier in the day.

Human-sized furniture with a leprechaun on it.
Human-sized furniture with a leprechaun on it.

We didn’t take many pictures inside the museum, but it was lovely, with natural-feeling spaces. We all enjoyed it.

Another trip on the On-Off Bus to return home. Another dinner at The Black Lion, then settling in for the night in our Dublin home.

Next outing: GUINNESS!

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