To the Health of the Vice Consul of the United States for the Republic of Ireland
Have just returned from Ireland. I had a chance to see a little of the city of Dublin, wandering about a bit through the Temple Bar – Trinity College – Grafton Street triangle last Sunday afternoon, and again on Tuesday; the weather, I take it from every cabbie who drove me around here that we really, really lucked out on the weather. Summers there are generally… wet.
Arrival was a bit of a shock. After two months in Zurich, the differences between Ireland (or rather, I should say the area around Dublin) and the United States seemed so minimal as to be disorienting. Okay, so all of the signs are in English as are far more of the overheard conversations, but it's more than that. The architecture and design, and the feel, of the city seem quite reminiscent of the Northeast. I told a friend a last week that "they were trying to build this, and they built America instead" which is probably true but doesn't capture the feel exactly either. It might simply be that we (English speakers or Westerners) all tend to build cities the same way nowadays (sprawling and automotive) and Dublin outside its core is as new as a lot of second-ring suburbs in the States. Second-ring suburbs where everyone drives on the wrong side of the road.
I didn't have a chance to get out of the city (well, out of the city beyond Rathcoole) before leaving, but fully intend to take advantage of the fact that Ireland's a two hour flight away in the indeterminate future.
Last Tuesday was spent shuttling around Dublin taking care of documentation for the closing of the house in Pittsburgh. All my signatures were notarized by the Vice Consul of the United States for the Republic of Ireland. Last Tuesday night was spent drinking numerous toasts to her health over a Guinness or five.
