Politics and Beer

So yesterday Hal's friend Sebastian decided that Hal needed to come up to Belfast for the day today. So Hal hopped on a train this morning and I haven't seen him since.  Kind of a big milestone to send your kid off with a passport and a 50 euro note to find his way to the train station, get on the right train, meet up with his friend and then do it all in reverse 12 hours later. He's due back in a couple hours--we'll find out if I made the right choice.  At 17, it's a confidence builder to prove you can look after yourself and one should never miss a chance to see a new place.

So that left me with the day on my own in Dublin. Which worked out fine because the Guinness Brewery was on my list of sites to visit here and Hal is still underage even by Irish standards. I figured a trip to Dublin would not be complete without a visit to the home of the national drink of Ireland. I could have used the same rational to hit the Jamison Distillery down the road, but frankly I'm not that into Irish whiskey.

But before taking in a pint or two at the brewery I visited the Kilmainham Gaol, a spot that played host to some heroic and tragic events as Ireland struggled for freedom against the backdrop of poverty, famine and upheaval.

Kilmainham jail was built in the 1790's and was used from 1799 to 1924.  Originally built for common criminals, it was often used by the British rulers to house political prisoners throughout its history. The most famous of which were the instigators of the 1916 Easter uprising which ultimately turned the tide toward greater Irish self rule. The execution of the leaders of the uprising by the British and the public outcry it created turned what had been a fairly unpopular uprising into a national movement. The fourteen leaders executed are considered martyrs and founding fathers of the Republic.

During the potato famine of the 1840's, the jail became very overcrowded as famine gripped the country and people had to steal to survive. We heard stories of the many children, some as young as 5, who were sent to the prison for filching potatoes or bread.  Given the abject poverty outside the prison walls, many preferred the prison because they received daily rations, however meager.

After my Irish political history lesson, I did my best to forget what I had learned by hitting the brewery, where the tour comes with a complimentary tasting and then another pint at the bar on the roof--which happens to be the highest point in Dublin

I must say I was a bit disappointed that the tour doesn't even take you into the actual operating brewery. Rather, it runs you through what amounts to a Guinness museum housed in the former main brewery building. The tour was a bit too highly produced for my taste, but even so I enjoyed it.  And Guinness makes out well too--they get you to pay 16 euros to be marketed to for a couple hours.

I can't wait to hear how Hal's day in the north went.