The Little Museum of Dublin
When I first got here, I walked around, had a look at all the details, and took a seat, waiting for the tour to start. A guy in his twenties walked over to me, and asked, "Why did you break my heart and leave me? I couldn't sleep last night."
At first, I thought he was crazy. I had no idea who he was. A couple of people my age, and older, stared at me, probably thinking, really lady? He's just a kid. I smiled, and jokingly replied, "I don't know. Because you snore."
By then, people realized it was a joke, and everyone laughed. It turned out that he was our tour guide, and had a PhD in history. He was funny, entertaining, and quizzed us to make sure that we were listening.
At first glance, this museum seemed tiny compared to most museums, but this place was packed with many details. The eclectic collection of artifacts was donated by the Irish people. The museum has since moved from Pembroke to a larger space in St. Steven's Green with added collections. For anyone visiting Dublin, this is a worthwhile place to check out.
Queen Victoria lands in Ireland, south of Dublin (1900). Even with the restrained relationship between Ireland and England, she received the welcome mat.
From the museum: "Countess Constance Markievicz (1868-1927) was stationed across the road from here during the Easter Rising of 1916. When the British decided not to execute the countess at the end of the Rising, she complained, 'I do wish you lot had the decency to shoot me.'"
Poverty was high in Ireland, and still is. People lived in buildings with no running water or electricity. One famous building turned museum was 14 Henrietta Street. One hundred people lived in that house in 1911.
I wanted to make sure that the above quote was an accurate description of what the Irish people thought. So, I asked someone who worked there. He said it means that the Irish are not impressed by those with titles, heads of states, politicians, and authorities. They question everything.
There is a U2 section with a figure of MacPhisto. During the European ZooTV tour in the 90s, Bono made a devil statue of himself with white makeup, wearing a gold suit. The figure represents a rock star who has sold his soul. The word MacPhisto comes from the German word Mephisto, a shortened form of Mephistophele which means the devil.
The above photo is a cardboard cutout of Brendan O'Carroll who plays an Irish Mammy in Mrs. Brown's sitcom. When the show came out, the critics didn't like it, but the public favored it which proves that it is possible for actors, and shows, to be successful regardless of what the critics say.
