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Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

Monday, August 18, 2025

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.

 


Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Normal People Book Review


"No two persons ever read the same book." —Edmund Wilson

 

I don't often review books. I find that reviews are subjective. I don't buy books just because they're bestsellers, or have positive reviews, and I'm not concerned about negative reviews. Many of the books that I picked up in the past, and thoroughly enjoyed, were by chance. It's been more than a year that I cannot find a fiction interesting enough for me to want to finish. My mind often wonders off, and I move on to something different. For a writer, this is disheartening. It wasn't that the books I picked weren't good, they just weren't for me until I came across Normal People by the Irish writer, Sally Rooney, suggested by a staff member at the Museum of Literature in Dublin.


The story starts with the odd relationship between Marianne and Connell, two troubled souls who have an on and off relationship. Connell is the son of Marianne's Mom's housekeeper. He is young, insecure, and constantly cares about what the outsiders think of him. Marianne's family is dysfunctional, and don't care whether she is dead or alive. This and the fact no one ever taught Marianne to love herself, pushes her to seek love from abusive men. Throughout the story, the one person who she thinks understands her and she deeply loves in Connell. But even so, there is plenty of miscommunication between the two. Connell's insecurities lead him to break her heart, have temporary relationships with other women, and keep going back to Marianne. Feeling unwanted, Marianne gets involved with other men, but always seeks and accepts Connell's love. (image by Mable Amber)

 


On the surface, this book seems to be a coming-of-age story. However, in real life, many adults battle insecurity,
abusive relationships, mental health, and financial issues. The story is interesting as it delves into the psyche of men and women, and how their life experiences effect the way they get along. But this wasn't the only reason why I kept on reading this tale. I continued because it was different. It broke all the writing rules, and yet made sense to me. Oftentimes, there is no set up to introduce a character or a scene. The set up comes later as you read the story, and you realize you're in someone's house or in another city. These sudden shifts in the story pushed me to stay engaged and focused. (image by Iffany)

The ending is bitter sweet. Some Amazon and Goodreads reviewers didn't like this. I can see why the writer took this route. Sometimes you may love someone, but you don't want to stand in their way, and hold them back from reaching their dreams. As for me, I prefer happy endings. When two people love each other so deeply, they should stick it out together. But I wasn't the one who wrote this book, and Rooney has the right to stay true to her characters. (image by Matthew Jackson)

Other reviewers didn't like the editing and the formatting. There are no quotation marks around the dialogue. Two or more people maybe speaking within the same paragraph with their thoughts mixed in, and yet, I had no trouble following it. Some complained about the other characters not being fleshed out. None of these bothered me. I was enjoying the overall quality of the story. I do analyze, but I don't analyze things to death. I either like a book or I don't, and I liked this one. Sally Rooney is talented. Her style is unique, and far from being a carbon copy of other writers. Normal people gripped my attention from the beginning to the end. (image by Michael Richmond)

(image by Martha Mcclure)