I finally got sleep! Have no fear, however, because I was able to walk off any extra energy I managed to gain through my slumber. The class attended a walking tour with a phenomenal tour guide, someone who actually studied history and is a true Irish local.
He was able to provide a rather comprehensive yet still short and sweet overview of Irish history right at the beginning of the tour as a reminder and to set the scene for the facts and tidbits he would be covering. After that, he went straight into the tour taking us to St. Stephens Green (the park) first.
On the way, we learned about how Guinness has notoriously always treated their workers incredibly well. The company provided housing, which included a swimming pool way back when, and employees were offered treatment from a specific doctor for them and their families. The tour guide even spoke to these facts saying how a friend of his, her father worked for Guinness, and she still to this day can and does go to that doctor provided. He also mentioned how the Guinness family just contributed a lot to the Dublin/Irish community in general. Everything with the name/word “Iveagh” attached to it, was there thanks to the Guinness family.
Once we arrived at one of the entrances of the park, Dara, the guide, spoke about Irish history. His focus at this point was on a leader and founding figure of the Republican effort, Theobald Wolfe Tone. A statue of him stood at the corner entrance to the green space. The guide explained how it was an uncommon depiction of the figure because he rarely was portrayed with his full face. He always was photographed from the side due to a scar on the other side of his face.
Through the rest of the tour, we learned about the purpose for the Irish language appearing everywhere. While it is still taught in schools, but rarely spoken by the country as a whole, the language serves as a sort of patriotic effort. It was something to identify with when trying to separate themselves from the United Kingdom. Therefore, the language appears before English on most street signs around the Republic of Ireland.
A common theme throughout Irish History that Dara was teaching was women stepping up to fight for their country. During a lot of the struggles toward independence from Britain, there were often women at the front fighting as well as women working toward certain efforts through government.
Although I sometimes try to stray from doing things “too touristy,” I am so thankful we went on the walking tour around Dublin. I learned so so much that was rather memorable!
To finish off the night, a few of us ventured out to a pub where I had my first Guinness in Ireland! I soon realized I was allergic to Guinness, but the cultural experience was unmatched.