![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.conversiondiary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg\" "\\"7_quick_takes_sm\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u2014 1 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 My favorite part of my trip to Ireland\u00a0avec ma m\u00e8re<\/em> occurred on our last full day when we visited Kilmainham Gaol<\/a>, a prison built in the Benthamite style and used to incarcerate (and execute) many of Ireland\u2019s most famous political prisoners. \u00a0As you can see above, the panopticon design of one of the prison\u2019s wings lets guards observe all of the prisoners as easily as possible.<\/p>\n The museum and tour were excellent. \u00a0I wish I\u2019d gone earlier in the trip, since this was the stop that gave me my best overview of Irish history and some of the major players. \u00a0I got a little verklempt more than once. \u00a0Including when the guide told us that Kilmainham\u2019s last prisoner, Eamon de Valera<\/a>, went on to become Ireland\u2019s president, and presided over the restoration of the prison as historical site. \u00a0In the museum, I also discovered this:<\/p>\n Valera wasn\u2019t the only politician to rise from the prison, but I was still struck by these campaign posters:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/a>\u2014 2 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n There was only one contender for my\u00a0least<\/em> favorite activity in Ireland. \u00a0Before arriving, I had\u00a0definitely<\/em> gotten the impression that touring the Guinness Storehouse meant touring a\u00a0factory<\/em>, but there were no machines (active or inactive), very few detailed looks at the\u00a0how<\/em>, and a whole lot of creepy hagiography of a beer.<\/p>\n The strangest moment of the tour came when we followed signs for a \u201ctasting\u201d and wound up walking through a very dark corridor and emerging in a bright white room with four columns puffing smoke. \u00a0The Guinness employee told us that the corridor was meant as a sensual palate cleanser, and that our current room was white to remove distractions as we wafted the perfumes of hops, etc (the aerosolized smoke) to familiarize ourselves with the flavors of Guinness.<\/p>\n \u00a0From there, we proceeded to another, darker room with wood paneling where everyone was given detailed instructions on how to taste their samples of stout and then discarded their empties on little plinths (as above). \u00a0I was reminded of this passage from\u00a0Mere Christianity<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act\u2014that is, to watch a girl undress on the stage. Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let every one see, just before the lights went out, that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon, would you not think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/a>\u2014 3 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Madness. \u00a0Insanity. \u00a0And speaking of which, when my mom and I were out in Galway, we had a lovely trip to the Cliffs of Moher, which you may recognize from their role in\u00a0The Princess Bride<\/em> as The Cliffs of Insanity.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u2014 4 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Walking\u00a0<\/em>along the cliffs was fun, but my poor mother did yeoman\u2019s work driving <\/em>us around Connemara where she had to drive on the \u2018wrong\u2019 side of the road along curvy, cliff-facing roads that were two-lane in name only. \u00a0Bizarrely, many of these roads were labelled with speed limits of 100km\/hr. \u00a0Even though obstructions as below were not uncommon:<\/p>\n I prefer my encounters with livestock to be a little less perilous and a lot more whimsical:<\/p>\n <\/a>\u2014 5 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if \u2018whimsical\u2019 is the best word for what I found in the gift shop that followed the Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College. \u00a0To refresh your memory, the Book of Kells<\/a> is an illuminated copy of the Gospels, and if that piece of background knowledge gives you any insight as to why Trinity would be selling this, you\u2019re a wiser woman than I.<\/p>\n Chapter titles included, \u201cLife on Mars\u201d \u201cA Return from the Dead\u201d \u201cEscape into Egypt\u201d and \u201cThe Tao Weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u2014 6 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t pick up a copy, so I can\u2019t shed any more light on that topic. \u00a0My on-topic vacation reading turned out to include:<\/p>\n And I can\u2019t resist sharing this passage from the story \u201cHow Conchubar the High King died for Christ\u201d from Lady Gregory\u2019s compendium:<\/p>\n [Conchubar] asked his druid that was with him the meaning of that great change. \u00a0\u201cIt is Jesus Christ the Son of God\u201d said the druid \u201cthat is at this time meeting with his death.\u201d \u00a0\u201cIt is a pity\u201d said Conchubar \u201cthat he did not call out for the help of a High King. \u00a0And that would bring me myself there\u201d he said \u201cin the shape of a hardy fighter, my lips twitching, until the great courage of a champion would be heard breaking a gap of battle between two armies\u2026 beautiful the overthrowing I would give his enemies; beautiful the fight I would make for Christ that is defouled\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n And with that he took his sword and he rushed at an oakwood that was near at hand\u2026 And from the greatness of the anger that gripped him, the wound in his head burst open and the ball started from it brought away the brain with it. \u00a0And that is the way Conchu King of Ireland met with his death.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/a>\u2014 7 \u2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n And with that, I\u2019m homeward bound. \u00a0I\u2019ll put up a link to the video of my talk at\u00a0The Irish Catholic<\/em> after the holiday weekend, and, for now, Sl\u00e1n<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0T\u00e1 m\u2019\u00e1rthach foluaineach l\u00e1n d\u2019eascanna!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n