Back to Ireland and Dublin Town

After our time in Galway, we took the train back to Dublin. We really hated to leave, and I do hope to go back next year to see more of Galway, county Clare, and perhaps get to Dingle and Connemara, and the village of Roundstone where one of my all-time favorite movies, The Matchmaker was filmed.

Last trip to Ireland in 2013, Larry and I met Leo East, who stopped to help us as we were puzzling over a map. That chance meeting led to me being able to connect Leo with his old schoolmate Rob who now lives in The Netherlands. Life has some unexpected twists, doesn't it? On this trip, Rob encouraged me to call Leo, so I did.

Leo came to Dublin to meet up with me and took me for a fascinating three-hour walk around the city. He pointed out many sites of interest, told stories and was just altogether a delight to get to know better. I hope I see him again on my next trip. He is a walking encyclopedia of Irish history.


For example, the lovely houses in Merrion Square where our hotel was located: According to Leo, they were built for members of the Irish Parliament when it met in Dublin. A beautiful private park in Merrion Square was developed just for these members of the ruling class, a place for nannies to take children to walk and play. Then, when the Irish Parliament moved from Dublin Castle to London, most of the gentry vacated their Georgian homes and moved to London too, a transition that began around 1800. The empty houses were taken over by Irish who had been living in the poorest of circumstances because of the British Penal Laws enacted against Catholics. They moved their livestock into the back yards, and sometimes as many as 20 families lived in one house (these homes were three or four floors tall, so there was a good bit of room in them, but still it would have been pretty crowded). Conditions in Dublin became pretty squalid as the city's wealth and prosperity disappeared with the gentry. But over the years the homes have been restored for the most part, often housing businesses on the bottom floors and housing above.

And there were these heavy glass grates, almost like manhole covers, but rectangular instead of round, that I kept seeing in the sidewalks. I knew the glass was old because it was turning purple, a sign of glass made prior to 1914. Leo explained that these were skylights in underground storerooms that often ran out under the streets. The glass panels provided light in these places at a time when electricity was not available.

There was much more that he told me and I wish I'd had a recorder with me because I cannot remember it all. Next time, I'll at least have a notebook to jot it down!

It was such a pleasure to see Leo again. What a guy. We finally said good night, and Theresa and I headed off to bed to be ready for our trip the next day to the Hill of Tara and Newgrange.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Blessings

This has been a day of such goodness, and such sadness. This evening let me tell you about the goodness:

Last October when we were in Dublin, Ireland we happened to meet a lovely man named Leo East. We were looking at our tourist map, trying to figure out where we were and where to go next when Mr. East approached us and offered assistance. We had a lively conversation; he told us about many sites of interest within walking distance of where we stood, and a little about his life and family. We told him about our trip and our sons, and when we said we had a son in Florida, he said his sister lived there and was the owner of a motel in that city. Larry took a photo of Mr. East and me, and we said our goodbyes.

I have thought about Mr. East many times since then, recalling his warmth and welcome to two strangers. I wished I had gotten his contact information so that if chance took me back to Ireland I might have the opportunity to see him again. Sometimes we just connect with people, you know?

Earlier this week I received an email from a man in the Netherlands. He was searching for a school friend from years ago named Leo East, and happened upon my blog post about him. Did I know how to get in touch with Leo? He knew, of course, that the chances were slim that it was the same man as his friend, but thought it worth a try.

I wrote back that I did not have Mr. East's contact information, but I did remember the name of his sister's motel because we had considered staying there during our trip to Florida. I offered to look it up, and then after some thought, offered to call myself and see if I could get any information about Leo.

As luck would have it, Mr. East's sister herself answered the phone when I called. It took a bit for me to explain why I was calling to someone who wasn't too familiar with the internet, but after we talked for a while she offered to get in touch with her brother or his children and pass on my phone number and email.

This morning my phone rang; it was Leo East. Yes, he remembered me, and yes, he was the Leo East who was the school friend of the man in the Netherlands. He was astounded that I had found him, that his friend had somehow found me, and that he might once again speak with his friend. We chatted a good while and  I passed on the phone number and address of the man in the Netherlands.

In this wide world, we are really not far separated from any other person, are we? I am so happy to have been part of this surprising re-connection of old friends. I am planning to return to Ireland this summer with friends, and I hope that somehow on our trip I might get a chance to once again have a chat with Mr. Leo East.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.