Even if you are unfamiliar with Ireland’s literary contributors, you can still appreciate the impact they made on Irish history. When sightseeing in Ireland there is a good chance of seeing a monument or statue, and Dublin has plenty!
Located in Dublin’s Merrion Square Park is one of Ireland’s beloved, Oscar Wilde; famous novelist, poet, and playwright, and regarded as one of the best writers of the Victorian Era. Across the park you will find The Oscar Wilde House.
This childhood home of Oscar Wilde was once a house at the heart of it all; frequented by many of the great writers, poets, artists, and politicians of the mid 1800s, who gathered to discuss, share, or debate major events of their time, past or present. It is said Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, was among the many who frequented the house.
Oscar Wilde’s parents were Lady Jane & Sir William Wilde. Lady Jane was a poet, writer, and translator. She was a significant figure for the Irish people during the Great Famine through her writings in a local newspaper, and was an advocate and voice for women’s rights in Ireland. Sir William was a distinguished eye and ear surgeon known throughout Europe, an inventor of medical instruments, antiquarian, and writer.
While walking through Dublin, we stumbled across the Oscar Wilde home by accident. Though it was not on our list of places to visit, it was worth the small fee to take a step inside a place where so much took place.
The house itself is well-preserved and beautiful- a Georgian-style architecture, serving as a true hidden gem on a corner. Ornate crown moldings, arched doorways, a stained-glass door, are just a few pieces of architecture and design that left a lasting impression.
Another well preserved beautiful feature is the flooring; wide wood planks original to the house made from Irish oak. My favorite feature was the stain glass window. The sunlight pouring through the window made the room glow.
I was in awe of what this one window did to this space. If there were any takeaways from this visit, it’s that I was able to walk the same halls of many well-known names now written in history.
Interesting things happen when you least expect them to or in our case, when we choose to explore a city on foot with open hearts and open minds.
The black and white iconic sign flashes from a distance. Could this happen again? Did we stumble upon another iconic literary establishment? It is Dublin after all; It is bound to happen.
I would venture to say that many people could claim to have read James Joyce’s Ulysses with roughly 1% percent of the population comprehending the stream of consciousness experiment. Drawing on Homer’s The Odyssey, the novel weaves the tale of Leopold Bloom, his wife Molly and Stephen Dedalus.
Packed with allusions and peculiar prose, all the events happen in Dublin on a single day, June 16, 1904. Being in the minority of not considering Ulysses Joyce’s masterpiece (it’s The Dubliners for me), I still am able to recognize the significance of this place Karen and I have stumbled upon.
1 Lincoln Place is the famous address of Sweny’s Pharmacy. Leopold Bloom visits Sweny’s in Ulysses during the “Lotus Eaters” episode. In the scene, Bloom enters Sweny’s to buy a bar of lemon soap, which he carries around for the rest of the day. Standing outside the arched white windows, I can see a tiny glimpse of all the history that awaits inside the store.
The space is small but infused with so much to look at; I do not know where to begin. Every inch of counter is accounted for. Shelves hold books and other knickknacks – some Joyce-related, some not.
I feel like I am in a professor’s office. It is cozy and disheveled, and it feels like ideas and meaningful conversations are exchanged here.
Sweney’s opened its doors in 1847. While not operating as a working pharmacy anymore the remaining architecture and design still tell the original story of the store. The original shelves line the walls, still holding glass jars from the pharmacy’s past. The old, wooden counters and display cases have been preserved.
One noticeable artifact that sits on top of the counter is a replica of one of Joyce’s death masks. The death mask of James Joyce is a cast taken from his face shortly after his death in 1941. Joyce’s facial features are distinct, allowing visitors to really get an up-close look at the author.
The smell of wood and lemon leads my nose to the space where lemon soap is available to purchase. A literary souvenir! I purchased two bars for Karen and myself. As we make our way out of the store, a man leading a group stops me to ask if I would like to stay and participate in a read -along of Ulysses.
I think of Burgess’ sentiment, “It’s easy to sympathize with those who find it difficult. It’s a big, forbidding book, full of words that look difficult to understand.” I smile, decline the offer and continue on my way with my soap in hand.
Read more of Karen & Shannon’s Get In Lads, We’re Going on an Adventure, HERE
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“The Labour Party made a manifesto commitment to ‘repeal and replace’ the Legacy Act ‘by returning to the principles of the Stormont House Agreement’, this announcement falls far short of that.
*Karen and Shannon are two old friends who share a passion for all things Irish. You can find them at PJ’s on Tuesday nights with a Jameson and ginger in hand, attending the Speak Irish Cleveland class. As far as their column-writing abilities are concerned, this is, in fact, their first rodeo. They can be reached at [email protected].
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