I’ve already posted many Irish doors from my trip in June, but not this one:
This is the Dublin Unitarian Church, which I walked by many times before realizing what it was. The church was right near our hotel, but so “tucked in,” I didn’t notice it until the very end of my time there.
It’s clearly in the gothic style, similar to last week’s doors. I guess I like “recessed arches.” (Thanks to Suzette for naming them for me.) And look at those cool hinges.
Seriously, this church has NO breathing room on either side. By the time I noticed it was a Unitarian Church, it was time to go home. I never got to see the inside. The doors were locked both times I tried. ☹️
Similar to Unitarian Universalist churches in the USA, it uses the flaming chalice symbol.
What’s the difference between Unitarian Universalist and just Unitarian?
PerChatGPT:
American Unitarian Universalism (UU) emerged in 1961 from the merger of Unitarian and Universalist traditions, forming a non-creedal, pluralistic movement embracing humanists, theists, atheists, pagans, and others. It emphasizes individual freedom, social justice, and spiritual diversity without doctrinal boundaries.
European Unitarian churches, including Dublin’s, remain rooted in liberal Christian heritage, emphasizing reason, conscience, and the moral teachings of Jesus while rejecting the Trinity. They are typically more theistic and biblically grounded, though open and inclusive. In short: American UUism is multi-faith and post-Christian, while European Unitarianism is liberal Christian with freedom of belief.
For more Thursday Doors, see Dan’s blog No Facilities.
Like Sex and the City, Rosie O’Donnell is very aligned to me culturally.
In case you don’t remember the 1990s, Rosie O’Donnell was HUGE—one of America’s biggest cultural figures. Her daytime talkshow The Rosie O’Donnell Show won multiple Emmys and the media nicknamed her “The Queen of Nice.” She was truly a household name. I watched her a lot. She adopted her first child Parker in 1995, the same year I became a mom. She kept me company during the day when I was home with my kids. She was funny, kind, warm and loved Broadway musicals like I did.
In the 2000s, her image shifted as she came out publicly and became a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, which made me like her even more. Later, when she was on The View, I didn’t watch her as often because I was back working, but I know that’s when her public fights with Donald Trump really ramped up. My recollection is that it was primarily a beef between two New Yorkers that had history and absolutely hated each other in a way that only two New Yorkers can.
Well, lo and behold, thirty years later, Trump is the most authoritarian President the United States has ever seen and Rosie has escaped to Ireland.
In fact, since I discovered her TikTok and Substack shortly before my trip to Ireland, I’ve been following her time abroad closely. She seems to really love living in Dublin, although she misses her family. I even went to the Dublin comedy club where she had been practicing her act for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. By all accounts, she was a smashing success there. She plays Australia next.
I’m happy for Rosie that things are going well for her abroad, but I’m very aware of the absolutely dystopian reasons she left the country.
We are in uncharted waters now.
We live in a time when an American President publicly threatens to revoke a natural-born American’s citizenship for no reason other than that he just really fucking hates her.
Tom Cruise on The Rosie O’Donnell Show (and BTW, good on Tom for declining to accept a lifetime achievement award from Orange Mussolini at The Kennedy Center)
My parents have traveled a lot. They’ve been to many countries and seen many things. And one thing I’ve noticed is that they’ve forgotten quite a few specifics of late. I’m not blaming them (they’re pretty darn old), but I’d like to not forget as much as possible.
Typically, I take photos of signs or menus to remember where I was, but now our phones tell us exactly where each pic was taken (which is handy).
In any case, this post is mostly for me, like a diary. And possibly for my kids or grandkids who may someday wonder where exactly we went in Ireland on that trip we took back in 2025.
Barry’s Tea in our room at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. I thought this was a good sign because “Barry” was my great grandmother’s last name! Barry’s is one of 2 major tea brands popular in Ireland. The other one is Lyons. We were told people are fiercely loyal to one brand or the other. Nobody ever switches brands.Irish breakfast at Café Aroma, Ennis This document is the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, one of the most important texts in Irish history. We saw it everywhere. This one is in Ennis. Here’s the sign at the Cliffs of Moher. Everything is written in both English and Irish (aka Irish Gaelic)—it’s not a dead language. People still speak it and kids are required to learn it in a school.My dessert at Henry’s Bistro & Wine Bar, EnnisWe took the The Killimer–Tarbert Ferry across the Shannon River in western Ireland. It connects Killimer, in County Clare to Tarbert, in County Kerry This is the pub in Listowel (County Kerry) owned by Billy Keane, son of beloved Irish playwright John B. Keane. Billy told us many great stories and (because it was my birthday) I was selected to play the part of a drunk patron being shooed from the bar with a push broom. I nailed it. 🤣This is The South Pole Pub in Annascaul, County Kerry, where we stopped for a drink on a rainy day. It was owned and run by Tom Crean, one of Ireland’s greatest polar explorers.Tom Crean (1877-1938) played a major role in Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, one of the greatest survival stories in exploration history. Handsome, right?In Dingle, we were lucky to get in to see the exceptional Harry Clarke stained‑glass windows in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, part of the former Presentation Sisters’ convent on Green Street, now known as An Díseart – Institute of Irish Spirituality and Culture. A close-up of “The Three Kings” in one of the Harry Clarke windows (the faces, wow)This is where we saw a crystal cutting demo and I bought a cute little bud vase with Irish beehive design. It’s signed by the founder and master cutter Sean Daly.I managed to get it home unbroken in my carry-on, even though Irish airport security insisted on unpacking it! Slea Head Drive, The Blasket Centre and Gallarus Oratory in the Dingle Peninsula was the most spectacular day of the trip.I had my first Guinness at Curran’s Pub in Dingle and it was good. Not all pubs in Ireland serve Guinness correctly. You have to ask the locals.This is the lobby of the Milltown House in Dingle where we stayed for two nights. This horse—I mean dog—lives in the hotel. He’s a huge Irish Wolfhound named Seamus.We had a truly delicious dinner at Doyle’s Seafood in Dingle. I heard a great guitarist/singer at this pub in Dingle. He had the whole place singing along.The sign from the Monastery in Adare explains that the many pigeons you see nesting in the walls of ancient buildings in Ireland were actually a major food source for the monks. 🤢The choir logo (for lack of a better word) from the choir quarters at the Rock of Cashel. As a choir lady myself, I had to get a photo of it. Apparently they treated those 15th century choristers very well around town! Free food, etc (if they flashed the logo)We had a nice cocktail party and group dinner here at “The Left Bank” in Kilkenny. We stayed nearby at the Pembroke.Explanation of another fascinating, ancient spiral 🌀 carving in the Glendalough Visitor Center, County Wicklow.This one has a cross in the middle of the spiral so they think it’s from a later period than the ones at Newgrange.Delicious lunch at Avoca Fern House, about 35 minutes south of Dublin in Kilmacanogue, County WicklowArtist and activist Grace Gifford Plunkett’s cell at Kilmainham jail (subject of Rod Stewart’s song Grace, she married her husband just before his execution)This is a huge sign on a building in the main courtyard of Trinity College near the Book of Kells entrance.An interactive display at the EPIC Museum in Dublin told me I’m part of the large Irish diaspora with the Barry nameWe stayed at the Iveagh Garden Hotel in Dublin, which is in a fantastic location. The ancient Gleninsheen Gold Collar at the National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin. In addition to the magnificent gold collection, the preserved human “bog bodies” are a highlight of this major FREE museum. The International is a centrally located bar with stand-up comedy shows upstairs AND in the cellar. Rosie O’Donnell (who left the US for Ireland due to Trump) has been honing her set here over the past few months. We pinned a dollar on the wall at The Hairy Lemon in Dublin.I finally got my Fish and Chips there. It was good! They served it with pea mash—unclear if the mash was for dipping the fish or fries—or just eating plain.A small sign in the exterior of the Unitarian Church of Dublin, which was very close to our hotel (Iveagh Garden)Pride and Diversity flags were flying all over Dublin.Ireland is a successful, progressive country in 2025. It has great public schools, free healthcare, free college, legal abortion, same sex marriage, and is the second wealthiest country in Europe, believe it or not! We were told on multiple occasions that the Catholic Church is used mainly to “match, hatch and dispatch” and that young people rarely attend mass. Multiculturalism is a goal there.
After Kilkenny, it was onwards to Dublin—the great capital city of the Republic of Ireland. We approached Dublin from the south, which was described as the “posh” side of town.
After a lovely lunch surrounded by ancient giant trees at The Fern House (and quick shopping in the attached Avoca store), we headed to the city for something completely different— a moving tour of Kilmainham Gaol.
The Fern House Cafe
Our tour guide at the Gaol (jail) was very dramatic and deadly serious about Ireland’s history and struggles for independence against “the colonizer” (aka Great Britain).
This historic prison is a powerful symbol of Irish nationalism, as it held many leaders of Ireland’s rebellions, including the 14 men executed after the 1916 Easter Rising. (On the way to the prison, the guide played Rod Stewart’s beautiful song Grace about Joseph Plunkett—one of the 14 rebellion leaders—who was allowed to marry his childhood sweetheart Grace shortly before his execution.)
Kilmainham Gaol
The next morning, the sun came out and we did a walking tour and saw many of the city’s iconic sites:
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin
The Long Library at Trinity College, Dublin, which you enter after viewing Ireland’s most famous artifact—The Book of KellsThe Temple Bar, Dublin
Meanwhile, my son John (who had been in Sweden for work) joined us in Dublin, which was fantastic. It was so great to spend time with him!
My son and me at a pub on Camden Street
We did several more museums with him, including EPIC (the Irish Emigration Museum) and the National Museum of Archeology. We also went to many pubs, stores and even a sold-out comedy show, where we were the only Americans and the comedians knew it. 🤣 (They did not hold back on the Trump jokes, which was awesome.)
Check out the International for great stand-up
And NOW, if you’re still reading, here’s the most amazing thing that happened in Dublin. You may remember that this trip was inspired, in part, by my Irish roots. Thanks to my mother’s extensive genealogy research, I have a lot of information about my great grandmother’s family, including the names and addresses of her parents—and their parents.
One night we walked by the address of the home where my great grandmother’s mother grew up and believe it or not, her father’s name is STILL on the door: Beverly Smyth.
30 South Anne Street is right in the middle of all the action in Dublin City Center—just off Grafton Street. Beverly Smyth (1817-1898) was my great, great, great grandfather. The company he started in 1846 (Beverly Smyth & Sons) is still in existence. It’s now a well-established Irish moving and storage company known as Oman Beverly Smyth.My maternal grandfather, Henry Beverly Powell (1906-1964) reportedly hated having “Beverly” as his middle name and only ever went by Henry B. Powell, but it turns out that Beverly (his mother’s grandfather) was a successful Dublin businessman.
I also found the church where my grandfather’s maternal grandparents got married in 1879:
St. Andrew’s Church, Westland Row, Dublin
And of course, I went inside the church too, because I’m like that!
My great great grandfather John Barry (1846-1881) married Beverly & Bridget Smyth’s daughter Mary in St. Andrew’s Church in 1879.Their eldest child Mary Barry (so many Marys! Very confusing!!) was born a year later — in 1880. She then emigrated to America (Brooklyn, NYC) in 1903 at age 23. She died in 1952, just 12 years before her son (my grandfather).
I had two other Dublin addresses for the Barrys, but did not have time to see them when I was there, so I’ll have to go back.
But the bottom line is: I’m a DUBLINER people. My people were city folk. They were not digging potatoes in County Cork. So the next time I go to the Dubliner bar in Boston, I’ll know I belong.
My son John in front of his great great great great grandfather’s house in Dublin
It really is in a prime city location and currently up for rent! Here’s the street it’s on:
According to the realtor, the “Beverly Smyth & Sons” nameplate can never be removed because the property is on Dublin’s list of protected properties. So maybe someday my granddaughter will visit Dublin and see her great x5 grandparents’ home.
FINAL THOUGHT: we have far too many Johns and Marys in the family tree (on both the Irish and Italian sides). Giving your kids unique first names will help future generations keep it all straight. 😜
As I prepare to turn sixty in 77 days, I am working on my Bucket List (things I want to do and places I want to see before I “kick the bucket”). I’ve always been one to keep a “to do” list (I like getting stuff done), but this one is fun. I started it shortly after my dear friend Carla unexpectedly got sick and passed away in 2022 at age 57.
I try to really think about places and experiences that call to me, not just rack up instagrammable, exotic locations. I have reasons for wanting to see these places. For the bigger trips, I try to keep the budget to $10,000 (or less) for the two of us for a full week. I know that’s a lot of money for a lot of folks, but believe me, I know people that spend a whole hell of a lot more than that on their luxury vacations. I would say we are “budget conscious” travelers, but I will splurge on special experiences like dinner in the Eiffel Tower or a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.
Is there any other foreign country that looms quite so large in the American psyche? I don’t think so!
Like millions of other Americans, I am a descendant of poor Irish immigrants. My great grandmother Mary Barry was from Dublin.
My mother’s father’s mother, Mary Barry, with six of her children, including my maternal grandfather Henry (far right). She was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1880 and died in Queens, NY in 1952. She immigrated to America, through Ellis Island, in 1903. She was 23 years old and arrived with three US dollars to her name.
This trip to Ireland will mark my first group tour experience. We’ve never been on a weeklong tour before. I usually book the hotels and do all the planning myself, but since it’s my birthday, I wanted to give myself a break and have someone else do the planning.
I looked at many types of tours (including on bikes and boats), but ultimately decided to try a Rick Steves tour. Good old Rick—PBS super nerd! I love his guidebooks and his travel philosophy in general. Plus, he is a well known weed-smoking liberal, so the chances of having any Trumpers in our group are slim.
So now, I need to start reading more about Ireland. I’ve already watched many of the recent TV shows and movies set there, including the excellent miniseries about The Troubles—Say Nothing.
Our tour is in the Republic of Ireland only, but I’m contemplating taking a trip up to Belfast (Northern Ireland, UK) at the end of the trip. We will be staying a few extra days in Dublin, where our son will join us, so I need to make some plans for that time.
Please send your Dublin recommendations and any advice you might have about planning a day trip to Belfast.
Also, books! What should I read to help truly understand the heart of this country and its people, from whom so many of us Americans descend?
I’m open to the classics, as well as modern fiction, historical fiction and nonfiction.
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