I hate to let go of the Ireland trip. Posting the last photos seems like letting go a little. Here’s the final sunrise in Adare before we headed to Dublin.

We were up and on the road early. It’s just too bad I couldn’t get a photo of a charming site, though – cows crossing over a bridge across the main road on the drive.

Linda and Kevin indulged me in Dublin. I really wanted to see the Government Post Office, the GPO in Dublin. It was the scene of much of the action of the Easter Rising. Because 2016 is the one hundredth anniversary of the Easter Rising, there was an exhibit at the GPO with uniformed guides portraying women involved in it. I found it fascinating, perhaps a little more than Linda and Kevin did. So, I appreciate their time.

Inside the GPO, which has been restored.

From there, we walked to Trinity College. This is the Ha’penny Bridge across the River Liffey. Later in the afternoon, we walked across the bridge when we were touring a little of Dublin with Kevin’s cousin.

We went to Trinity College, again to indulge me. I wanted to see the Book of Kells, but I was even more excited to see the Old Library. And, Linda enjoyed the library as much as I did.  I know it’s touristy, but it was also wonderful to see so many people standing in line to see a book and a library.

This is a newer building on the campus, and the sign that really struck me during this election season. The quote is from Edmund Burke, who attended Trinity College. His statue is in front of the college by the pedestrian gate. The sign that has the quote on it reflects, so what you’re seeing in the photo are the clouds that day and a campus building. Interesting that it reflects the state of the world on the day you’re standing in front of it.

It was at the pedestrian gate that we met up with Kevin’s father’s cousin, John Henry, and his wife, Marcella. John Henry had given Linda much of the travel advise as to what we did while we were in Ireland. We had lunch with them, and then John Henry offered to show us some of his favorite spots in Dublin. The photo of St. Stephen’s Green is my last picture from Ireland. John Henry compared St. Stephen’s Green to our Central Park. It’s a public park in the center of Dublin, so there was green space, and the park itself has a fascinating history, beginning in the late 17th century when it was first established. At one time, Sir Arthur Guinness bought it from a private commission and gave it back to the public. It was also another scene of the Easter Rising. On the Sunday we were there, it was peaceful and beautiful with all kinds of families and other groups using the park.

We also went to Merrion Square, where there’s an interesting statue of Oscar Wilde, one that shows both sides of his nature, the tragedy and comedy. When you look at the statue face on, it appears to have a wry smile. But, if you stand on one side, it’s smiling. On the other side, it’s a frown. John Henry showed us that. He took us to the Temple Bar entertainment district, and, to get there, we walked across the Ha’penny Bridge. We had such a nice afternoon with them, and I’m grateful to John Henry for his advice on the trip. He told me the next time I come back, I have to see Northern Ireland where he lives. Kevin said we’d go back, just not immediately. There’s so much we haven’t seen yet!

My dream trip ended back in the U.S., where I spent one last night at Kevin and Linda’s. The best way to end it? Sunrise in Pickerington, Ohio.