Ireland day 0110. Sunday 16 January 2022- AGM

Ireland day 0110. Sunday 16 January 2022- AGM
Today’s summary Went into Dublin for the AGM of the Dublin Walking Club in Wynn’s Hotel.   Volunteered to lead a walk in February.   came back via Irish Film Institute
Today’s weather Dry sunny and relatively mild.   Absolutely no wind.   About 7C
Today’s overview location
(the red cross in a circle shows where Val and I are at the moment)
Close-up location
(Click button bellow to download GPX of this morning’s walk or see interactive map at the bottom):
Chalfont walk
Commentary

If we hadn’t been overseas and a long way from home, today would have been what by most accounts would be called a “normal” day. That is because we went to a Meeting. Yes, a real meeting with a proper Agenda and Minutes.

But that happened in the afternoon. Before that, we had already had an enjoyable morning enjoying this protracted spell of good weather, here in Malahide. Val got up early and went for a run while I – never good at getting up early especially at weekends – got up a bit later and explored a new bit of Malahide on foot, and ended up by the estuary. It was a really nice, Sunday-ish, way to start the day.

After getting the day off to a good start, we had breakfast then prepared our packed lunches and headed off to Dublin on the DART. There was no Thermos today, you will be relieved to know, as we had decided to take out a mortgage and get a coffee in town. You will be doubly relieved to know also that there was no museum on the agenda today – and this is where the Meeting bit comes in. Because today was the AGM of the Dublin Walking Club. We have got such a lot of enjoyment from going on their group walks, we wanted to go along and show a bit of support for the excellent and hardworking volunteer committee members.

The meeting was held in Wynn’s Hotel and admirably short. The main agenda item was deciding what to do about the annual membership fee. It had been waived completely in 2021, reflecting the disruption caused by Covid, but it was decided to reinstate it in 2022, but keep it at the 2019 level of €30. It’s good value, I think, considering how much pleasure we’ve got out of it. The other business of the day was a general call for walk leaders and before I knew it, I found that I had volunteered to lead one in February. I have led plenty of walks in the UK but never one in a foreign country so actually I’m quite nervous about the prospect. Anyway, proper planning and prior preparation prevents p*ss poor performance, and all that, so Val land I will head off into the countryside and try and find a suitable route to recce and then lead in a few weeks’ time. Wish me luck.

I should also mention that there was also a debate about a possible affiliation with the “Keep Ireland Open” movement. This group works to try and keep such rights of way as there are in Ireland, open. Given the relatively poor public access to land here in Ireland compared to the UK, I thought I would go along to their AGM – also in Dublin – on 5 February, to see what they have to say.

Formal agenda despatched, there was the inescapable chatting still to be done – members that we hadn’t seen since before Christmas – and we had lots to catch up on. I’ve come to realise that the joy of walking itself is only part of the reason people join walking clubs. The other – perhaps even the bigger part – is the social dimension it brings.

Time flew in the chat session, so it was almost dark by the time we left the hotel. Rather than heading straight back to Malahide, we thought we would take a wander round the Temple Bar area, and then on towards St Stephen’s Green. On our way through, we passed the Irish Film Institute in Eustace Street. Being nosy, we had to take a look inside, and discovered a really nice, welcoming reception atrium, with three cinema screens and a bar. On the spur of the minute, we booked in to see a film tomorrow evening (I’ll report back later) and made some time for refreshment in the bar. Quite a while later, we emerged into the dying embers of the day, and walked across Grafton St and its diaspora of trendy boutiques, to Pearse station. We only had to wait three minutes for the Malahide train, so we seemed to be back at the flat in next to no time.

So today was definitely a bit of a departure from our typical day exploring, and it looks like tomorrow – with the arty film thrown in – could be even more so. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week will bring!

 

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

In the Chalfont estate – a new part of West Malahide which I hadn’t explored before.   Nice, quiet and smart I thought. Down on the lagoon the view was beautiful.   The oystercatchers were ducking and diving and the trains were pottering about on the embankment.  Perfect.
One of the Joycian back-alleys of Dublin, just off Abbey Street Lower Inside the Irish Film Institute.   It had a good atmosphere and I immediately felt at home here.  Especially after we had been to the bar.
The statuette on the right is a real Oscar.   I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before.   It’s on display in the Irish Film Institute and it was awarded to Josie MacAvin in 1992 for Best Art Direction in the movie “Out Of Africa”. In Castle Market.   It’s a nice area which felt a bit like Covent Garden in London
In George’s Street Arcade, just across the road from Castle market.   Full of  interesting shops selling interesting things at very high prices
Interactive map:
Total distance: 3424 m
Max elevation: 15 m
Min elevation: 3 m
Total climbing: 21 m
Total descent: -22 m
Total time: 00:39:05
Download file: Short Walk around The Chalfonts.gpx
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