Ireland day 0592. Saturday 13 May 2023- Boat Race *

Ireland day 0592. Saturday 13 May 2023- Boat Race

Today’s summary	Took the H2 bus into Dublin to buy a shirt, then walked out to Phoenix Park via Kilmainham and the river, where there was a boat race going on. Back from Ashtown at the end
Today’s weather	Light high cloud to start with but cleared to become a sunny bright dry day, but wisps of cold clammy sea fog occasionally drifted in from the coast. Light south easterly wind. Appx 16C

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where I walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Jervis to Ashtown via Boat Race and Phoenix

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

Unsurprisingly, I discovered that I had made a (thankfully minor) error in one of my tax papers, so I spent a happy hour or so first thing this morning correcting it. Then, as Val was at work, I headed in to Dublin to buy a shirt for a major wedding that’s coming up this summer.

It took ages to get in to town, as there wasn’t a train for half an hour so I decided to get the H2 instead. I got a front seat upper deck seat as usual, so I enjoyed the ride in. But there are roadworks everywhere at the moment, so it seemed to take forever. Once in town, I headed to Marks and Spencers in the Jervis Centre to get a shirt, which I successfully did.

Then, rather than heading straight back to Malahide, as the weather was turning nice, I decided to walk out to Phoenix Park via Kilmainham, the War Memorial gardens and the river. It turned out to be an interesting walk, as there was a boat race to going on near the Memorial gardens, so the whole thing felt very summery and civilised. I paused for lunch in the beautiful formal gardens at Kilmainham Hospital, then after watching the boats for a bit, duly arrived in Phoenix Park via Chapelizod.

I had hoped to get to Farmleigh, but I was running a bit late so I decided to cut my losses and walk straight across the park to Ashtown station. It was an enjoyable walk, but I just missed a train so had a half hour wait – plenty long enough though to get a coffee and croissant so the time wasn’t wasted. Then I had another half hour to wait at Connolly for the train to Malahide. I passed the time there by inspecting the Belfast Enterprise train on an adjacent platform, which reminded me that we ought to think about planning another trip to the North sometime soon.

Now it’s time for dinner. I’ve made a salmon salad, in keeping with the summery weather today, and I’m getting hungry!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


The Sean Heuston bridge, from the adjacent downstream Frank Sherwood bridge. The tide in the Liffey was out, so the swans seemed to have taken up residence on the foreshore	Entering the courtyard in the former Kilmainham hospital

In the beautiful formal gardens behind the Hospital. Looking absolutely stunning today. Could be in France!	A rear-driving Cork train, held at a signal under the memorial Road bridge, on its way into Heuston.

I love this turnstile entrance into Phoenix Park at Chapelizod	Enterprise train also waiting at a red signal – at Connolly station this evening, waiting to head off to Belfast

Wolfe Tone Square, near the Jervis Centre. A popular spot for alfresco lunches in the warmer months. There’s a small community-type garden in an old churchyard at one end (in the foreground of this photo), and it’s been planted with unusual Primulas. It all looked very pretty this afternoon