Anyhow, I woke up and decided to upgrade my 24 hour CitySightseeing ticket to a 48 hour one as I realised how far the Guinness Storehouse and Phoenix Park are from anywhere else. I was successful and was treated to a driver who also provided his own commentary, which I greatly preferred to the buses with the additional guides with their malfunctioning microphones. History lessons offered through white noise and bad jokes.
I went to the Guinness Storehouse first and was amazed how a fairly complex process had been rendered down to its smallest details. Visitors were even shown what the ingredients look like. The building was strikingly modern and I enjoyed the floor dedicated to Guinness advertising and the area devoted to alcohol awareness. Amongst the many useful skills I could have learnt, one section provided you with the opportunity to pour your own pint of Guinness. If you succeeded in pouring the perfect pint, they provided you with a certificate. I left this challenge alone but I did drink a pint of Guinness upstairs at 11 am. Alcohol awareness clearly did not impede my need to experiment.
Upon leaving the Guinness Storehouse, I got back on a bus and headed out of the main city centre again. The bus went past the Kilmainham Gaol and as the next timed admission was 2.30 pm, I decided to give it a miss (I can always come back). Instead, I went to the Zoo in Phoenix Park.
As I have got older, I have grown to appreciate zoos for their work with endangered species but I still find it hard to justify depressed animals and the many closed sections. I did enjoy seeing lots of herons for some reason. Also I have never seen so many vending machines and toilets in a public attraction ever.
Phoenix Park seems enormous, so I really only visited the Zoo. It would take hours to negotiate the park.
Back on the bus, I headed back into town then wandered around looking for somewhere to eat. I am still not the most confident solo diner, so I choose my eating establishment carefully. I chose a steak restaurant that was actually very good. The staff also treated me well, which I still do not assume is a given.
I then wandered some more before going to my first fringe production of the night at the New Theatre. The first production being by the guy whose play I saw on my first night in Dublin (also included material by Maria Black). He was in this one though. 'Briseis After The Black' was a very strange and emotional play within a play, exploring a play ('Briseis') by the playwright (Maria Black) who committed suicide and her relationships. Dylan Coburn Gray uses a different guest female performer each performance who has not rehearsed the show with him in advance. Her lines are written on props including books and cereal boxes. Dylan Coburn Gray instructed her occasionally whilst the performance continued. It feels well structured with just a slight element of spontaneity thrown into the mix. Probably the most original and engaging performance I have seen on the fringe scene for some time.
The second performance which I attended after walking around in torrential rain for a couple of hours (I did have the sense to pop in a cafe, which was located in a Spar to my utter amazement) was staged in a peculiar environment and required the audience to go up several flights of stairs and sit on the floor. 'Black Pitch Pitch Black' was an acrobatic performance with a leaning towards science. The female performer (Ria Murphy) manipulating her body around long black silk material suspended from the ceiling and acting around scientific instruments such as test tubes and a gramophone, which was also suspended in mid air. The performance had a repetitious quality about it, which perfectly suited the theme of the play, the pitch stop experiment. Well worth seeing.
After this performance ended, I headed back to the hotel (getting lost as ever) past the Olympia Theatre where Grace Jones was completing the first of two concerts there. Both had sold out. Having seen her perform before, she is an energetic performer. She spent most of the gig I saw spinning a hula hoop.
My journey back to the hotel was as eventful as ever. Alcohol and binge drinking definitely seem to be a problem and homelessness is equally prevalent in Dublin as it is in London today sadly.
Barry Watt - 21st September 2016.
Photographs.
Yep, Guinness, more popular in Dublin than tea (perhaps!)
Very impressive sculpture in the Guinness Storehouse based on a pint of the eponymous beverage.
Odd section in the Guinness Storehouse giving useful information about alcohol and its use/abuse.
Old advertisement for Guinness.
First Christmas tree I have seen this year in the shop in the Guinness Storehouse.
I believe this exhibit was near the toilets. You have to guess the animal that has produced this faeces. There were various examples.
Happy Lion.
Wee Herons keeping an eye on the Zoo.
This sunflower and ram are not real. Honestly!
Afterword.
Project E.D.W.A.R.D. was mentioned on various websites. I just want to post a link to one of them in case anyone thinks I am pulling their leg!
http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=18853
City Sightseeing's website again in case you are interested:
http://www.city-sightseeing.com/
Guinness Storehouse's website is here. Entry includes a pint and a dinky little glass of Guinness if you want them:
https://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en
Kilmainham Gaol was one of the attractions I missed this time around but here's their website if you want it:
http://kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/
Dublin Zoo is well worth a visit and I did enjoy seeing the animal excrement:
http://www.dublinzoo.ie/
The New Theatre is a theatre behind a bookshop and stages several interesting plays:
http://www.thenewtheatre.com/tnt_php/scripts/page/home.php
'Briseis After The Black' is described on this weblink but sadly, I can find very little information about Maria Black and 'Briseis', her play.
http://www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/briseis-after-the-black
Aerial Cirque where 'Black Pitch Pitch Black' was staged is based at 10 Exchequer Street in Dublin and seems to offer courses in acrobatics and circus skills, in addition to shows:
http://aerialcirque.org/about/
For more information on 'Black Pitch Pitch Black':
http://www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/black-pitch-pitch-black
The Olympia Theatre seems to be quite a popular venue:
http://www.olympia.ie/
All of the Guinness photos are of course, copyright to their respective copyright holders and Guinness should be consumed responsibly.
BW
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