Dilettante in Dublin: Wednesday

Getting up at 5.30 am is never an enjoyable experience. Nor is a Ryanair flight. But despite these impediments I nevertheless reached Dublin in good humour and in time to have a look around. Its interesting how compact it seems to b: walking from the rather grim surrounds of the Dublin International Youth Hostel to Parnell (formerly Great Britain) street takes less than five minutes.

Although a bit late for a serious wander (that comes tomorrow) I did get to check out Parnell Street, and once it got dark I went to finally see The King's Speech - it is superfluous to say that it is a truly excellent film. On my way back, I was bemused to see a blackshirt-clad paramilitary gazing out at me from behind dark glasses on a series of posters. Closer inspection revealed that these were posters for the Independent Republican Youth Movement (Fianna Éireann, IIRC). So first cultural difference encountered: the British far-right hasn't been able to wear uniform since the 1930s.

Today I'll be crossing the river, checking out Temple Bar and Trinity College's open day.