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While I’m still out of the US and
unable to update on events going on so close to all of you, I recently
discovered over one of my weekends here that London isn’t the only city with
immense praise for its authors. A cheap ticket on RyanAir got me a flight over
the Irish Channel and into Dublin, Ireland to spend the day. Now, when I first
arrived in Dublin, I was hardly expecting there to be anything literature
related. Sure, I knew Oscar Wilde’s memorial was located there, but beyond
that, I assumed that the city held nothing more. Was I sure wrong.
I got a day pass for the
hop-on-hop-off buses that go around Dublin and show tourists the most
interesting places the city has to offer. I figured it would get me around to
see the city, as well as a few famous churches here and there, pubs, and, of
course, the Guinness Brewery. It wasn’t until I looked at the map, however,
that I realised that the end of the tour dropped the passengers off at the
Dublin Writers’ Museum. Of course, being a WLP major, I was instantly intrigued
and couldn’t wait to check out what they had to feature there. I knew Oscar
Wilde for sure, which had me even more excited (fun fact of the day: he’s my
all-time favourite writer), but I was curious to see who else had a spot in the
museum.
It was a long bus ride, but
eventually, we were let off at the Dublin Writers’ Museum. Right next door to
it was the restaurant, Chapter One, which apparently is for those who have a
bit more money in their pockets than the starving college student. I took a
picture of it, of course, because the WLP major in me was screaming how cool it
was. On the fence that ran alongside of the restaurant, I also noticed a flyer
for writers. It was distributed by the Irish Writers’ Centre and was featuring
their Publishing Day for Aspiring Novelists. I assume it is like our writers’
conferences here in the US, but it was certainly interesting to see. Finally,
after gawking at those two literary additions, I wound up in the Dublin
Writers’ Museum.
Set up like a Victorian-styled
house, just the interior alone can wow the museum-goer. However, what is held
in the first floor rooms hardly compares to the décor. Rows upon rows of glass
cases containing first edition prints of books and plays by famous Irish
writers lined the first and second rooms of the museum. James Joyce, Oliver
Goldsmith, Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde are only a few
of the many writers who had their works showcased. But, still yet, that wasn’t
what fascinated me the most. It was the original, handwritten manuscripts that
were placed alongside of the first edition prints that had me in awe. To see
James Joyce and Oscar Wilde’s original handwriting on sheets of paper or in
their leatherback journals was beyond amazing. It definitely adds to
understanding the writer, as well. Seeing their work printed so finely in books
and then getting to see their real handwriting is truly a remarkable
experience. For instance, I never knew Oscar Wilde had such messy handwriting!
I couldn’t make out a word of it. In all of Dublin, that was certainly the
highlight of my visit.
After the first two floors of
books and manuscripts, the upper level featured portraits that were painted of
the authors. There were some older pieces as well as more contemporary ones
that lined the walls of the upper gallery. There were also bookshelves which
cased older editions of the works by the authors featured in the museum. The Picture of Dorian Gray was the first
I spotted, nestled alongside The
Importance of Being Ernest. I think it was Dorian Gray’s pink cover jacket that caught my attention, honestly.
You never see it printed like that anymore!
When I was finally finished with
scouting the portrait gallery, I headed to the gift shop to see what was for
sale. Posters of the authors, magnets with quotes from them, books, etc. I
ended up buying a bunch of postcards and a magnet with my favourite quote by
Oscar Wilde, as well as an uncensored version of The Picture of Dorian Gray. For those of you who know, the book was
considered “scandalous” due to its homosexual themes, and Wilde had to cut a
lot of the original manuscript before it was published. If you thought the
print you can buy in the US has enough hints to Dorian, Basil, and Harry’s
relationship, just wait until you read the uncensored version! That was
probably my favourite purchase during my Dublin trip.
So, after that, I wandered to
Merrion Square to visit Oscar Wilde’s memorial. It took a while to find, but it
was worth it in the end. I snapped
a photo and got to reading the quotes from him that were written on little
statues surrounding the memorial, and then realised that his birth house was
across the street. I paid a visit there and took some pictures, and then
figured it was time to start heading back to get some dinner before it was time
to go to the airport.
A quick note on pubs in Dublin:
they are almost all author based. I passed many that were dedicated to authors
and poets of Ireland. One of them had pictures of all the writers on the
building along with some of their quotes and a back door labelled “Poets’
Corner”. Had it not been for me spotting Sinnott’s Pub around the corner, I
probably would have eaten there (I’m sure you can understand why). Surprisingly
enough, even Sinnott’s was dedicated to authors! There were photographs of
James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, etc. all over the walls of the pub, and the menu even
featured a quill feather pen on it with the pub’s motto: “A haven to writers… a
home to readers…” I guess I really am a Sinnott, after all!
In short, my trip to Dublin was
certainly not what I expected it was going to be. I thought I’d be looking at
old churches all day, popping into pubs, and taking pictures of typical tourist
attractions. Instead, I got to learn about the writers of Ireland and experience
their work in ways I never had before. I suppose it was a reminder that writers
are people that are respected and thought about, even when sometimes our major
gets slack from “real” majors. It depends how passionate you are and how far
you’re willing to go to pursue your dreams. I think that’s something we WLP
majors need to remember the most—to never give up. Good things happen to those
who work hard and keep going. After all, it’s as Oscar Wilde once said, “We’re
all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Written by Erin Sinnott
