Highway bandits

So, I picked up a leaflet the other day for what looks like a phone exhibit: nineteenth century "Wanted" notices! It's on at the Glasneven museum, which I have to say I didn't even know existed until now.

My Saturday job taking care of the kids involves "taking them out of the house and broadening their minds" so I try to think of fun things to do. I guess kids would like that, right? I mean, who doesn't love a bandit. Think dashing men on horses with bandanas!

Anyways, the museum site is here. I might go and check it out. I love the monumental cemetery and the Botanic Garden, which are both up there, and Glasnevin is a great neighbourhood.

Here's today's little story from my meet'n'greet job at Dublin Tourism. The job's a very simple one, but I like it, because I get to meet all sorts of people and they are usually so psyched about being on holiday that they tell you their life story.

This guy was in a wheelchair and must've been in his 80s, at least. His two daughters had brought him to Ireland for the first time in his life. He said that his Dad had left Ireland many years ago, but that when he was a young man, he'd played hurley for the Dublin team. The kids had been taught how to hurl, but because they lived in an area without a big Irish population, and their Mom was Italian, the family tradition had died out. Then, about two years ago, this old guy had a dream and in the dream his Dad told him that he HAD to go to Ireland to see a hurley match before he died. So he pestered and pestered his daughters until they agreed to take him. It's a sort of pilgrimage. They'd picked up their tickets and were getting ready to go to something-or-other in Croke Park.

Isn't that an amazing story? I hope I have enough moxy when I am that age to just do something like that, because of a dream!

Other news: one of the waitresses in the restaurant where I work part-time is going back to Italy, and she's sold me her bike for a really cheap price. So this girl's got wheels! I've used the Dublin City rental bikes and they're great but it's also kind of cool to have my own transportation. It totally makes the city seem so much smaller.