Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland - May 30, 2025

For our day in Dublin, Fran and I chose a walking tour around the center of the city. We arrived at Merrion Square, one of Dublin's most beautiful Georgian squares, where our guide Simon began an engaging walking tour. The weather was pleasantly warm - around 68°F (20°C) - making it a perfect day for exploring on foot.

To begin our tour, Simon provided some fascinating insights into Irish history.  We learned about the dramatic decrease in the population of Ireland from 8.4 million in 1845 to just 3.4 million in 1964 due to the Great Famine.  However, since hitting its demographic low point in 1964, Ireland has experienced steady population growth of approximately 1.6 million people over 60 years - nearly a 50% increase from the 1960s.  Simon explained that Ireland has had an economic evolution, noting that when he left school (he's now 60), "if you got a job, you'd be in that job and that would nearly be a job for life." This has completely changed - Ireland's economy is now "doing very well" with "more jobs available in the country than there are workers looking for work." He added that the most dramatic shift has been from a country of emigration to one of immigration.  For centuries, Ireland exported people due to poverty and lack of opportunity but now about 12% of Ireland's current population are non-Irish nationals.  Simon noted this represents a "dramatic change" over the past couple of years.  Simon identified two main categories of people now moving to Ireland, first are economic migrants (people seeking work opportunities) and secondly, refugees fleeing war zones like Afghanistan and Syria.

They have many highly educated workers from India coming to work in the IT sector and many Brazilians working in abattoirs, ex. Galway called "Little Brazil" due to 20 meat processing facilities staffed largely by Brazilians.  Many of these immigrants often become naturalized Irish citizens over time.

Simon's observation that Ireland went from being "all white" with "no jobs" 40 years ago to a diverse, economically vibrant country represents one of Europe's most dramatic demographic and economic transformations.

When Simon noted that Ireland's current population is still well below the pre-famine peak of 8.4 million, it puts the recovery in perspective. However, the quality of life and economic opportunities are incomparably better than in the 1840s.

As part of the EU (Simon mentioned the EU flags alongside Irish flags), Ireland benefits from free movement of labor, economic integration and structural development funds that have helped transform the economy.

The fact that there are more jobs than workers suggests Ireland has successfully transformed from a poor, emigrant-sending country to a prosperous destination that attracts global talent. This represents a complete reversal of centuries of demographic decline. Simon's matter-of-fact discussion of immigrants becoming naturalized citizens and contributing to Irish society suggests a relatively successful integration process, though he acknowledged some political tensions around immigration have emerged recently.  As we walked, we admired the beautiful 18th-century buildings around Merrion Square, built between 1714-1830.  See the National Gallery of Dublin above.

We passed some of the "Rebellious Colored Doors of Georgian Dublin."  Before Queen Victoria died, she issued a decree that all Georgian doors throughout the British Isles should be painted black. This was meant to create uniformity across the empire. Famous British addresses like 10 Downing Street (the British Prime Minister's residence) and 11 Downing Street, all have black doors, following this royal mandate.

But, the Irish had a different idea. Simon explained with obvious pride, "We said, we're a nation of rebels!" Instead of conforming to the black door requirement, the Irish chose to paint their Georgian doors in vibrant, individual colors - red, yellow, blue, green, and other bright hues. Each door became unique, creating the rainbow of colors that one sees today throughout Dublin's Georgian squares.

Simon pointed out that while most Irish homeowners rebelled against the decree, there were some who conformed - he called them "conformists" with a hint of playful disdain. You can still see a few black doors scattered throughout Dublin, representing those who followed the British rule, but they're vastly outnumbered by the colorful rebels.  This act of colorful rebellion wasn't just about aesthetics - it was a subtle but powerful form of resistance against British rule. Each brightly painted door became a small declaration of Irish independence and individuality, long before political independence was achieved in 1922. It's a perfect example of how the Irish found creative ways to assert their identity even under colonial rule.

Today, these colorful doors are one of Dublin's most photographed and beloved features. They've become iconic symbols of Irish character - rebellious, creative, and refusing to conform. The tradition continues, with homeowners maintaining this colorful heritage as a point of pride and a connection to their ancestors' quiet acts of defiance.

These doors are particularly striking because they're set within the formal, symmetrical Georgian architecture. The buildings themselves follow strict Palladian principles (if you cut the building in half, each side is identical), but the doors break this formality with their individual expressions of color and personality - much like the Irish people themselves within the broader British architectural and political framework of the time.

Simon provided us with an overview of Irish history and their rebellion against British rule and their long road to freedom from 1169 when the Anglo Normans came to Ireland and started nearly eight hundred years of English rule." This wasn't a simple conquest - the Irish "rebelled and rebelled during that time," as Simon noted, "The Irish were great at rebelling."  

We passed the statue of Wolfe Tone who is considered The Father of Irish Nationalism.  He was only 35 years old when arrested after leading a rebellion and was sentenced to death but he died before they could execute him.  He founded the United Irishmen who "really started the organized uprising against English rule" and this established the template for organized resistance that would continue for over a century.

The 1916 Easter Rising was the Turning Point when about 3000 men and women rose up against English rule. Simon's own grandfather participated in the Rising, making this personal history for our guide.

Women played crucial roles with Countess Markievicz leading groups of female snipers positioned in buildings around the city, "shooting down at the English soldiers"

The Easter Rising initially wasn't popular with most Irish people. As Simon explained: "Don't forget in 1916, most Irish people had a brother, a father, a son, fighting in the first world war, taking English pay. So the Irish were actually - they didn't like the uprising."

However, the British execution of the leaders changed everything, after the rebels surrendered, the English executed all the leaders only sparing two people,  Éamon de Valera - because he was Irish-American and "they didn't want to upset America during the second world war" and Countess Markievicz - because "she was female" and "they didn't want to be seen executing a lady".

However, the executions were a "fatal error" because they completely shifted Irish public sentiment with the attitude of the population changing from disapproval to outrage. This created the conditions for the War of Independence (1919-1921) which was fought guerrilla style against the British.  Irish became a free state in 1922.

After steeping us in Irish history, Simon provided us with some free time to wander the shops on Grafton Street.  

We posed by the statue of Molly Malone, a fictional fishmonger who is the star of a well known Irish song.  Here is a link to the song - click HERE.

The statue has a quirky tradition associated with it...if you rub her bosom it will bring good luck.  As a result the color of her bosom is quite different from all the rubbing.  Fran and I did not rub her bosom.

Trinity College

After our free time, we met our group and Simon back by Trinity College which was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592 to provide education for the Protestant elite in Ireland. Simon mentioned it was established "to discuss the nature" of various subjects, representing the English Crown's effort to create a loyal, educated class in Ireland.  Currently it has about 19,000 students and it teaches every discipline except veterinary medicine. 

We finished our tour at a nearby pub before we headed back to the ship.