It's been a while

 Not sure when was the Last Post on this blog, but it's been a while. I chanced 'Sign In' and suddenly here I was. I'm about to do a Facebook post about the fiddle weekend coming up in Dunkineely so here are some details, specially prepared for this week's Democrat. Can't imagine too many will catch it here before Thursday morning. It's an 'all roads lead to' story . . .

Fiddle to the fore in Dunkineely this weekend

 

It’s all about the fiddle in Dunkineely this weekend, with a concert in the Community Centre on Saturday night (19^th), fiddle classes, a film on the travelling fiddler John Doherty, and sessions around the town.

One of fiddlers in the concert is local man Aidan O’Donnell. He’s a former winner of the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award and an Oireachtas fiddle champion. Aidan is now working for Music Generation in Tipperary.

Also on the bill are Glenties fiddler Peter Campbell, Catriona and Sinead Kennedy, who are based in Dublin, and Michéal Cherry, back from the US, as well as special guests.

Doors open at 7.30pm and admission is €10.

The film on John Doherty is being shown in the Community Centre tomorrow night (Fri) at 8pm. Entry is free. 

John (1900 – 1980), who’s been described as the last of the travelling fiddlers, and often stayed in Dunkineely, visiting the singer Mick Quigley and others. John is regarded as one of the most significant figures in Irish traditional music.

The fiddle classes will be held in the Community Centre on Saturday. Registration is at 10am, and tuition runs from 10.30am – 1pm and from 2pm – 4pm. The fee is €15. Places can be booked at donegalfiddlemusic@gmail.com.

The weekend is being organised by the Donegal fiddle organisation Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí. Rab Cherry of Cairdeas said they were hoping to build on the good work being done with traditional fiddling in the area.

“For instance we’re aware of the good work that’s been done by Kevin O’Donnell with his school of music in the area. There are some excellent budding players and we’ll be hearing some of them in Saturday night’s concert.“

Anyone with queries about the fiddle classes or the events over the weekend can phone 086 340 9019.

This week's quiz - one of these fiddlers is Aidan O'Donnell, the other is John Doherty (hint - Aidan O'Donnell doesn't, usually at least, wear a cap).

Tourism Ireland - have they ever been to Donegal?

UPDATE 
Friday 28th August 2015 - Some changes have now been made to the suggested tour 'County Donegal in 5 days' and more are promised.

St Aengus' Chapel in Burt -  voted ‘building of the 20th century’ in 1999 in a poll by the Royal Society of the Architects of Ireland. Not good enough to get it into Failte Ireland's 'County Donegal in 5 days'

The Wild Atlantic Way is one of the most positive things that has happened for tourism in Donegal tourism. By all accounts Slieve League is very busy with visitors this summer. The two other 'signature discovery points' in Donegal - out of fifteen along the route - are Fanad Head and Malin Head, and they're bound to benefit.

That's what makes it all the more irritating to see the shambolic 'County Donegal in 5 days' presentation at http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/itineraries/wild-atlantic-way/donegal-in-5-days/
Some of the highlights include -

• moving Errigal close to Dungloe
• assuring visitors that Dungloe people do speak English
• suggesting that Fanad people think their lighthouse is taller than the Eiffel Tower [lighthouse c22m, Eiffel Tower 301m]
• re-locating North West golf club to somewhere around Burnfoot
• recommending a trip "to Buncrana castle" (a private house)
• talking of Glenties' "strong links with the sea" (it's one of the few Donegal towns and villages not on the coast)
• saying "film buffs might remember [Glenties] from Dancing at Lughnasa" (shot in Wicklow)
• missing out Glencolumbkille completely ('Ken' from Failte Ireland describes it in an email as 'just [one] of the towns and villages on the route')
• suggesting that the shopping centre and leisure centre are two of the main attractions in the Letterkenny area
• missing out Five Finger Strand, Burt chapel, Carndonagh Cross, Dunree Fort, Glebe Gallery etc etc

It seems to confirm that while you do find excellence in the public service, too often you also find mediocrity and the 'do rightly' approach. Check out the Wifi on Bus Eireann buses for another example.

Another fine pic of St Aengus' Chapel in Burt from the web -  https://protumservices.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/irish-architecture-st-aengus-church-burt-co-donegal/

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Here's an exchange of emails on the subject of 'County Donegal in 5 days' -

May 2015 - it can be better

Hi, Perhaps I can help with your suggested 5-day itinerary covering the Wild Atlantic Way in County Donegal. It seems to have been cobbled together based on a trawl of available websites rather than 'on the ground' experience. It's doing the visitor a disservice to ignore places like Glencolumbkille and marvels such as the Irish 'Building of the [20th] Century' at Burt. I'm a former BBC journalist, local newspaper editor and fiddler, and also a Donegal person. And I'm delighted with the success of the Wild Atlantic Way :-) Regards, Martin

18 May 2015 - sure it's grand, says Ken from Tourism Ireland, have a great day

Hi Martin,

Thank you for contacting Tourism Ireland.

We are always glad to be given feedback in response to all aspects of our website, and your comments are very welcome.

In compiling suggested routes and itineraries we try to provide information about a wide variety of things to see and do in Ireland. This, of course, is so that visitors get an idea of Ireland’s many facets.

In addition to Ireland’s well known, and popular sights, there is a host of less well known attractions, what might almost be called our ‘hidden gems’ which make it extremely difficult to mention everything that can be seen.

Our suggested itinerary does mention Burt, albeit in the context of bird watching, while Glencolumbkille is just of the towns and village on the route of the Wild Atlantic Way.

We appreciate and understand your interest in promoting Donegal and we share your delight at the success of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Hoping you have a great day,

Ken

18 May 2015 - file under 'get a life'

Hi Ken,

I’m not getting the sense that you have picked up on the wider point I’m making - that the suggested 5-day tour of Donegal lacks credibility and does a disservice to those using your site and, more to the point, to their experience of Donegal. Tourism Ireland should share the concern about the omissions, misinformation and plain hokum on its own website. There’s not much wrong with the presentation but the content is an embarrassment.  

Your wider point is well made - that your guide should have room for ‘hidden gems’, and doesn’t have the room to mention everything. However, that is not the problem here. The guide is clearly put together by someone who has precious little knowledge of Donegal, to the extent of falling into gross error and misrepresentation.

To satisfy my own curiosity I’ve just gone through your itinerary again. It’s confirmed my view that this ‘tour’ should be removed as it damages the reputation of Tourism Ireland and is entirely inadequate in terms of being a guide to the Wild Atlantic Way in Donegal. I’ve given some detail below.

Can you give me your full name and title, and let me know who or what department is responsible for this erstwhile guide to Donegal?

Regards,

Martin

----------------

[email continues]

Some examples (from many) of the ramblings, inaccuracies, misinformation and ‘filler’ material included in the 5-day guide to Donegal -

Day One - 

Inishowen

• No mention of the wonderful Five Finger Strand beach, Glenevin Waterfall near Clonmany, Carndonagh High Cross (one of the earliest and most important in Ireland - along the side of the road), Dunree Fort etc etc

Stay at Buncrana and -

• Take a trip to Buncrana Castle - this ‘castle’ is a private house and not open for visitors
• Rent a bike from Cycle Inishowen - this business is in Carndonagh about thirteen miles away

Day Two -

Buncrana to Letterkenny

• No mention of Liam McCormick’s church at Burt - Ireland’s Building of the [20th] Century
• “Further south, Inch Island soon looms on the horizon, and an opportunity for a round of golf presents itself at the North West Golf Club.” Bunkum, the golf club is back in Buncrana, you’re already miles past the entrance to Inch.
• “Veering evermore west, and dipping slightly south again” - meaningless 
• Letterkenny - attractions mentioned include the local shopping centre and leisure centre. No mention of the Cathedral, with stained glass by Harry Clarke and Michael Healy. Colmcille Heritage Centre mentioned, but not the actual reputed birthplace of Colmcille or the nearby Glebe House and Gallery, with pieces by artists including Picasso, Braque, Le Brocquy.

Day Three - 

Letterkenny to Bunbeg - 

• 'most beautiful beach in the world - inaccurate
• “Rumoured by locals to be taller than the Eiffel Tower (we’re not so sure!)” - what locals? more drivel, Fanad Lighthouse height c22m, Eiffel Tower 301m
• ‘King Tory’ - Patsy Dan Rodgers, artist and musician, is known as the King of Tory
• Teac Jack sessions - fine. [Another] pub, Hudai Beag’s, is known internationally for its Irish music sessions all year round. Again credibility . .

Day Four - 

Bunbeg to Dungloe -

• “When you do depart Bunbeg southbound, and edging slightly east” - travelling by compass? More filler
• 'Dungloe is another Gaeltacht town, meaning the primary language is Gaeilge/Irish.’ Wrong
• ‘With Dungloe as your base, you’re free to explore nearby Mount Errigal’. Once again, credibility shot. Errigal is on the far side of Bunbeg, which you left earlier.
• Glenties - ‘time in the limelight’. Wrong again, the film ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ was not shot in Glenties.
• Leo’s Tavern - ‘singer Enya from Clannad’. Wrong again. She made her name as a solo artist. 
• Ardara: No mention of Nancy’s Bar, former Irish pub of the year; Assaranca Waterfall; Kilclooney Dolmen; Narin beach; etc

Day Five - 

Ardara to Donegal Town - 

• No mention of Glencolumbkille, one of the most beautiful spots in Ireland. To describe it as “just one of the towns and villages” along the Wild Atlantic Way underlines that you haven’t been there. No mention of the Folk village (including old pub, school, shop, hall). Silver Strand beach [ . . .]. Etc.

[thus ends the correspondence]

Fine, but not fine enough for Tourism Ireland's guide to Donegal . . .
Silver Strand at Malin Beag in Glencolumbkille - described by Fodor's as "one of the best beaches in Ireland, renowned for its calm waters, dramatic scenery, and lovely golden sand"

The map of ancient Ireland

I was brought up in the bright lights of the Tops, Raphoe, beside the car-park for that remarkable site/sight, the Beltony Stone Circle. Naturally I thought this was the most wonderful place on earth. More than half a century later, I'm still assembling the evidence.
In recent times this project has received real encouragement.
First there was the discovery, through the 'Words We Use' column by the late Diarmuid O'Muirhithe in the 'Irish Times', that 'Tops' wasn't an English word for a hilly eminence, as I feared. Instead, it refers to 'tap tineadh', the place where the torches were lit for the procession to the stone circle. (Beltony, of course, refers to the Bealtaine fire feast which has occurred for several thousand years around the eve of May 1st.)
Next, in 2006 (simply can't believe it's been that long) came the book from Brian Lacey, 'Cenél Conaill and the Donegal Kingdoms AD 500 - 800'. It's dangerous to paraphrase here, but as it's close to bedtime I'll say it establishes that the people of the countryside around the Beltony Stone Circle were very important in the early history of Ireland, and provided two or three of the first High Kings. Only surprising, of course, to those not from the area :-)
I saw Brian in Glencolumbkille last week but the rigours of Fiddle Week meant it wasn't the most opportune time to thank him properly.
Now it's the turn of two more books - and an American - to make their contributions.
I met the American woman outside Oideas Gael last Monday. I was waiting for the Donegal fiddle students to arrive and she was waiting to go on her archaeology trip. She mentioned she was doing a Master's which involves what might be called a 'holistic' approach to early Irish history and pre-history. She's looking at the archaeological evidence and also at the mythological tales and the places mentioned in them, and trying to map all the info (if I understood correctly). She said she's already unearthed some interesting connections, and enough to consider developing the project into a PhD.
I mentioned that I was reading a book which was outlining a whole series of relationships between ancient Celtic and druidical sites, mostly looking at France, but also, briefly, at England, Scotland and Ireland. As I couldn't remember the name of the book or the author, this information was of limited usefulness. But here now is the book, 'The Ancient Paths: Discovering the Lost Map of Celtic Europe'. And here's the author, Graham Robb, a biographer and historian, who has pedalled around 15,000 miles assembling the evidence for what look like ground-breaking and pretty astounding findings.
The final book, for now, is 'The Origins of the Irish' by J. P. Mallory, a solid read if a bit dismissive of the mythological stuff. I haven't finished it yet.
It's hard to believe that little systematic work has been done - or so it seems - on possible relationships between important ancient sites in Ireland (I'll probably find out there are a load of books and theses on this very subject, but I haven't seen them).

A while back I took a ruler to a dog-eaten map of Ireland with what I thought were intriguing results. As my interest was primarily in Beltony Stone Circle, I drew a few straight lines. Here's what I found -

• a line from Beltony to the stone circle in Culdaff goes through Grianan of Aileach
• a line from Beltony to Newgrange runs close to another Beltony outside Omagh and also through an important monument between Augher and Clogher, the tomb of Knockainy. It also goes through Kilmacrenan and Cashel in north Donegal, some ruins near Cashel, and ends up at the tip of Horn Head

I drew a few more out of interest with similar results.

Tonight I've spent another two or three hours on the project after looking at a couple of maps of Ireland in Graham Robb's book. Here's what he found - 

• the five ancient capitals of Ireland form a parallelogram based on solstice lines. Uisneach (capital of Mide) is at the centre, the other four capitals are on parallel lines, Cnoc Áine (Munster), Cruachan (Connacht), Emain Macha (Ulster) and Dún Ailinne (Leinster)
• a line from Grianan Aileach through Uisneach hits the southern coast at Ardmore, probably the oldest monastic settlement in Ireland. If projected onwards towards Spain, it hits land at the exact point where a Celtic king of Galicia, Breogán, sent off his sons and a group of warriors to Ireland, according to the 'Book of Invasions'. For good measure, the line continues to the 'sacred promontory' on the south-west tip of Spain

And still the wonder grew. I drew a few more lines, and here's the most startling finding -

• a line drawn from Beltony Stone Circle through Uisneach, fabled to be where first fire was lit on Bealtaine eve, is almost an exact north-south line - it pretty much follows the line of longitude all the way til it hits the coast at Ram Head near Dungarvan in Waterford

More -

• the line from Beltony to Emain Macha appears (at a glance) to head over the monument on Croaghan Hill a few miles away
• the line from Beltony to Newgrange goes over Kilmonster, a group of passage tombs a couple of miles away from the stone circle. A monastery was established in that locality
• a line from area of the tomb complex at Malin Beg in Glencolumbkille through Beltony Stone Circle seems to finish on the east coast at a monument called the Giant's Grave near Cushendall
• a line from this Giant's Grave at Cushendall to Newgrange goes through a landmark beside Newry called Bernish Rock. So does a continuation of the Beltony/Emain Macha line. This is the vicinity of the wonderful megalithic monument at Clontygora - of special interest to me as that's where I used to go on some of my first holidays with our neighbours the Gills. I'll look into this further.  
• a couple of lines seem to finish on Inisbofin Island off west Donegal - Legannay Dolmen/Beaghmore Stone Circles/ Inisbofin and also Emain Macha/Beltony/ Colmcille's Oratory/ Inisbofin

These are all rough lines hand-drawn with a pen and ruler, but there's certainly a lot to go on. It will be interesting to look at these lines in relation to the solstice lines - where the sun rises and sets at significant times of the year. Also lunar movements, of course (maybe you've seen that stunning pic of the moon sitting like an egg in the Grianan of Aileach eggcup). 

This is also pretty hurried tonight but I'll post up some pics of the maps shortly. Graham Robb has suggested there could be another book to be written about the Celtic maps of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Looks like Ireland alone could provide that . . .

A Graham Robb 'Lost Map of Ireland'

The world's second best beach

You have to applaud the imperative behind 'County Donegal in 5 days' on the www.ireland.com website. It's part of their series, Ireland itineraries > Wild Atlantic Way.
However, it's a let down. It's clearly been put together by someone well-meaning, but who's working mainly off the web and making a dog's dinner of it.
More on that anon. In the meantime, got the chance to check out one of those statements which are repeated so often and in different ways that you wonder how it all began. It's Ballymastocker Bay, which we're often told has been described as the second-best beach in the world. Who did it, and when?
This from 'County Donegal in 5 days' http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/itineraries/wild-atlantic-way/donegal-in-5-days/ -

On a less epic scale, Fanad is fringed by the “most beautiful beach in the world”, according to one British journalist…and it can be found near Portsalonat Ballymastocker Bay.

Turns out it actually comes from The Observer on January 3, 1993 -

Can't find the details on what was the best one! (somebody said somewhere in the Seychelles . . )

Donegal Bay - a guide

Useful info here for anyone planning a wee trip around Donegal Bay -
http://www.everytrail.com/guide/slieve-league-coastal-drive-along-donegal-bay

Napoleon's slight on Milford recalled

In his recently-published book 'Waterloo', the Sharpe creator Bernard Cornwell paints an unflattering portrait of a man closely associated with Milford - His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, Prince of France, Prince of Montfort and of course brother of Napoleon.

Cornwell suggests Napoleon didn't think much of Jerome - "Relations between the two were often fraught, because Jerome was a spendthrift wastrel. He was thirty-one years old in 1815, but his troubles with his brother began much earlier when, aged nineteen, he had met and married an American, Elizabeth Patterson from Baltimore. The marriage drove Napoleon into a fury. He needed his siblings to marry for dynastic reasons, not for something as trivial as love, and so he forbade Elizabeth to enter France and insisted his brother divorce her."

From a Donegal perspective, this was a rather poor show from Napoleon. Because Elizabeth Patterson was the daughter of William Patterson, a Milford man. Shiela Friel, in her fine book 'Milford Towards the Millennium' (1997), says William emigrated from the townland of Rosgarrow and became a shipping magnate. Elizabeth, known as Betsy, met Jerome at a ball in Baltimore in 1803 and "it was love at first sight and within a few months they were married", according to Shiela. But the difficulties with Napoleon meant the couple parted. Betsy gave birth in London to a son she called Bo. She and the child went back to the States.

Shiela adds: "In 1816 Betsy visited Milford and spent some time here. On her return to America she spent the rest of her life alone and died at the grand old age of 94. Her grandson, Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851 - 1921) was the US Secretary of State for the Navy from 1905 to 1906 and Attorney General from 1906-1909".

There's a photo in Shiela's book of the house William Patterson emigrated from.

 According to Betsy's Wikipedia entry, her tragic romance provided material for a play, two films and a novel, and also featured in the Hornblower television series. The entry says: "Elizabeth and Jérôme Bonaparte were married on December 24, 1803, at a ceremony presided over by John Carroll, the Archbishop of Baltimore. Betsy quickly became known for her risqué taste in fashion, starting with her wedding dress." The entry adds that when she returned to Baltimore she lived with her father  "while she continued to flaunt her royal connection and skimpy attire. After the Battle of Waterloo, she returned to Europe where she was well received in the most exclusive circles and much admired for her beauty and wit."

Strangely enough, after Betsy's brother died, his widow married a brother of the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon (and Jerome) at Waterloo. (That's quite confusing, so let's add that another of the Duke's brothers, William H. Pakenham, was the captain of the HMS Saldahna which sunk in the Swilly, and he is buried in Rathmullan.)

William Patterson seems to have had an interesting life.  His Wikipedia entry says he was born (in 'Fanand') in 1752 and died in 1835 and "was a businessman, a gun-runner during the American Revolution, and a founder of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad". His many business dealings included shipping, baning and the Baltimore Water Company. He was said to be the second-wealthiest man in Maryland after Charles Carroll, one of those who signed the US Declaration of Independence.


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I'm on a bit of a Napoleon trail at the moment.

It all started I read Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' and scratched it off the bucket list. It's formidable in terms of its sheer length, but also an entertaining read. The setting is Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, which turned out a disaster for him. On the same subject, years ago I also read a Folio Society edition of 'Retreat from Russia: the memoirs of Sergeant Bourgogne'. It's not quite in the Tolstoy league but worth a shot.

Tolstoy gives his own version of what happened in Russia, and paints a vivid picture of the main protagonists. The Russian Field Marshal Kutuzov springs to mind, and the Tsar. From memory, I think Tolstoy painted Kutuzov as an old warhorse who used his experience and guile to outwit Napoleon. But the soldier and military theorist Clauswitz, who served with the Russians during the 1812 campaign (and was later at Waterloo with his fellow Prussians), suggested that Kutuzov's only contribution to the victory had been his refusal, born of fear, to take on Napoleon.

To get another view, I followed up with '1812: Napoleon's fatal march on Moscow', a Sunday Times bestseller from Adam Zamoyski. Again that's full of interest, particularly in terms of the horrors experienced by Napoleon's retreating army in the depths of winter.

Another coincidence. Tonight the film choice was 'Terminal', starring Tom Hanks. Needless to say, his love interest was fascinated by Napoleon and he had to swot up, buying several books on the man.

Ten great places in Donegal

Came across this list from 2010 -

Here are ten of my ‘must see’ places in Donegal –

Sliabh League

The claim that the cliffs at Sliabh League are the highest in Europe is not uncontested, but by the time you’ve finished drinking in this stupendous views at the edge of the continent you won’t care. Nearest town – Carrick.

One notable omission is, of course, Ramelton, a heritage town which should be on any visitor's itinerary. This pic is taken on a fine road for a walk, down by the 'waterfall' on the fabled River Lennon. Ramelton, 'The Holy City' has everything from James McDaid's wine bar to the Bridge Bar to the meeting house of the founder of US Presbyterianism. It is the hometown of the first captain of the touring All-Blacks, of a legendary Celtic player, of an oilman and banker who was the friend of US Presidents, of the father of a US President, of a famous nurse, of a pioneering newspaperman and many more. And let's not Joe Logan, the ex-Harps midfielder . .

Grianan of Aileach

Panoramic views from the walkway on the walls of this ancient monument, which may have been a heavenly observatory. The church of St Aenghus, at the bottom of the hill in Burt, was Ireland’s building of the millennium and its design is based on the fort.  Nearest town – Derry.

Beltony Stone Circle

My favourite place in Donegal, probably because I grew up right beside it. There’s a presence about this ring of stones ‘high atop the Lagan lap’, older than Stonehenge. See how many stones you can find decorated with cup marks. Nearest town – Raphoe.

Malin Head

Ireland’s most northerly point, so you have to visit. Usually pretty blowy. A Martello tower and a couple of look-out posts mark the spot. Nearest town – Malin village, a past winner of Ireland’s tidiest town.

Silver Strand

On the right day, a little piece of heaven. A sandy cove caressed (or pounded) by Atlantic breakers, with the beach at the bottom of more than a hundred steps. Spectacular setting, just along the coast from Sliabh League. Nearest town – Cashel, Glencolumbkille.

Port

Port is one of those places where a minor road gives way to an even more minor road. Probably Ireland’s most isolated pier, a cove where the tide makes music with the stones and always worth a visit, but particularly on a good day or a bad day. Nearest town – well, Cashel, Glencolumbkille, is over the hill if you have a helicopter.

Glenlough

Glenlough is one of Ireland’s most private places, an hour’s walk from the road down to Port. Frequented in the past by the likes of Rockwell Kent, Dylan Thomas and, of course, Bonnie Prince Charlie. For certain. Don’t expect a lake (or anything really) – it’s the glen of the ducks (but they probably won’t be there either). Nearest village – Dylan used to walk to O’Donnell’s pub in Meenaneary, near Carrick, apparently. He was quite thirsty when he got there.

Tory Island

The kingdom of Patsy Dan. A BBC reporter who’d worked around the world was left quite stunned by Tory – “it’s like going back 3,000 years in half an hour”. Boat trip from Magheraroarty or Bunbeg to an island of legend, ancient remains (including a rare Tau cross) and the occasional globally-endangered corncrake. Nearest town – America (only joking).

Even the trip to work on a winter's morning can be a revelation in Donegal, this time on the road between Ramelton and Letterkenny 

Rosnowlagh beach

A representative of the many glorious beaches around Donegal. Others include Tramore near Downings, with its massive dunes; Five Finger Strand in Inishowen, handy for hiding guns and explosives; the one near Port Salon described in the past as one of the world’s finest; etc etc. Nearly always quiet except on those rare really hot summer days when Donegal digs out its swimming togs and makes the mad annual dash for the beach. Nearest town - Ballyshannon

Glenveagh 

If you are unable to swing a cat in your quotidian existence, visit Glenveagh and swing a full-sized deer. National park. Tour the castle, catch the gardens, go on walks and see a golden eagle, have tea and a scone. Nearest town – Kilmacrenan, or if you insist on something bigger, Letterkenny.

                     "That's not fair, he's already lost an arm!"

Just happened to come across this pic. By sheer coincidence (also looking at mentions of Isaac Butt in Ulysses) here's a piece to match it (though it's not from Dublin)

'Church of the Immaculate Conception', also known as Adam and Eve's, is located on Merchants Quay, Dublin (Franciscans secretly said Mass in the Adam and Eve Tavern, where the popular name of the present church comes from) + "Old as they were, her aunts also did their share. Julia, though she was quite grey, was still the leading soprano in Adam and Eve's, and Kate, being too feeble to go about much, gave music lessons to beginners on the old square piano in the back room." (The Dead); Miss Kate and Miss Julia, based on Joyce's grand aunts, the Misses Flynn who, as their great-nephew put it, 'trilled and warbled in a Dublin church up to the age of seventy'. This was the ancient Franciscan church on the south quays popularly known as Adam and Eve's (from Biography by Peter Costello).