Reflections

Explorer Tom Stables on Baggot Street Lower in County Dublin are sitting right on the street, which is weird for a mews. They’ve got granite stairs with fancy handrails, so I hope you don’t trip and break your nose!

Explorer Tom United Arts Club in County Dublin is a four-bay townhouse that used to be a residence. Built c.1800, it’s now a clubhouse, which suits its wide stance. The granite dressings are crisp, so don’t scuff them with your boots!

Explorer Tom Catherine McAuley really dislikes visitors who chew gum loudly near her statue, claiming it disrupts the sacred flow of history and makes her look bad in old photographs she’s been studying. She’s got a glare that could peel paint off a wall if you stand there too long with your phone out taking a selfie. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals.

Explorer Tom Fitzwilliam Square is Dublin's smallest Georgian square, yet its middle garden behaves as if it owns the whole city. It was laid out from 1792 and finished by 1830, the last of Dublin's five Georgian squares. The central green has been enclosed since 1813 and is private to keyholders among the surrounding 69 houses. I would love to tell you I borrowed a key, but you would rightly ask whose. A proposal to rename the square for Oliver Plunkett in 1921 also came to nothing, so the old name stayed put. The public streets around it make a good walk through Georgian Dublin even when the garden gates are shut. Stay on the pavement, look at the houses and resist taking my imaginary shortcut over the railings. The best view here costs nothing and requires no key.

Explorer Tom Michael Collins 1890-1925 in County Dublin is another spot honoring the same big guy. It seems he had quite an impact on the area. Check out this second memorial and compare notes with the first!

Explorer Tom London Plane in County Dublin has strict rules: no loud noises, no touching the bark, and definitely no asking why it looks like a zebra. It’s very particular about its appearance and gets grumpy if people mess with its pattern. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local who knows the secrets.

Explorer Tom Statue of Surgeon-Major Parke is standing there bragging about crossing Africa without a GPS, which was basically a suicide mission in fancy boots. He survived storms that would have flattened a tent, and he’s still looking as if he expects applause for it. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.

Explorer Tom National Museum of Ireland, Natural History in County Dublin is known locally as the Dead Zoo. That's a great name! There's a statue of a doctor who sucked poison from an arrow. Go find that statue and check his facial expression for pain.

Explorer Tom Park in Dublin is St Stephen's Green, which was enclosed way back in 1664. They gave out ninety-nine year leases to people by ballot. It’s one of the oldest squares, so walk around like you own the place.

Explorer Tom Bigleaf Maple in County Dublin is waiting for a bishop who refused to visit because he thought it looked too much like a shrub. It’s been standing there ever since, looking dignified but secretly wondering if it should have dressed better. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom The Burning of the Custom House holds a fake world record for the most dramatic way to lose your paperwork. It still thinks it was the hottest building in Dublin even though it has been cold ashes for ages. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt right into their memories.

Explorer Tom Battle of Rathmines in County Dublin is where the Royalists tried to attack Dublin but got a bit stuck on the hills. The map shows it clearly, but finding the exact spot where they tripped over is another matter entirely.