dublin

Today I travelled to Dublin. Ireland is the centre of attention in the news right now because of their rejection of the Lisbon Treaty to amend the European Union constitution. 27 countries have to ratify the treaty for it to pass. Ireland's constitution has a provision that any major proposed changes to the EU constitution have to be put to the people for a approval via a referendum. The people said no. Oooops.












There was some the-sky-is-falling-rhetoric but the Europeans are as used to constitutional crises as we are here in Canada and most took a more measured stance. Constitutional crises can be fun for news junkies but mostly they are not really a crisis but just a little snafu that people of good will learn to work through or to live with.

I stayed at Trinity College
















in a very well appointed room.













I was a bit late arriving -- the plane was late leaving London ostensibly because George Bush was also travelling in the region. I am not sure what that had to do with my Aer Lingus flight leaving from the Aer Lingus tin can at Heathrow but I am used to people making silly excuses so let it pass. After I checked in, I spent the evening wandering about O'Connell Street, Henry Street, Temple Bar and Fleet Street. I saw some evidence of the Play Nice Campaign as the Garda tried somewhat ineffectually to roust a few people from their perches on the pavement but apart from that Temple Bar lives up to it's reputation. No pics because the light was low.