Dublin is a city of monuments. As Mr. O’Neill showed them to us, we began to have a better appreciation of the number of eminent men whom Ireland has given to the world.
High above them all, in the centre of the city, is a lofty pillar, 134 feet high, erected to the honor of the great English Admiral, Lord Nelson. From the base of Nelson’s monument street cars start in all directions.
Daniel O’Connell’s monument is a fitting tribute to Ireland’s great Liberator. It is 12 feet high and is surrounded by a number of smaller figures. There are also statues of the two great Irish Statesmen, remarkable for their patriotic eloquence, Henry Grattan, and John Philpot Curran.
Mr. O’Neill also pointed out the statue to Father Mathew, which stands in a central place. It is a noble work of art, done in marble, and is worthy of the Apostle of Temperance. Thomas Moore, the gifted poet, has been honored by his countrymen also, although his poems will keep his memory green as long as time lasts.
A statue to Charles Stewart Parnell is to be erected Mr. O’Neill told us. O’Neill has been a great admirer of Parnell, and the tragic close of his life grieved him much.
We had a delightful time in Phoenix Park. This unrivalled combination of forest and meadow, flowerbeds and fountains, driveways and lawns, covers 1700 acres, and is a credit to Ireland.
There is a statue of the Duke of Wellington, Ireland’s foremost soldier, in Phoenix Park. It is like Washington’s Monument in Washington, except that it is only one-third as large.
We visited the zoological gardens in the Park. Here we saw a marvelous collection of all kinds of animals.
As we went through the Monkey house, Mike said to Edith: “In America some wise men think we sprang from monkeys.”
“The Irish didn’t,” she said gaily, “we never sprang from anybody. We sprang at them.”