Teach Na nDaoine Family Resource Centre

PIP Project

Guns and Roses Tour

A motley crew of intrepid explorers set off from Teach na nDaoine on Sunday morning last, when most of us were in our beds, to delve into the detail of modern Irish history at Glasnevin  Cemetery.

A group of thirty souls of all ages, colours, creeds and a few rock & roll lovin aliens, left on the trip organised and sponsored by Teach Na nDaoine’s PIP project, promoting social inclusion, in beautiful sunshine.

A short skip on a nice bus brought us to Glasnevin where our tour guide was waiting. We were treated to a fantastic tour of Modern Irish History, from O’Connell, to Parnell, through to 1916, and beyond. The tour re-enacted the oration, by Patrick Pierce at the graveside of O’ Donovan Rossa and gave an insight into the preparations for the rising. It was hard not to feel moved as you passed on to the graves of Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins and were confronted by the stark reality of loyal comrades, in deadly conflict with each other.

Glasnevin is a fantastic place for anyone interested in history or just a good story. There are monuments to the dead of both world wars and military graves of many who fought in British Army.

The whole gambit of life and death is there to be imagined with stories of grave robbers, cholera, and the tragedy of unmarked graves.

If that wasn’t enough stimulation, having ‘done the guns’, we headed for ‘the roses’ of The Botanic Gardens, just next door.

The Victorian glass houses are stunning and worth a visit in themselves but for anyone the delight of the exotic plants and flowers that have been collected

over the years is fantastic. From the tiny and fragile plant life of the Swiss Alps to the  wild abundance of rain forest plants the gardens have it all..

Having completed the study trip we reported all we learned to Packie Kelly, our leader, we watched as his eyes glazed over and knew that he had plans to rival the Botanic Gardens  of Dublin with his own Mullaghmatt Botanic Gardens and why not a small crematorium!

Watch out for further trips.