TLDR: The kids went all out decorating the dining room for Michelle’s birthday, we had Five Guys, and Maddex made the cake. The next day, while they were at school, I took Michelle into Trinity for the Book of Kells and the Long Room. Then we got everybody back together for pizza after school.
Michelle birthday
After school before mom came home from work the kids got busy making the dining room feel like a proper birthday room. Mila picked out all of the decorations. Roxi and Khaleesi hung balloons, ball things, and decorations everywhere. Mom was pleasantly surprised.
We did Five Guys for dinner. Mom’s choice. Burgers, and fries, band all of us around the table with no one stuck cooking. Maddex took full responsibility for the cake baking operation. Chocolate cake with a butter cream frosting.
Michelle got the presents the cake, the call with her parents, the kids hanging around and the whole birthday treatment. Exactly how it should be.
Trinity and the Long Room date
The next day, while the kids were in school, I surprised Michelle with a mystery destination. We took the Luas into city center, destination Trinity. Michelle guessed where we were going before we got there. We had a brilliant guided walking through the old buildings, did the Book of Kells experience and made it into the Long Room Library. The most American thing we’ve done since moving there. 80% of the people in the tour group were American or Canadian. It’s been on our list for ages. Glad we did it now vs later the Long room library is almost out of books. The books are all being pulled for restoration work. Will be another 5 years before they are back on the shelves.
The history part was pretty wild too. Trinity was founded in 1592 under Elizabeth I, on the site of a former priory, during the period when English rule was full bore in Ireland. The people behind it saw the college as a way to strengthen the Protestant Reformation here. So yeah, there was definitely a big “let’s make Ireland more English and Protestant with a fancy college” plan in there. Ireland, being Ireland, did not exactly go along with that part of the plan. Love a good history lesson and more understanding of Catholic vs Protestant.
The Book of Kells itself was written around the year 800, which is just crazy when you are standing there looking at it. It is a beautifully decorated Latin copy of the four Gospels, over 1,200 years old, and somehow it is just sitting right there in Dublin in our back yard.
Then the Long Room. Massive shelves, old books, the big globe and just that proper “how is this real?” feeling. Michelle and I wandered through, took the pictures and took in the library vibe.
After school we took kids into stillogan and finished up with pizza and wings.. Happy birthday Baby.
