Some Practical Matters

Traveling does entail its own logistical challenges—especially for those of us who travel to research our destination after we arrive there. The nature of our research journey to Ireland this October is two-fold: first, to head to the rural areas where my husband’s Irish immigrant family originated; then, to attend to a concentrated week of research in the libraries and archives of Dublin.

Although I’m set when it comes to the Dublin library work—hotel, days’ activities and most meals are already arranged—in the preceding two weeks, we will be free to follow our noses, search and find, then search some more, as we drive from one tiny town to another, seeking our Irish roots on the west side of the island. There is a lot of planning yet to do, regarding the mundane details of where to stay, where to eat, who to meet. And yet, there is the need for the freedom to pick up and head in a different direction or mode if a lead is uncovered that warrants the flexibility.

Planning—or anti-planning—for those first two weeks will be a world away from the preparation for a week’s worth of wading through books and microfilm. After all, one solid week of this trip will be spent inside. Inside some rather sizeable buildings, admittedly, but inside.

Yes, think about it: I’m heading to a library. Who cares what the weather will be like? The more pertinent question will be: Does Dublin prefer the east coast mode of freezing-cold-winters-equals-cranking-the-indoor-temperature-unbearably-high? Or are they more like our laid back west coast style, environmentally friendly yet freezing their residents…while they are indoors? I know what the Scots would do (courtesy of my sister, whose daughter currently attends college in Scotland). But how about those Irish?

As I write about such weather quandaries, I’m heading into a day predicted to reach ninety eight degrees. In comparison, the residents of Cork—our center of operation for those first two weeks in Ireland—are well on their way towards a balmy sixty eight degree high this afternoon. Just add rain and these numbers are sure to plummet. This may take some adjustment.

I wouldn’t need to trouble myself over such pesky creature comforts if it weren’t for the trivial matter of packing my measly fifty-pound-limited suitcase. And leaving spare room for shopping. Not to mention, lugging around those items someone neglected to bring with her at her departure from the homeland five weeks ago.

Oh, did I mention books? Laptop? Notebooks? Records? There may not be much room for clothing. I believe I will be opting for the layered look—same outfit repeated ad nauseam minus one item for warmer weather, plus one for misery rain.

Then there is that creature comfort known as sleep. Face it: everybody has to do it at some time or another. If I can’t manage to do it during the flight, it will be Despicable Me making the grand entrance at the Dublin airport. I know; I did it once before in Frankfurt. It will not be pretty. Regardless, if I want a place to lay my head that night, I have to decide now: immediately travel the extra three hours it will take to get from the airport to the train station, then to Cork? Or stop off in Dublin and catch up on sleep right away? Who knows what I’ll feel like when I get there. But there is this sticky little detail called reservations standing in the way of my free spirit.

Which brings up another point: where to sleep. If we opt for wimping out in Dublin, I know exactly where to stay: the same place our daughter stopped at on her way to Cork. The staff there was quite accommodating of her jet lag, and it made the perfect stopover for someone who intended to do nothing else while there than sleep.

But the rest of the way? I’m still pondering over the possibilities of quaint local bed and breakfast versus stodgy old American-style corporate cookie-cutter hotel. While the former sounds quite charming, I know how a night on “charming” can feel. We do, after all, have B&Bs here in America.

There are, of course, other options. We could stay in a castle. We just might stay in a castle. As for hostels, well, think again. I think I’ve outgrown my college travel-the-world bravado.

What helps with the hotel planning is my secret other identity as frequent-flier-mileage queen. (Although, admittedly, I can’t top this.) For many of our stops, we will be “limited” to the facilities included on our airlines frequent flier program. But that won’t stop us from using them for stays in the cities, and selecting other options when we begin exploration of our ancestral turf.

Which brings me back to the question: Hotel? B&B? Or castle?

That is the question.

 Above: Sketch of the Vice-Regal Lodge in Dublin, circa 1831, by Irish artist George Petrie; courtesy Wikipedia; in the public domain.