Visit Dublin to the rhythm of old war songs

BarcelonaI've always enjoyed reading about the stories hidden in buildings. They're not just four walls; they're witnesses to history. Sipping a coffee or a good beer on a sunny day in Dublin, surrounded by smiling young people, it's hard to imagine that the city's beautiful post office burned down in 1916. Most Dubliners walk past the General Post Office every day without thinking about its past, but almost everyone knows that it was the headquarters of the rebels who led the Easter Rising.

On April 24th of that year, taking advantage of the fact that the troops of the British Empire had enough work to do in the trenches of the First World War, a group of Irish nationalists took up arms to proclaim independence. Independence that was going to come, but years later. More than 400 people died during the six days that the uprising lasted and the leaders were executed.

The Irish, what people. Few nations have told their story with as much talent as they have with their songs. If you visit Dublin, you can do some of the tours for tourists that allow you to walk through the scenes of the 1916 battles. And you can listen to the different versions of the song that exist The foggy dew. I particularly recommend the one The Chieftains made with the magnificent Sinéad O'Connor in 1995.

You can listen to it several times and begin to understand the significance of that 1916 uprising and the execution of its leaders. Upon reading the news of the repression that affected innocent civilians, a Belfast priest, Father Charles O'Neill, wrote a text that musically adapts a beautiful love song, The Moorlough shore. And so was born that anthem about the uprising that, instead of ending Irish dreams of freedom, gave more strength to republicanism.

In the center of Dublin, you can walk down O'Connell Street, which burned completely to the ground in 1916, when it was called Sackville Street. To the north of the street is the Garden of Remembrance, dedicated to the memory of "all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish freedom." You can also visit the old Arbour Hill Gaol yard, where the republicans executed for a shrinking empire were buried. A route through a vital city that continues to enjoy good musical taste and historical memory. That's why, in the post office building, when you enter, it commemorates how the Irish Republic was proclaimed here in 1916. Those who did so were executed, but while songs like The foggy dew, they will last forever.

Recommendation for traveling to Dublin

Song: The foggy dew

Author: The Chieftains and Sinéad O'Connor

Year: 1995