The Wombat goes to college

The Wombat will soon be finishing his stay in Dublin, so he's been looking around some of the places he hasn't been before. Last week, he finally went to Trinity College.

He decided the queue to see the Book of Kells was sadly just a bit too long.


So he had a wander around the beautiful grounds instead (while dodging groups of tourists and wondering what it was like to be an actual student).

Down the Liffey

The Wombat had a nice wander down the quays in Dublin yesterday.

He wasn't too sure why there are Dutch navy ships moored in the Liffey, but he posed for a photo anyway.


He also posed in front of the distant Aviva stadium (it's the curvy thing on the middle-left) and the entrance to the Grand Canal Dock.


And he got a bit creeped out by the pig-mouse-bear-things statue outside the O2. (Anyone know what they are?) The one on the left was definitely giving him a funny look.

The dolly with the trolley

Poor old Molly Malone has been called many things (the dolly with the trolley and the tart with the cart among them). But at least she wasn't being swarmed by the usual big-headed leprechauns on the day The Wombat went to see her.

A day out in Dublin

Determined to get to know Dublin even better, the Wombat went wandering along the River Liffey. He walked down to see the Jeannie Johnston, a replica of one of the ships which carried Irish immigrants to a new life in America.


Finally, he had a surprise encounter with the new President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, at the Famine Memorial.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

The Wombat is going to be spending quite a lot of time in Dublin for the next year or so (although he hopes to travel to lots of other places too).
Hopefully he won't get lost the way he did last time he visited.

He started his sojourn by going to Phoenix Park, where he was very impressed by the great big obelisk.


He visited Dublin Zoo as well, and although he was disappointed not to see any marsupials like himself during his visit, he did make the acquaintance of a meerkat...


... envied the long legs of the giraffes...


... and decided to keep well away from the big white rhinos.

Castles in Connemara

The Wombat had a quick trip to watch some friends run the Connemarathon. Before heading home, he went to see Aughnanure Castle.



Here he is in a tree. It was indeed an ancient yew tree.

Stone walls and the grass is green...

Here's to the Saw Doctors and the N17! The Wombat, on his way down to Connemara.

Pirates in County Donegal?

On a recent visit to Bundoran in County Donegal, The Wombat was amazed to see that there are apparently still pirates roaming the northwest shores!

Watery Ireland

The Wombat likes to look at water as long as there's no risk of falling in. So he was happy enough to pay a visit to Glencar Lough and its nearby waterfall as long as he could admire them from afar (or at least from behind a safety rail).

More castle-visiting for The Wombat

Back in the summer, The Wombat took a trip around Donegal, including through the Glenveagh National Park. He liked it so much that he decided to go back in September, and this time, to visit the castle. (He likes castles a lot.)

Although no photos were allowed in Glenveagh Castle itself, The Wombat greatly enjoyed the short tour. Even if all the stag motifs all over the place were a bit much.
The weather wasn't all that great, but the gardens still looked lovely - here The Wombat is looking at the back of the orangery.


Outside of the sheltered grounds, the weather was very blustery - The Wombat had to cling tightly to this fence to avoid being blown into the old swimming pool or the lough below!

How we used to live - USA & Ireland

Near Omagh in Northern Ireland is the Ulster-American Folk Park, a mostly-outdoor museum which aims to show how people lived in the mid-1800s - those who stayed in Ireland and those who left for the States. It has lots of reconstructed buildings which illustrate life on both sides of the Atlantic, with lots of farmland around them.

Here The Wombat is trying to decide what this piece of farm equipment might have been used for.


He wasn't too sure whether it was safe to be surrounded by so many chicken. Maybe he'd be OK if he sat up high?


In the bar, he was thwarted by an empty glass (probably just as well).


And in school, he learnt a valuable lesson.


Finally, in preparation for his future travels, he checked out the cost of being posted to the US. Not sure if he realises those are 1800s prices, though...

More from the archive

The Wombat had a bit of a jaunt around parts of County Donegal earlier this summer (back when the weather in Ireland was actually decent).

Here he is in front of the Grianán of Aileach, an Iron Age stone fort. It was too windy to actually take a photo of The Wombat sitting on top of the walls, but on a calmer day, it's great to stand up there (about 250m above sea level) and look at the fantastic views.


Later, he was taken on a long car journey through Glenveagh National Park and around the coast up to the Bloody Foreland. This photo was taken somewhere near Gweedore.

Drinking Guinness in Dublin

The Wombat's trip to Dublin started off in sober enough fashion, watching the ducks at St Stephen's Green - here he is, cooling off near a fountain (while being careful not to get his fur too wet).


However, a visit to the world-famous Guinness Storehouse led to some hard drinking, as the following photos show. In this one, he's innocently examining the original 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness, allowing him to build the Guinness brewery at St James's Gate.


But here's The Wombat about to tackle a pint of the black stuff...


And here he is, complete with a frothy moustache, and already eyeing up his second pint.


After consuming more Guinness than was good for him (never mind the slogans), The Wombat then managed to 'lose' himself. But His photographer searched high and low, and thankfully tracked down the errant marsupial before he could do any lasting damage to himself or anything else. Here's a photo of The Wombat in the middle of O'Connell Street, looking properly contrite after a good scolding.


The Wombat apparently suffered a bit of a hangover the next day. And he's no longer allowed to be quite so disapproving of those doped-up wallabies.

The Wombat heads south

When The Wombat heard he was taking a trip south, he got very excited, thinking of sun and sangria. His hopes were dashed though, when he got no further than the megalithic passage tombs in County Meath (in the Republic of Ireland)... At least the weather was nice.


Here he is, loitering at the entrance to the Knowth passage tomb...


And again at the entrance to the Newgrange tomb.


He also got to visit Trim Castle, but found himself clapped in the stocks for a crime he didn't commit (or so he claims).