Saturday 7th November, a wet and miserable afternoon, saw our Under 12 girls take the 41 into town for a day trip. First stop was the Daniel O’Connell monument for a brief history of the Easter rising and to view the bullet holes in “The Liberator”.

Next, to the National Museum in Kildare Street. The area that attracted most interest, perhaps not surprisingly, was the Seodlann or the jewellery section. We saw the Ardagh chalice (on which the Sam Maguire cup is modelled), the bog bodies, the Viking exhibit, the ancient Egyptians and much more.

Due to the rain, we had lunch in the Portico of the Museum, while keeping an eye on the toing and froing at Dáil Éireann.

Then we went to Dublin’s Mansion House where we were greeted by the Mayor of Dublin, Críona Ní Dhálaigh. An tArd-Mhéara gave us a bilingual guided tour of the Mansion House where we got to see the famous Oak Room and the Round Room (Ionad an Chéad Dáil Éireann i 1919). We also saw the plaques commemorating the help given by the Choctaw Indians to Ireland during An Gorta Mór in 1847.

According to an tArd-mhéara, the highlight of the tour was when we were treated to some beautiful music on the Drawing Room piano by our own Niamh Ní Mhóráin and Siún Ní Shé. Comhghairdeas libh, a chailíní.

Táimid fíor bhuíoch as oifig an tArdmhéara a d’eaghraigh an ócáid agus an tArdmhéara í féin. Chaith sí breis is uair linn agus chruthaigh sí ócáid speisialta dúinn nach mbeidh dearmadta go deo.

Go raibh míle maith ag the under 12 girls, the parents and the mentors who all helped to make such a memorable day.