Yes, Ryans is preserved, I think, and they can't rip out the interior. It boasts two snugs at the back, where we used to drink in times of yore. I don't know whether they are still there. The Hooker in the station is a through way. The previous American Ambassador, who was a Bush appointee, Tom Foley is a rower, and he rowed with us on Saturday mornings quite frequently. One such outing, portaging the boat over the wier and rowing right out to Alexandra Basin and back left us all feeling like a hearty breakfast, so to our surprise Tom Foley came with us to the station, the little cafe near Ryans having closed. They posted FBI guys in the station concourse and out front facing the Luas. It was a bank holiday w/end and the place was heaving.
Foley said, blow this for a load a' nonesense, you're all coming up to the Park next Saturday. That was the start of a series of glorious breakfasts we had over a two year period in the Am. Embassy residence up the Park, ending with a send- off bash on 10th January last. Foley was very generous, a good oar, and extremely humorous company, to boot.
Today was totally glorious, of course, and for the second time this w/end my closest rowing buddy and I sculled singles on the Blessington Lake, yesterday to the Dam and back, this morning to the Valleymount Bridge and back. It's a privilege to get out there with all those lovely hills around you and the lake like mercury with perfect reflections everywhere....
Perhaps I'm boring you, who prefer warring and pillage and such like.