Living legends and celebrity stallion welcome visitors again
The National Stud and a number of heritage sites reopened this week, providing a change of scene for locked-down locals
Sat, May 1, 2021, 06:00
Different things make us excited these days. If you had said, 14 months ago, that a visit to a heritage garden and the prospect of looking at newborn foals would be the social highlight of my April thus far, I’d have thought my life was a bit sad. But a visit to the Irish National Stud and Gardens was a delight – to be out and seeing something new.
After a long period of lockdown, some outdoor facilities finally began to reopen this week. The Taoiseach turned up at Dublin Zoo to offer his support, and a fine opportunity for press photographers to monkey around. In Cork, Fota Wildlife Park also reopened. Golf courses opened. So too did tennis clubs. The Office of Public Works (OPW) reopened an additional number of parks and heritage sites around the country, although all of their buildings remain closed and there are no tours, even outdoor ones.