Dublin, Ireland April 2014

Gary and I left on April 25, 2014 for Dublin, Ireland. We first flew to Chicago, then London, then Dublin. It was a very uneventful flight, thank goodness. Our reservations were at Bewleys Hotel, Ballsbridge.

 

After we settled in and took a long nap we found a restaurant to have a meal.

Every street post had political signs. All the political signs were very similar but they were everywhere.

The first Irish Pub we visited was Bellamy's.

The American Embassy. Not far from Bewley's Hotel. We walked by it daily.

Another embassy.

Dublin is famous for the residential doors. Each one is painted a bright color.

Entrance to the Hill of Tara. This is where Ireland's kings claimed their power, where St. Patrick preached his deal-clinching sermon, and where, in the 1800s, Daniel O'Connell rallied Irish patriots to demand their independence from Britain. This is a statute of St. Patrick.

 

 

 A church, called Saint Patrick's, is on the eastern side of the hilltop.

 

The Hill of Tara is documented in the 11th century text The Book of Invasions as the seat of the high kings of Ireland from the times of the mythological Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann to the text's composition.

 Beautiful view of the rolling hillside of Ireland.

 

 Stone of Destiny atop the Hill of Tara. It is believed this is where the High Kings were crowned. According to legend, the stone would scream if a series of challenges were met by the would-be king. At his touch the stone would let out a screech that could be heard all over Ireland.

 A small Neolithic passage tomb known as the Mound of the Hostages, which was constructed around 3,400 BC.

 

 Newgrange. This grassy mound atop a hill is 250 feet across and 40 feet high. dating from 3200 B.C., it's 500years old than the pyramids at Giza. 

 The base of the mound is ringed by dozens of "kerbstones," each about nine feet long and weighing five tons.

 

 

The entrance is a mosaic of white quartz and dark granite. Above the doorway is a square window called a roofbox. In front of the doorway lies the most famous of the kerbstones, the 10-by 4-foot entrance stone. It's left half is carved with three mysterious spirals, which have become a kind of poster child for prehistoric art.

You could not take pictures inside. When entering purses and coats need to be placed in front of your body because there is not enough room side by side. You have to enter in single file. You must walk down a 60-foot passage lined with big boulders. The passage opens up into a central small room that looks like a igloo-type style dome. Bones and ashes were placed here in a ceremonial stone basin, under 200,000 tons of stone and dirt. It is a sacred spot for the deal.

This is something I will absolutely never do again. Right before we entered the guide said that if anyone was claustrophobic they need to enter last of all so that they can turn around and exit. Once you enter you are entering, no turning back if people are behind you. I thought I would be fine. I never heard a thing the guide said. I prayed the entire time that I would not have a panic attack. I came so close to having one. We were only inside about 20 minutes but 1 minute would have been too long. I have no desire to ever visit this again!

 

 

 

The tomb is aligned precisely east-west. As the sun rises on the shortest day of the year, December 21, a ray of light enters through the roofbox and creeps slowly down the passageway. For 17 minutes, it lights the center of the sacred chamber. Perhaps this was the moment when the souls of the dead were transported to the afterlife, via that ray of life-giving and life-taking light. Then the light passes on, and, for the next 364 days, the tomb sits again in total darkness.

 The National Museum of Ireland.

 Collars were associated with Celtic kings and gods.

The Ardagh Chalice is part of a hoard of objects found in the 19th century by a young man digging for potatoes near Ardagh, Co. Limerick. It was used for dispensing Eucharistic wine during the celebration of the Mass.

The Cross of Cong. It represents the conclusion of a long tradition of distinctively Irish church metalwork. The cross was designed for processional use.

Dublin Castle. Until 1922 Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland.

Dublin Castle yards.

 

 

 The Drawing Room. This room today is used for the reception of foreign dignitaries. Built in 1830s.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Throne Room built in 1740s. It contains a throne built for the visit of King George IV to Ireland in 1821.

 

 St. Patrick's Hall. This is the grandest room. Today the room is used for presidential inaugurations. It is one of the oldest rooms in the castle, dating from the 1740s.

  

Composed of three panels, the ceiling depicts the coronation of King George III, Saint Patrick introducing Christianity to Ireland, and King Henry II receiving the submission of the Irish Chieftains.

 

 The Gothic Room.

 

The Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle was the official Church of Ireland chapel of the Household of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1814 until the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. 

 

 

  Betsy outside the Chester Beatty Library. St.

 Christ Church Cathedral. Dublin's oldest cathedral. People have been coming to this place to worship God for nearly 1000 years.

Guinness Storehouse. Arthur Guinness began brewing stout here in 1759 and by 1868, it was the biggest brewery in the world.

Residential area.

Street view.

Phoenix Park is an urban park composed of 1,750 acres. It is one of the largest walled city parks in Europe.

Entering Phoenix Park.

Temple Bar is in the heart of the city. It is lined with cobbled streets between Dame Street and the River Liffey. It is the hot spot for beer drinking.

One of the beautiful parks we walked by daily.

Betsy posing with some real people "posing."

There was a big controversy going on with the government and the people while we were here. The citizens have never been charged for water. There is a proposal to now charge citizens for water and down every street was someone with a petition. Everyone was talking about this.

I made a mistake taking this guys picture. I had to leave him some money.

Another pub we visited. It was right in the middle of town and we were tired of walking. Break time. In my honest opinion, I would say that Ireland is not known for their wine. I never had a decent glass of wine. I don't drink beer.

Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver's Travels) was dean of the Cathedral for 32 years in the 18th century. His grave is located near the front door where his cutting, self-penned epitaph reads: "He lies where furious indignation can no longer rend his heart."

The Ha' Penny Bridge. It is a pedestrian only bridge named for the halfpence tool people used to pay to cross it.

One of the very best in Dublin. The Lobster Pot catered to the theater crowd.

We had a wonderful time. Coming home we flew from Dublin to Charlotte and then to XNA. We loved the history of Ireland and love the country.