Day 26 - Monday, July 8, 2024 - Dublin Ireland

 

Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1191 as a Roman Catholic cathedral, is currently the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland.

Our tour left at 8:25 this morning.  We had to tender in and the tender ride was about 30 minutes.  We boarded our bus and were taken from the port city of Dun Laoghaire to Dublin with our guide narrating as we drove.

Pulling into Dun Laoghaire 

We stopped at Merriam Square which was a really pretty park in the heart of the city center.  

These are pictures from our driving tour and my walk around Dublin 

Leaving the pier docking atea

Only in Dublin 

Statutes abound on every street and in the medians

Dublin, home to Guinness 

The exterior of their national art gallery 

Parliament building 

Just some prettier buildings 

The Ha'penny Bridge is as much of a landmark to Dublin as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. This is a pedestrian bridge over the River Liffey.

Guinness factory on a quick drive by

One of their favorite sons is Oscar Wilde, born here in Dublin.  

Everywhere you look there are statutes of their favorite sons like Johnathan Swift author of Gulliver's Travels, Oscar Wilde who wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Ernest,  Samuel Beckett, playwright of Waiting for Godot, and Brahm Stoker, author of Dracula.

We had our free time early today, having about 2 hours to wander the city center.   

I took a walk with Wayne, a short walk, and we had a real scone but no clotted cream as he remembered it from previous trips.   We were told that clotted cream is BRITISH and we are in the IRISH area of Ireland.  They are NOT British here!  But when we get to Belfast, Ireland, in the north, we will be back under British rule.

I left Wayne eating his scone and walked through the streets of Dublin.

Ireland was given their independence in 1921, but there was fighting in the 1980's and peace accords signed as recently as 1998.

We were given a great, long lecture, politely political about the strife.  I believe if I have most of the story correct, Britain gave Ireland a chance to end the fighting and allowed 26 of their 32 counties to leave British rule.  The people of Ireland were finally tired enough of fighting which is how the accord, the Good Friday Agreement was ratified.  Northern counties including Belfast remain British while the south if Ireland is insulted if you refer to them as British.  

Southern Ireland uses the Euro as us part of the European Union. Northern Ireland uses the British Pound and is not part of the EU. They need a passport to go to any of the othe countries in the EU like Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, etc.

Enough history.... I wandered into the park and found Oscar Wilde's statue and then took a walk to Trinity College founded in 1592 that was modelled after the collegiate universities of both Oxford and Cambridge.

Trinity College 

Everywhere you look, you also see how proud the Irish are if their Irish Whiskey. I passed an Irish Whiskey Museum but didn't have the time or desire to wander in.

I also had a chance to stop in to The National Gallery of Ireland and look around for a few minutes. It was free, and there were toilets

From Merriam Square our bus took us to St. Paticks cathedral founded in 1191.  We were lucky to get an interior tour and it was really crowded.  Our guide believed that the church may have been closed in the early morning, perhaps for a wedding...which made all the people touring get crammed into a tighter time period.  Our guide did her best taking us through the cathedral, showing us the beautiful knave and altars.  The stained glass windows are beautiful and even the floor tiles were worthy of pictures.  

The Door of Reconciliation 

In 1492 two Irish families were involved in a bitter feud. This disagreement involved both families wanting one of their own to hold the position of Lord Deputy.   In 1492 this tension broke into outright warfare.  One of the families, realizing that the fighting was getting out of control, took refuge in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The other family followed them into the Cathedral and asked them to come out and make peace. They refused, afraid that if they did so they would be slaughtered.  As a gesture of good faith the head of the stronger family ordered that a hole be cut in the door. He then thrust his arm through the door and offered his hand in peace. Upon seeing that he was willing to risk his arm by putting it through the door they reasoned he was serious in his intention. They shook hands through the door and emerged from the cathedral 

 and the two families made peace.

Spiral staircase to the organ loft 

Choir seats

Pulpit from where Johnathan Swift preached 

What a beautiful choir area

Johnathan Swift, the country's favorite son

He was an author, poet, political activist and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's cathedral 

And his cryot

Wayne found his bench

Outside pictures of st. Patrick's cathedral 

Back on the bus, some could get off again at Merriam Square and wander alone. There was a shuttle bus running ever half hour to take you back to the port and the tender ride back to our ship.  We opted not to wander any more and arrived back on the ship at 2:30.  It was a long enough day for me.

Dinner tonight included grilled lobster tails. Let's just say Wayne hurt them pretty bad.

Tonight at 9 pm is a show in the theatre and another early rise for our tour if Holyhead, Wales as we zig zag back and forth across the Irish Sea.  Winds and rain are predicted....it could be another unexpected sea day.  Hopefully not, but it's not in my control so you just deal with it.