Rick and Marie's Travels: Dublin

April 9th

Today was sunny, blustery, and a bit chilly, but we were really thankful because we were on a walking tour of Dublin. So much better than when we arrived in a downpour. In three hours James, our guide for "The Best of Dublin" took us on a 5 mile cultural and historical tour of this really busy city. Mind you, the history goes back 4000 years to the first known settlement of Ireland so he jumped to circa 8th century before moving to the 16th-20th century. I'll leave it to you to read up on this if you're interested. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Dublin).

Basically, we started at The Tree of Gold and made a loop on Dame Street to Parliament House over O'Connell Bridge up O'Connell Road past the General Post Office to Henry Street to Mary Street, Mary Lane to The Church Cafe & Bar, over to Four Courts, back across the Liffey River on O'Donovan Rossa Bridge, through the "Viking neighborhood" along some other really small lanes coming out at Christ Church Cathedral and then up to Dublin Castle and back to Dame Street.

[If you want to check it out on Google maps here's the link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+Andrew's+Ln,+Dublin/@53.3431036,-6.2661188,17z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x48670e9c92778495:0x5ff1e0d50df5cbe4!2sSt+Andrew's+Ln,+Dublin!3b1!8m2!3d53.3435232!4d-6.2625837!16s%2Fg%2F119t8tykm!3m5!1s0x48670e9c92778495:0x5ff1e0d50df5cbe4!8m2!3d53.3435232!4d-6.2625837!16s%2Fg%2F119t8tykm?entry=ttu. The Tree of Gold is on the square bordered by Dame Street at the bottom, Cope St. at the top, and Anglesea St. on the right of the square. You'll see a bus icon where the sculpture is located. Enlarge and follow the map to the right and you'll be able to trace our steps even though I don't know why you would. 😏]

Okay, on to some pictures.

This is where our walking tour began.

James our tour guide.

Parliament House built in 1729 and rebuilt in 1796.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_House, Dublin

Daniel O'Connell successfully agitated
for Catholic emancipation in 1829 and
worked nonviolently for the poor.

Outside The General Post Office Patrick Pearse
read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic
on 24 April 1916. The building was destroyed by
fire in the course of the rebellion in 1922. The
granite facade survived and it was rebuilt in 1929
by the Irish Free State government.

Street artist sculpting dog with puppies.

Four hours later, we passed her again on a walk.

The Bar & Cafe in the Church was established in
an Anglican Church in 1997 after lying derelict
for 30+ years.

The bar is in the center of what was

the church so you can walk around it.

Arthur Guinness bust at the bar in
the Bar & Cafe in the Church.

To the left of this cafe is a graveyard that was

deconsecrated in 1966. Many of the gravestones

from St. Mary's c.1700's are still in place.

The Last Supper mural by Irish artist John Byrne
that was installed in Dublin's Italian Quarter
in 2004.

The work features contemporary Dubliners as
Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, reenacting The Last
Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Note Judas is port-
rayed as a banker.

I just liked this door. The doors of
Dublin are striking.

Crossing the Liffey River on our way to the Viking Area.

Street signs in Gaelic and English.

This bookshop is NOT about smut.

Mural in the Viking Area. Make this picture larger
and check out the imprint of a Viking vessel.

Bronze casting of Viking artifacts depicted as found.

When a new City Hall was being constructed

Viking artifacts were discovered. Construction

was halted for two years as a village dating

back to 852 was unearthed.

The cathedral was founded in the early 11th century under the Viking king Sitric Silkenbeard. It was rebuilt in stone in the late 12th century under the Norman potentate Strongbow, and considerably enlarged in the early 13th century, using Somerset stones and craftsmen. A partial collapse in the 16th century left it in poor shape and the building was extensively renovated and rebuilt in the late 19th century, giving it the form it has today, including the tower and buttresses.

By 1440 there were three great bells in the tower; however, on 11 March 1597, an accidental gunpowder explosion on one of the nearby quays damaged the tower and caused the bells to crack. In 1670, six new bells were cast for the tower from cannon metal. These were recast and augmented to eight in 1738 by Abel Rudhall. In the 1840s, several of the bells were recast by John Murphy of Dublin. In the 1860s and 1870s, the bells were gradually recast and augmented to twelve. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Cathedral,_Dublin)

The Homeless Jesus honors the homeless of
Dublin. The feet show his stigmata.

Rock and Roll Museum. Can you

name the bands displayed? (click to enlarge)

The castle below is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the seat of the British government's administration in Ireland. Many of the current buildings date from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland. The Castle served as the seat of the English, then later British, government of Ireland under the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800), and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1800–1922).

After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, the complex was ceremonially handed over to the newly formed Provisional Government led by Michael Collins.^[1] It now hosts the inauguration of each President of Ireland and various State receptions. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_Castle)

Guards at the entrance of Dublin Castle
sharpened their bayonets on the door
posts.

Dublin Castle north entrance.

Dublin Castle entrance with Scales
of Justice. Notice that she's not blind-
folded and the scales are level.

Bedford Tower, Dublin Castle.

Dublin Castle central courtyard.

Later in the afternoon we took another walk, enjoying the sunny weather and walking along the lanes of Temple Bar. By the end of the day we'd logged 8.25 miles.

Typical afterwork traffic along the river.

All electric Guinness delivery truck.

Gotta admit the bars are colorful.

We called it a day and had dinner and great conversation with Sean the bar tender at this pub. The Voyager is on Dame Lane just around the corner from our hotel. Of course, nearly all the pubs in this area are just around the corner from our hotel.