Book of Kells
"bog" man 400BC
U-2 Studio
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin
“One hundred thousand welcomes” spoken to us in Gaelic.“There are no strangers here- only friends you’ve yet to meet.”So true! We arrived in Dublin and went to our hotel- the Best Western Academy- another very good location and a very nice hotel. Dinner in the hotel that night was superb! Trout or chicken as the main entree. After dinner we went straight away to the Irish dance lesson at the Music community center on a beautiful square in a suburb of Dublin. The ride there was along the Irish Sea. This was beautiful at sunset with sailboats on the water and homes facing the sea. There was an unusual tree I asked about and the bus driver called it a Monkeypuzzle tree. He told us we would have some good craic (good fun) tonight in the Monkstown area on the southside of Dublin. We drove past the 60s era architecture of the American Embassy and saw the Four Seasons Hotel where Bon Jovi was staying before his concert the next night.
The dance master at the musical community center was excellent and used Amy as his assistant and dance partner to demonstrate- I took video of this and be sure you watch it!
The students learned the Irish jig and the following dances:
Walls of Limerick and the Siege of Innis
These are couples dances with floor patterns as well as steps
In the bar area there were local Irish musicians playing together some traditional music- we had a great time at our dance lessons!
The Dublin City Guided TourThe first stop was The Children of Lior- a swan story and the gardens have a sculpture of the swan changelings in the Garden of Remembrance. Across the street is the writer’s museum of Dublin. The Parnell Square district and the Gate Theatre are near our hotel. Charles Stuart Parnell is known as the uncrowned King of Ireland. We drove by the Spire Monument and the General Post Office- GPO- A site of rebellion here in Dublin.
In the 18th century Dublin was a wealthy town, but earlier it was a wooden Viking city of the 9th century. So much of the old sites are destroyed here in Dublin.
In 1591 Elizabeth I, the Protestant Queen, started a Protestant university- Trinity College. Many famous writers attended this college ex. Jonathan Swift.
There are 15,000 students on a 40 acre campus.
We drove by the Molly Malone Statue- the Tart with the Cart-look her up!
We saw Marion Square of the 1750s with Georgian style architecture and then went to a garden memorial for Oscar Wilde with a statue from 1997 made of jade, porcelain and tulite- he wrote
A Picture of Dorian Grey and has many famous quotes.
On Fitzwilliam Square there is a doorway that is frequently photographed for postcards :#46 a double doorway decorated for the King’s visit which has 5” high steps so ladies did not show too much ankle when they approached the door. The social season then went from January to March. The 1798 Rebellion resulted in the British closing the Irish Parliament and property values in Dublin fell in the 1800s because there was no social season anymore.
UNESCO Named Dublin a world site for literature because it has produced so many fine writers throughout history. James Joyce wrote “Ulysses” 1904 and the 16th of June is called Bloomsday to remember this work.
It is said that there are 700 churches and 1000 pubs in Dublin!Christ Church 1172 is restored and has a Dublinia exhibit that is really good. Here is the crypt and the old city gates of 1240 with part of the original walls. We drove by there on our way to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This is early English Gothic Style- Jonathan Swift was a Dean of the Church and he wrote Gulliver’s Travels. St. Patrick’s gardens were lovely.We saw magpie’s here—there is a superstition saying here about magpies and pregnancy:
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy!
On our city tour we drove by the 1800s red brick buildings of Guinness factory- St. James Gate Brewery is the entrance to the factory.The Brazen Head of 1198 is the oldest pub in Dublin.
The River Liffey separates Dublin into North and South sides.
Phoenix Park in Dublin is 4 times larger than Central Park in NY and contains the zoo which is one of the oldest in Europe. It was once a royal park in the mid 1500s and totally private until the 18th century. In this park is the Papal Cross where Pope John Paul II held outdoor mass in 1979 with 1 million people in attendance. Here is also the Ambassador’s Residence for the US which is much prettier than the embassy and the President of Ireland's House- this is also a deer park.
Windmill Lane- U2’s Recording Studio- photo stop- they now have a new one nearby. The graffiti on the walls here are works of art- amazing!
Saw the wooden ship Jenny Johnson which is a replica of the type that sailed to the US after the potato famine
Our visit to
Trinity College and the Book of Kells 800AD manuscripts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in Latin on vellum of calf skins. It took 180 calves skins for 1 book. There are two pages open and on display at a time. A page from Matthew was on display with very intricate artwork. Peacocks were a symbol of the incorruptibility of Christ, peacocks were said to not putrefy after death and their feathers regenerate too. Snakes were a symbol of renewal and rebirth because they shed their skins. There are lots of these symbols on ancient texts.
Trinity College Library is most impressive! When you walk in you think, 'Now THIS is a library!" -A long narrow room with a very tall ceiling/barrel with busts of Homer, Aristotle, Socrates, Boyle, etc. The very oldest books in the library are in the room and also the oldest harp in Ireland made of maple and willow.There was an exhibit on medical practice and the history of the medical college at Trinity College- very interesting documents and pictures.
Free time after the college tour-so we went to Grafton Street for lunch. We ate at Davy Byrnes- Panini sandwiches, soup, and roast beef sandwiches. All very good and there we lots of locals dining in this restaurant.
We walked to the National Museum of Archeology and History- beautiful displays of gold artifacts, jewelry, hairpieces, coins. Many of these objects were found in hoards and discovered on farms or during turf cutting. Outstanding “bog” men- total of 41- we took pictures of many of these men and their information from the year 400 BC.
St. Stephen’s Green Park was perfect for a rest so we sat by the pond to watch ducks and swans + a lot of pigeons (males trying to impress the females-hubba hubba) sea gulls landed and stole the pigeon bread and broke up the party. Lots of young people in this park enjoying the pretty weather. We met the group at Trinity College and walked back to our hotel- about a 20 minute walk- watch the dodgy traffic lights ya’ll- very short and fake you out on the beeps. People are KILLED here while crossing the street.
For dinner we walked to The Shack Restaurant in a trendy restaurant area near Fleet Street. We heard a Scottish bagpipe band perform near the restaurant in a square. The food was traditional Irish and there was an 18th century crack in the wall which was labeled- deco was neat with books and plates on shelves.
Some Irish/Gaelic vernacular we learned on this trip:
Craic= having a good time
Pog Mo Thoin= kiss my --- in Gaelic
One-two-tree, one-two-tree! That is waltz or jig time for your information!
Andy and Stephanie had a beautiful fall wedding on Lake Seneca. The weather was spectacular with blue skies and water the color of the bridesmaid's dresses. The football theme matched the season and their fanatical following of their favorite teams- Penn State and Syracuse. 
The vows were exchanged in the afternoon under a tent on the lakeside. The strings played softly as the bridesmaids and young flower girls and ring bearers processed down the aisle. 
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