Another early start and a walk before our 7:30 breakfast downstairs. It was then off to the HOHO to Trinity College. Last night I booked a visit to the Book of Kells to avoid having to queue up to get in. Hard to believe that one is looking at a book that is over 1,000 years old. And the Long room was just as impressive, housing around 200,000 of the Trinity Library's oldest books along with the oldest surviving harp in Ireland dating from the 15th century.
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| Trinity College |
Next stop was Temple Bar, one of the oldest parts of Dublin. After a coffee at a cute little corner coffee shop, we wandered around the cobbled pedestrianised streets. Have I already mentioned how lovely the hanging baskets of flowers are? – just gorgeous. Our next commitment was at Kilmainham Gaol at 2pm so we had a bit of time for a further wander to Dublin Castle before heading on.
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| Temple Bar and the River Liffey |
The Gaol was a sobering experience, showcasing the harsh life prisoners would have experienced in the gaol. The gaol is rich with history having detained leaders of 5 different Irish rebellions between 1798 and 1916 as well as many petty criminals who were housed at the gaol before being transported to Australia as convicts.
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| Kilmainham Gaol |
For something lighter, our next stop was the National Leprechaun Museum, a light-hearted look at the Leprechaun history of Ireland. We had a great storyteller who made it all fascinating.
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| The National Leprechaun Museum |
From there we walked back to our hotel (great to see the use on trams in Dublin), past the General Post Office, another building that has a special place in Irish history – it was here that the proclamation of independence was read during the Easter uprising in 1916.
We were thinking about going to a pub for some live music tonight but have had a big day. Dinner downstairs instead and an early night.
