Day 21 - July 27

We were up early to get the car back as we had run out of time the day before and we were tired from driving in the rush hour traffic. Instead we traded late day rush hour for early morning. Needless to say, after we had dropped off the car we were ready to find a coffee!

Our first stop was the Kilmainham Gaol where we grabbed a coffee and waited for our tour to begin. There was so much history here that the tour guide was able to cram into the one hour tour. A lot of it covered the political uprisings of the people and the executions carried out by the government and then the executions carried out by people against their own people. Not an upbeat way to start the day!

We got on the hop on/hop off bus which we took for the next 90 minutes so we could have a better understanding of the city. There is commentary as you pass through certain areas or buildings. We loved the Georgian area - architecture from 1740-1830. These areas also included the Georgian Squares (parks) which could only be used by the residents who lined the streets there. Now of course they are open to the public. Then there was the medieval section. Hard to believe the shops, homes and buildings are still used from this time. There really didn't seem to be many modifications!

We were taken back and forth across the River Liffey, over the various bridges, all the while enjoying sun and wind on the top of the bus. 

Hopped off at St Patrick's Cathedral and gloried in the splendour of the spirituality and architecture of the 900 year old building. So much to look at - beautiful windows, stonework, history etc. Also it is the largest church in Ireland and has the tallest spire at 141 feet. 

From St Patrick's we went to Christ Church Cathedral.

 This is the oldest building in Dublin as the known records indicate it was founded in 1030. The cathedral is located in medieval Dublin. At one point in its history it would have dominated the skyline but now it is quite sandwiched among the more modern buildings. It's beautiful interior and exterior have been used extensively in many movies and TV series such as The Tudors.

 

Many of the actors outfits and dresses were displayed in the crypt below. The tower always had a bell but as years went on, more bells were added. In 1999, 7bells were added to the ring to make a total of 19 - a world record for bells rung this way. 

BTW ... In case you are wondering why 2 Cathedrals ... St.Patrick's is outside the old city walls and Christ Church was inside the city walls.

After all this history, we were exhausted and headed back to our hotel to rest and clean up a bit. We made our way back downtown to have dinner. We chatted with the owner of the lovely little Italian restaurant we had chosen and he presented us with glasses of Prosecco. 

Very kind of him! Next we hopped back on the bus for an evening tour of the city with live singing. 

Hotel owned by Bono and The Edge (of the band U2)

Back to the hotel at 11:00 just exhausted!