Honeymoon in Ireland -- Dublin, Kilmainham Jail

An updated version of this site can be found here

12 July, 2008

This morning, we awoke still a bit full from the Chinese food and had a much smaller, but still delicious breakfast.  The owner's at Number 31 were worried because we ate so little!!  We tried our best to assure them that the food was delicious.

One of the great things about Number 31 is it's location across the street from St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street.  St. Stephen's Green is an ideal urban park.  It feels like you are completely removed from the city for the time you are inside.  It was once owned by the Guinness family, but they donated it to the city.  It has ponds, bridges, gazebos and rare quiet in the heart of Dublin.  It also makes me think of Niall William's book Four Letters of Love each time I walk by the fence around the park.

St. Stephen's Green

From Number 31, if you walk through St. Stephen's Green and out the opposite corner you find yourself on Grafton Street.  Grafton Street is a pedestrian only street that runs from St. Stephen's Green in the south to Trinity College on the northern end.  In between is an essential part of a visit to Dublin.  The street has shops that run from fast-food to upscale shopping.  Lining the street will be as many buskers as you could ever imagine (I can't think of ever hearing a bad one either).  Perhaps the most famous place on the street is Bewley's Cafe, once frequented by James Joyce, Patrick Kavanagh, Samuel Beckett and mentioned in Joyce's book Dubliners.  If you have seen the film Once, there is a wonderful scene of Glen Hansard busking on Grafton Street near the gate to St. Stephen's Green.

Grafton Street, Dublin

It's our last day here and it's been nice to slow down the pace the last couple of days.  I'm really exhausted!  We met Éamonn for coffee and then walked to Kilmainham to see the jail.  Admission is €6, but we used our Heritage Passes (what a great deal!).  I can't believe I had never been before.  The tour is really moving.  The place makes you feel very sombre and sober.  Perhaps made more so by this being the 12th.  Kilmainham Jail opened in 1796 and was used primarily by the British to house Irish nationalists.  Virtually every important nationalist leader spent time here.  Perhaps most crucially, the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held and executed here.

Kilmainham Jail

Chapel at Kilmainham Jail

West wing

East Wing

Stairs to 2nd floor of East wing

The inside of Grace Plunkett's Cell

Carvings over Plunkett's Door

The inside of Grace Plunkett's Cell

Éamon de Valera's Cell, Kilmainham

East wing, Kilmainham Jail

Stonebreakers Yard, the cross is the spot where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were executed

 Tomorrow early in the morning we are off back home.  What a full trip!

Honeymoon In Ireland - Trinity College and the National Gallery

An updated version of this site can be found here

11 July, 2008

We ate a wonderful breakfast at Number 31.  With our stomachs full, we headed to Trinity College for the tour (€10/person), the grounds are open to the public and always free if you don't want to pay for the tour.  Our tour guide was very funny and made the tour enjoyable.  The main reason to pay for the tour though, is you go to the front of the line to see The Book of Kells.

The courtyard at Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College

Trinity is the oldest and most prestigious university in Ireland.  Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde are all alumni amongst other famous and successful graduates.  The tour ,of course ends with the Book of Kells.  One of the most beautifully decorated manuscripts in the world, The Book of Kells was found in nearby Kells, Co. Meath at Kells Monastery.  While only one of many such illuminated manuscripts created in Ireland during the Middle Ages, this is probably the best preserved and certainly something you don't want to miss if you are visiting Dublin.


The books (there are other manuscripts included besides the Book of Kells) are beautiful and certainly impressive, but the huge crowds do take away some from the experience.  The library at Trinity (€8 if you aren't on the tour) is magnificent and was nice to see, since I had never visited it previously.  It reminded me of the stacks from the Harry Potter books.


When we finished our tour, we met Éamonn at the National Gallery (admission is free!) to see the Jack Yeats exhibit.  We took a break for lunch at the cafe in the Gallery.  Then we took in the exhibits.   Yeats' work was wonderful, we also stopped in to see the "Taking of Christ" which is breathtaking.

We tried to go see Dublin Castle, but arrived at 4:45 (closing time), so we briefly popped into the Chester Beatty Library  (which also closes at 5 PM)  bought some refreshments at the cafe and headed to the Cobblestone Bar for a couple of pints.  What a great pub.  Since it's famous for its trad sessions (traditional Irish music), it was nice that we were able to hear a couple of fiddles before leaving, our first of the trip (we are in bed before the music starts most nights).



We ended the evening with the Chinese Takeaway on Meath Street.

Day 13 Ireland Itinerary

Trinity College Tour
National Gallery
 

Honeymoon In Ireland - Belfast and Newgrange

An updated version of this site can be found here

10 July, 2008

We slept in this morning a bit.  Then we said our goodbyes to Rosaleen and Johnny.  Johnny made us 4 CDs to listen to and Rosaleen gave us hugs as we left.  Oakfield Guesthouse was a wonderful place to stay (£ 60 for the two of us).  It's definitely one to return to if we're ever in the area again.

Our bed at Oakfield Guesthouse

Our room at Oakfield Guest House

Our bathroom at Oakfield Guesthouse

Orange Hall of Lower Ballinderry ready for the 12th

We left Lower Ballinderry and made our way to Belfast, arriving about 11 AM (about a 30 minute drive).  We parked, went to the Tourist Information Office and scheduled a Black Taxi tour for 12:15, but canceled it because we were supposed to meet our friend Éamonn in Slane at 2:30.  Instead, we decided to look around ourselves.

We stopped in for a brief look at St. Anne's Cathedral, then got in the car and headed to the Falls Road to look at the murals and eat lunch at An Cultúrlann.  The Falls Road is famous as Belfast's flashpoint during the Troubles.  A good book about the Troubles in Belfast that gives a perspective from both sides is Voices From The Grave, it would have been interesting to read before visiting Belfast.

Today, The Falls Road has developed into an urban Irish speaking area and is the center of what is called "The Gaeltacht Quarter".  The only two urban gaeltachts to date are both in Belfast, one on the Falls Rd. and the other on the Shaw's Road.  Both began organically with people who wanted to be able to conduct their lives through the Irish language even though they grew up speaking English.  The Shaw's Road Gaeltacht began in 1969.  The Gaeltacht Quarter became official in 2002.  At the heart of the Gaeltacht Quarter are Irish language schools for all levels, shops catering to Irish speakers, two Irish language radio stations and An Cultúrlann ( a Cultural Center featuring a shop specializing in the Irish language, a cafe, visitor information, class rooms and performance space all conducted through the medium of Irish). 

The famous Bobby Sands Mural, Falls Rd.

Fáilte go dtí  Bóthar na bhFál Mural (Welcome to the Falls Rd. in Irish)

The Falls Rd.

Hunger Strikers Mural, The Falls Rd.

We felt that the murals in Derry were more of a "sight".  Belfast felt like a large city and very different from Derry.  I'm glad that we went, but if you don't have interest in the Gaeltacht Quarter or the history connected to the city, it isn't as compelling a piece of a sight seeing tour as other places on the island.

When we finished looking around we ate lunch at An Cultúrlann.  They have a nice cafe, run through Irish but they are happy to speak English to you as well.  After we ate we rushed away to try to get to Slane in 1 hour (lol).  On our way we ended up taking a wrong road and ended up in County Armagh, going as far as Portadown before getting back on course.  It was very intimidating, as the villages we passed were preparing for the marches.  In Lurgan, the police were very visible on the streets and were wearing armored vests and carrying automatic weapons.  It was worlds away from what we left behind in Belfast and Derry.

FYI:  Our error was that we got on the M1 (which goes West) and we wanted to be on the A1 (that travels to the South).

We got to Slane only 1 hour late, met our friend and went to Newgrange.  Newgrange is a prehistoric burial mound dating to about 3200 BC.  Older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid at Giza, the mound covers a cruciform shaped burial chamber that is aligned with the movements of the sun.  Each year on the Winter Solstice, the sun shines thru a small box that was built over the door and illuminates the chamber that otherwise is completely dark.  The tours provide a simulation regardless of what day you go, and it is incredibly impressive.  The only other similar monument known to be built is at Carrowkeel in Co. Sligo.

We used our Heritage Passes (which have more than paid for themselves) for entry, but admission is €3 and the tours take about 1 1/2 hours.  Despite a pouring rain, it was as stunning as ever.  I am constantly amazed by the craftsmanship of these monuments.

Waiting in the rain to enter Newgrange

The outer wall of Newgrange

5000 year old decorative art on Newgrange

The enormous stone circle that surrounds Newgrange

After our tour at Newgrange was finished we went to Dublin and checked into our hotel, Number 31.  It is something special.  We entered through the old gatehouse - thinking it was the house!  After checking in, we were shown through a nice garden to our large Georgian Townhouse.  The room is huge, and the bed and shower are great.  Our room has a nice sitting area far from the bed and is like having a really nice apartment in the City Centre.

Our room at Number 31, Dublin

Very nice molding in our room

The street outside

Once we were settled, we reunited with our friend, Éamonn, and ate at a tapas restaurant (The Market Bar).  Then we called it a night.

Day 12 Ireland Itinerary

Belfast (about 30 minute drive from Lower Ballinderry, Co. Antrim)
Slane (about 1:45 drive w/o detour through Portadown =)
Newgrange (20 mins from Slane, about 1:45 from Belfast)
Number 31, Dublin (about 1:45 drive from Newgrange)

Honeymoon In Ireland- The Bogside and The Giant's Causeway

An updated version of this site can be found here

9 July, 2008

Martin made us a fantastic breakfast.  I had a smoothie and French toast, he has a really amazing selection for breakfast!.  After leaving Martin, we headed down to the Bogside to take pictures of the murals.

The iconic gable at Free Derry Corner

The Petrol Bomber

Bernadette

Death of Innocence

Derry walls as seen from the Bloody Sunday Commemeration

Bloody Sunday Commemoration

INLA Hunger Strikers Tribute

Pro-Palestinian Mural

Bloody Sunday

Operation Motorman

The Runner

Civil Rights

The Saturday Matinee

We ended up going to the Free Derry Museum.  It was really moving.  The man working there is the brother of Michael Kelly - one of the victims of Bloody Sunday.  It was a really sobering, but fascinating place, tracing the civil rights movement of the city up to Bloody Sunday.

From Derry, we hit the Giant's Causeway.  What a day for it, 20° and sunny.  We even got a little too warm today!  Between Derry and the Causeway we were able to stop at an oceanfront picnic area (Magheracross) for our lunch.  What a nice surprise!

Legend has it, that Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool), a giant, built this causeway so he could walk to Scotland in order to fight a Scottish giant.  Scientists claim that a volcano is responsible.  I think we all know which is more likely, that's why it's called the Giant's Causeway.

Giant's Causeway

In addition to the formation, we also saw a large group of dolphins playing nearby.  We then headed to our B&B, Oakfield Guesthouse in Lower Ballinderry, County Antrim.

The Bean an Tí, Rosaleen and her son, Johnny are really fantastic!  I had some really nice chats with her before Sarah and I headed to the village of Moira to eat.  We ate at the Four Trees.  Nice food, good looking place.  £25 for two entrees, 2 beers and a side of veg.  It was pouring rain when we finished eating and we headed back to our B&B in Lower Ballinderry.

Day 11 Ireland Itinerary

Derry (35-40 minutes from Letterkenny)
Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim (about 1:30 driving time without stop from Derry)
Oakfield House, Lower Ballinderry, Co. Antrim (about 1:45 drive from Giant's Causeway)