The Book of Kells

Housed at Trinity College in Dublin, the Book of Kells is a hand drawn manuscript of the four Gospels that dates from the ninth century. 

We'll see the book when we tour the college and stop at the old library on campus, where it is housed.

I found a documentary on the book, which you can view online.  It is broken into seven parts, each ten minutes or less.

Part 1  (9:57)

Part 2  (9:57)

Part 3  (9:57)

Part 4  (9:56)

Part 5  (9:56)

Part 6  (6:52)

Part 7  (8:24)

High Tea in Dublin

High tea is a tradition that continues in Dublin, from funky neighborhood spots to the most posh hotels.

At the high end of the spectrum is the Merrion Hotel's "Art Tea", with cakes inspired by art in the hotel's collection.  It's almost too pretty to eat.  Tea here will set you back 36 Euro (or 49 Euro with champagne as well as tea).  Here's a short YouTube video of tea at the Merrion:  video

The Westbury hotel offers an amazing view over Grafton street, as well as a million dollar art collection, along with tea.   Tea here is 30 Euro (or 36 Euro with champagne).

Compared to the first two, tea at the Lord Mayor's Lounge at the Shelbourne is almost a bargain, at €29,95 (or €38,50 with champagne).  According to their web site (link below), this is the place to "see famous Irish and international faces mingling with local Dubliners enjoying this award-winning indulgence."  Here's a short YouTube video of tea at the Shelbourne:  video

On the less expensive, less formal and decidedly funkier side of the spectrum is the Queen of Tarts, a relative newcomer to the Dublin high tea.  It was opened in 1998 by two sisters who trained as pastry chefs in New York.

Links to learn more:

Merrion Hotel Art Tea

Westbury Hotel

Shelbourne Hotel Tea

Queen of Tarts

The Bridges of Dublin

There are 24 bridges over the Liffey River in Dublin, so you never need to go far along the water before finding a place to cross.

The most famous is the Ha'penny, which was built in 1816 and originally had a toll of ... a half penny, which is how it got its common name.  The bridge's official name is the Wellington Bridge.

 

The oldest remaining bridge over the Liffey is the Queen Maeve, built in 1764 and named after the legendary queen of Connaught who invaded Ulster.

 

The Ha'penny was the only footbridge across the Liffey until 2000, when the Millennium bridge was completed.

 

Another footbridge, the Sean O'Casey, named after the Dublin writer, was added in 2005.

 

There are two more bridges named after writers, the James Joyce (2003) and the Samuel Beckett (2009).

James Joyce Bridge

Samuel Beckett Bridge

The bridge closest to our hotel is the Heuston Bridge, which refers to the train station just across the river.

Guinness Storehouse

Although it's not included in our formal tour, I'm sure that at least a few of us will find our way to the Guinness Storehouse, a short three-quarter mile walk from our hotel.

The tour takes you through the history of the Guinness brand and of brewing in Ireland, via a series of displays and films spread out over several floors of the building.   Not to worry, there are escalators and elevators throughout.

It ends at the Gravity Bar located at the top of the building, with 360 degree views of Dublin and its surroundings. Expect the bar to be packed; Erin and I were there on a Sunday morning in January and it was wall to wall people, so I think that's probably the norm year round.

Tickets for the tour purchased on site cost Euro 16,50, but you can save 10% by purchasing them ahead of time on line from the Guinness web site here: Guinness Storehouse web site

Dublin

We'll roll into Dublin late Wednesday afternoon and go directly to our hotel.  After dinner at the hotel and a good night's rest we'll spend a full day touring Ireland's capital city.

After breakfast the next morning we'll be joined by our local guide, who will spend the day with us.   Our panoramic city tour will take us by several key sites and monuments, including:

The O'Connell Street monuments

The Customs House

The Old Parliament Building

The Georgian Squares

Phoenix Park

We'll tour the Trinity College campus and see the Book of Kells:

 

We'll also tour Dublin Castle:

 

and Kilmainham Gaol:

 

You can download some excellent maps that will help you orient yourself here:

 

http://www.visitdublin.com/pdf/DT-MapPad.pdf

 

http://www.visitdublin.com/pdf/DublinCityStreetMap.pdf

 

 



 

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

A 15th century fortress standing alongside the O'Garney River, Bunratty Castle is one of the best preserved medieval buildings in all of Ireland. 

It has been fully restored and now features period furniture, tapestries and stained glass.

Adjacent to the castle is the folk park, a recreation of rural life in late 19th century Ireland.  The park contains a complete village, including thatched cottages, farmhouses, a school, post office, pub, grocery store, and print shop.

 

 

We'll stop here for a few hours en route from Killarney to Dublin.

 

You can read more about the castle and the park on their web site here.

Some videos here:

http://youtu.be/GLpmLidfqL0

http://youtu.be/0FcFlp3FG3s


 

 

 

 

County Cork

Cork is the largest of the 32 Irish counties and arguably one of the most diverse.  The Republic's second largest city, Cork, is here as well as many quiet and picturesque villages.  There are sandstone hills in the west and miles of beaches in the east.

According to the Discover Ireland web site Cork is also Ireland's gourmet county, known for its seafood and local produce.

We will bisect the county as we travel from Killarney to Cork and will get a view of both the west and the eastern extremes.

In the morning we'll visit the famous Blarney Castle, where you'll have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney stone, if you so desire.

 

And yes, you do this upside down.  (There are people there to help and hold you.)

We'll have a short stop at the Blarney Woolen Mills, a sort of Irish outlet mall (web site here).

 

 After this stop we'll head into downtown Cork City for lunch.



After lunch we'll head off to the Jameson Old Midleton Distillery for a tour and tasting (web site here).

Blarney Castle videos here:

http://youtu.be/fP5vnNGDqI8

http://youtu.be/vcjMxxUc17c


 


 

Sheep

Several different estimates place the number of sheep in Ireland at around eight million.  That's nearly twice the human population, which was four and a half million in the 2011 census.

Fabulous grass and a mild climate make Ireland a great place for farming; nevertheless, as in the United States family farms are disappearing and being replaced by ever larger farms.

The Kissane family have been sheep farmers in Ireland for 150 years.   The current generation, father and son John and Sean Kissane, opened their farm to visitors in 2005 in an attempt to educate the public about sheep farming.

John Kissane with Jane

Tours of the farm include a sheepherding demonstration and sheep shearing. 

The Kissanes also started the "Adopt-a-Sheep" program in an attempt to "preserve the Irish heritage of mountain sheep".

We'll stop at the farm on our way back from the Ring of Kerry.  You can read more about the farm here and about the Adopt-a-Sheep program here.

Some videos here:

http://youtu.be/HcZQPuW6Ga8

http://youtu.be/n3OvrLMZWYQ

The Skelligs

Extremely remote, craggy, inhospitable and tragic, yet hauntingly beautiful, are just some of the ways travel writers have described Skellig Michael.  

 

Located about nine miles off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula, Skellig Michael is reached by boat.
 

 

Settled by monks in the 6th century, the reason to brave the boat trip out to Skellig Michael is to visit the remains of the monastery, which include six beehive cells and two oratories.  The monks lived here continuously for somewhere between 500 - 600 years, surviving attacks by the Vikings in the 8th century.  They finally retreated to the Augustinian priory at Ballinskelligs on the mainland in the 12th century.

 

Visitors to the island are faced with a significant climb up rambling stairs carved into the stone.  Those who succeed are rewarded with a visit to a terraced area including the remains of a church, oratories, cells, and many crosses and cross slabs.

 

You don't need to go out to the island to learn about it, however.  The Skellig Experience, just off the Ring of Kerry route on Valentia Island, tells the story of the monks through a series of displays and audiovisual presentations. 

 














You can read more here:  Skellig Experience web site and here:  Unesco World Heritage web page 

You Tube videos here:

http://youtu.be/x2GfyeTbJ_Y

http://youtu.be/L_w4yI0HOZo

 

Dingle (An Daingean) Peninsula

According to our current itinerary, we'll be spending our first full day in Ireland touring the Dingle Peninsula.  Known for its natural beauty and stunning scenery, the peninsula features antiquities from the Iron Age as well as a range of new age artists.

The Dingle Peninsula is one of the Gaeltacht, which are government supported Irish language regions.  In order to receive funds intended to keep the Irish language alive, the region was forced to change its name to An Daingaen, which means "the Fortress".  Residents of the region have fought back, preferring the name "Dingle".  As a result, we may see signs like the one below on the road, where residents have painted "Dingle" atop "An Daingaen."

Dingle is the largest town in the region with 1,200 residents and 52 pubs, according to the region's tourism web site (here).  Originally a port and (still) a fishing village, tourism is an increasing part of the local economy.  In the late 1960's the film "Ryan's Daughter" was filmed near Dingle.


The streets of Dingle rise from the port and the town is known for brightly painted buildings and its mascot, a dolphin named Fungie.  You can download a map of the town here.

A few miles up the road from Dingle is the Gallarus Oratory (Seipeilin Ghallrois), a small dry stone church that was built sometime between the 6th and 9th centuries.  It is the best preserved early Christian church in Ireland; you can read more about it here.

Some of the peninsula's artisans include:

     * Milliner Kathleen McAuliffe (web site here)

 

     * Potter Louis Mulcahy (web site here)

    * Holden Leathergoods (web site here)

    * Brian de Staic celtic jewelry (web site here)

     * Lisbeth Mulcahy fabrics and tapestries (web site here)

 

 

Links to You Tube videos on the Dingle Peninsula:

 

http://youtu.be/znrFSNdelYM



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9jfN8q5Wd8&feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG_sutJ1CDk&feature=related