Downtown Dublin

After breakfast we were off to tour the capital city.  Our first stop was at Trinity College, where we had a quick overview of the history of the school and then went to see the Book of Kells and the old library.

Trinity College campus

Sign outside (no pictures allowed inside)

Old Library at Trinity College

As we drove around the city we saw a couple of famous statues:

Molly Malone statue, AKA "The Dish with the Fish" or "The Tart with the Cart"

Just in front of our hotel we saw another statue, which had to be moved to this location because it was too popular (in the wrong way) in its previous, more accessible spot:

Anna Livia monument, AKA "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi"

The monument was named after a character in James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, Anna Livia Plurabelle, who represented the river Liffey.

We toured Dublin Castle where we visited the State Apartments and climbed down to see the foundations of the Medieval undercroft, which were rediscovered after a flood in the 1980's.

Steps from the river and undercroft up toward the castle

After a quick lunch we moved on to Pheonix Park (the largest enclosed park in Europe), and then the Kilmainham Goal, which imprisoned generations of Irish revolutionaries.

Listening to the guide at the Gaol

Main hall at the Gaol

Then it was back to hotel, where the bar has a warm and inviting fire.

Leigh and Allie at the Ashling