Dublin

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Ancient Dublin

Dublin is full of history and on the heygo virtual tour today we learnt so much in such a short space of time. We were able to briefly go inside two cathedrals St. Patrick’s & the oldest Cathedral Christchurch originally 1028 & rebuilt in stone in 1170 with his magnificent floor tiles. We crossed over the River Liffey & walked down one of the oldest streets in Dublin, Fishamble Street and viewed a house, No 26, where the same family have lived over many centuries.

One of the best known pubs in Dublin for traditional Irish music is in on of the oldest parts of Dublin city and one of the most enduring legends surrounding Dublin has to be that of the woman – Darkey Kelly.

For generations Darkey Kelly was known in Dublin’s folk memory as the woman who was burned at the stake for witchcraft but new evidence uncovered suggests that although she was innocent of witchcraft she still had a dark side to her character. The discovery of bodies under the floorboards of the brothel she ran in 1761 suggests she may have been Ireland’s first serial killer!

Fishamble Street is one of the oldest streets in the city also. Handel’s Messiah was first performed here in 1742 and every year on the 13th of April the Messiah is performed free of charge to a public audience.

The street here was known as the official fish market for Dublin until the end of the 17th century when the city markets were moved to the north bank of the River Liffey. From 1680, the General Post Office was located here and remained for 30 years.

The oldest fish & chip shop started in 1913 when Liberties residents Bella Burdock and husband Patrick opened the first Leo Burdocks in Christchurch, Dublin. Over the years, The Burdock family grew their business and opened many Leo Burdocks Fish & Chip shops around Dublin, such as the popularity of their food. From a young age, their son Leo was a regular face in the early morning Dublin fish markets, rising at 5 am most days to source the freshest catch. Travelling back by horse and cart with his haul, he would pick up fresh potatoes and coal for heating the Pans, a fuel used up until 1991 to cook the freshly prepared Fish and Chips, at this point they were the last chip shop in Ireland, possibly the world to use these coal-fired pans.

The tour ended at Dublin Castle gardens overlooking the mediaeval fortress was that it served as the State prison & yet another of Dave’s stories.

https://www.heygo.com/davekavanagh

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