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Published: January 3rd 2024
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Dublin Tour The next stop on our British Isles cruise was Dun Laoghaire the gateway to Dublin. After taking the train from Dun Laoghaire to Pearse Station, Renata, Mom and I headed over to Trinity College.
Trinity College We previously booked a tour of Trinity College and the Book of Kells before departing on the cruise. When we arrived at Trinity College, we were greeted by a student representative of the college, Ethan who specializes in Theoretical Physics and took us on a tour of the campus. Some of the interesting facts about Trinity College include:
1.
Famous People: It produced some of the world’s finest most original minds including the writers Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Bram Stroker.
2.
The Campanile: The bell tower in the heart of Trinity’s Front Square. The superstition goes, that if the bell tolls as you’re walking through, you will fail all of your exams
3.
The Scholars: are an exclusive group of students who have shown outstanding achievement by passing a set of non-compulsory exams. Scholar status comes with many benefits including free room and board, the waiving of fees and
Trinity College
Inside the Museum Building registration charges and a free carvery dinner with a pint of Guinness each night at the college’s Commons.
4.
The Museum Building: The Museum Building is a famous Trinity College structure as its architecture is reminiscent of Venetian palazzi and the Byzantine style. It is encircled with a row of carved wildflower blossoms with each one different and native to Ireland. The inside of the building contains the skeleton of a Giant Irish Deer
5.
Heaven and Hell: Mirror-image Georgian buildings (on either side of the Campanile) are known as Heaven and Hell to the students. Heaven contains the chapel and Hell contains the exam rooms.
Book of Kells After the Trinity College tour, it was time to check out the Old Library building, which files the Book of Kells an ancient illustrated manuscript of the Gospels, believed to date from around 800 AD. No photos are allowed of the book.
The Long Room The Long Room, which used to hold tens of thousands of old books is undergoing a restoration and construction phase with the library almost devoid of all its books. Although there were not many books in the long
room it was interesting to see and it reminded me of the Library in the Harry Potter movies. The long room also houses the “
Brian Boru’s harp,” a medieval harp dated to the 14
th or 15
th century. The harp was used as a model for the coat of arms of Ireland and for the trade-mark of Guinness stout.
After the Trinity College tour, we explored more of Dublin. We passed by:
1. the
Molly Malone Statue, a figure of Irish folklore and a symbol of Dublin. She was a fishmonger, a hawker during the day and a part-time prostitute at night. Superstition states that if you touch her breasts, it means you will receive good luck.
2. the exterior of
Dublin Castle which is now a current Irish government complex and conference centre.
3. Christ Church Cathedral 4. St. Patrick’s Cathedral: the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland
and
5. St. Stephen’s Green: a historical park and garden
on our way to Beanhive Coffee to try a traditional Irish Breakfast with a latte art coffee for lunch. We then headed back to the train station
Beanhive Coffee
Irish Breakfast to catch the train back to Dun Laoghaire. Tomorrow, we make our way to Belfast where we learn about Giants on the Causeway Express tour in Belfast. Until then!
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