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Published: August 6th 2007
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On our second complete day in Dublin, there weren't a lot of big-time "sights" to be seen... but in short, what we DID see encapsulated the best and worst of Dublin tourism.
First, we stopped at the famed "Georgian house" (No. 29 Fitzwilliam). Georgian homes were built up in the 18th and 19th century by the English inhabitants. They've very British. They're also known for their colorful doors -- while the exteriors are classic brick, the doors might be bright red, yellow, blue... whatever color they choose, as long as it doesn't match the neighbors. The houses themselves weren't very wide, since they couldn't get much property... but they built upward, so they're usually four or five stories of house with a larger basement area. Anyway, in the Georgian House, you get a tour of the typical middle-/upper-class home from that era. It starts with a video slide show... which is hosted by the ghost who, when she was alive, owned and lived in the house... yes, the ghost. So cheesy. Like I said, today was about the best and worst of Dublin, all in one package. Our actual (living) tour guide was excellent, and the staff helpful... and the
Dublin Doors
Since I didn't get any pictures of Georgian-style doors, this stock photo will have to do. house was very nice to look at. But oh, that ghost...
We figured out how to get across town using their bus system (we highly recommend it -- easy and cheap!), and made our way to Kilmainham Gaol... or "jail" to you. Before it was shut down in 1924, Kilmainham was Dublin's biggest prison. Over the 140 years it served as a prison, it was supposed to be an all-purpose prison, to punish any crime... but during that time it became more known for holding political prisoners, not so much the common criminals. Its cells held many of the most famous people involved in the campaign for Irish independence. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held and executed here, and the last prisoner held in the jail was Eamonn de Valera (future Irish president). The site of their execution was quite stark and moving, and the jail itself is built in a really unique way. (That's much of the reason several films have shot here, the most famous being IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER starring Daniel Day-Lewis. See it if you haven't already!) Our tour guide was really knowledgable and helpful, and we took a ton
Central Holding Cells
The vast central holding area. Lots of prison cells in here. of interesting pictures here. We loved it.
Now, to the flip side of the tourist coin...
On the way back from Kilmainham, we took the Guinness Brewery tour. Kevin's a huge fan of Guinness. What wouldn't be to like? Well, for starters, it's totally overpriced. The tour itself is pretty basic, as they explain how beer is made. But the bad thing about it is, every ten feet or so, you have pro-Guinness propaganda that would've fit in better back in Stalinist Russia. "THERE IS NO FINER BEVERAGE THAN GUINNESS." "GUINNESS ONLY USES THE FINEST INGREDIENTS... YOU WILL NEVER FIND ANYTHING BETTER." "DRINKING GUINNESS WILL CURE CANCER." Okay, we made that last one up. But the scary thing is, we almost don't have to. We get it -- Guinness beer is good. We don't need a hundred reminders of that. Anyway, more interesting than the making of Guinness is the former advertising campaigns they've used. Here's a cool marketing fact we never knew before: do you know the Guinness Book of World Records? Of course you do. Well, it was originally created as an advertising tool. One of the execs back in the 50s wanted to settle a
Kilmainham Cells
The stark hallways of Kilmainham Gaol. barroom bet he made with someone, and didn't have a way of finding an answer... so he came up with the idea to publish a book containing every record imaginable. That way, they could sell them for use in bars around the world, so that the Guinness name would always be there to settle bets. Who knew? The tour culminates in a trip to the "Gravity Bar," which is the highest bar in Dublin. Of course, since no building in Dublin is taller than, like, five stories... it's not the greatest view in the world. And not only are you not that high, but the Dublin skyline is, uh... let's just say it's not that compelling. But at least they give you a free pint of Guinness, directly from the source. (Does it taste any different than the Guinness you've had in any other bar? Ern, not so much. But it's good.)
We had dinner at a lovely (despite the name) restaurant called "Gruel," then decided to save our pub crawl for our return visit on the weekend, and got to bed on the early side. For next morning, we were driving off to Belfast and Northern Ireland! More
Memorial to the Easter Rising
The captured leaders of the Easter Rising (1916) were executed in the courtyard outside. All of their names are listed on the plaque, as well as the dates of their executions. to come!
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