When first planning my trip, I googled “how many days to visit Dublin?” several times and was very surprised that most comments said that one or two days, maybe three at the most, was enough to “do Dublin”. I doubted that, and I initially planned for five days in Dublin. Later in my planning, when I was being drawn to visit so many other beautiful and historic places all over Ireland, I googled the question again. Yes, the answer was still “one or two, or maybe three days”, so I shaved one day off of my Dublin time in order to spend a third day on the Dingle Peninsula later in my trip. I don’t regret that choice, given that the length of my trip in Ireland is 21 days, but I do regret not having more time overall!
A week or ten days in Dublin would be the minimum, I think, for a visitor to take in many of the important sights and to have time some time to reflect on what has been seen and learned, as well as to relax, revisit favourite places, and just see where the wind blows you. Several months or even a year here would be even better, and even then you would still only just begin to scratch the surface in learning about the 1,200-year history and culture of this vibrant city.
But, back to my own all too brief stay here as a tourist. Yesterday was a busy day, too busy in fact, but still wonderful. First, the Book of Kells and the Long Room at the Old Library at Trinity College in the morning, then a walking tour of Dublin, then Dublin Castle, and then Christchurch Cathedral. Whew! So much history!
At each place visited today, I took a guided tour, which I feel is well worth the additional cost because the guides really know their material and are passionate about their subjects. They relate important facts and complex history in an accessible way, and also tell fascinating stories and anecdotes that amuse or enthrall or astound the listener. Thank you guides!
First, I went to see the Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College. The excellent graphic displays and audio guide tell the story of this beautiful illustrated manuscript of the Four Gospels, created by monks in the 8th century. Two volumes of the actual Book of Kells are there for viewing, one opened to a page of text and another page opened to a full illustration. Today’s illustrated page was a portrait of St. Mathew.
There are no photographs allowed in the Book of Kells gallery, but photos are allowed once you reach the Long Room of the Old Library which houses over 200,000 books, and which features a beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling.
The photo at the lower left, located near the end of the Long Room is labelled “vw” and, try as I might, I could not find “xyz” neither on the left or right! Ranged the length of the library are a series of busts of famous scholarly figures. For Sophie, who is the only teenager I know (or actually, the only person I know) who read Plato, and for the chemists and physicists among us, here are photos of the busts of Plato, Boyle, and Newton.
Also in the Long Room is an original copy of the proclamation made by the leaders of the Easter uprising of 1916 which precipitated the events that finally led to the creation of an independent Irish state after more than 800 years of English rule.
After my visit to the Trinity Library, I took a 2-hour guided walking tour of the “Highlights and Hidden Corners of Dublin.” Interesting, informative, funny. I greatly enjoyed this walk.
Then I visited Dublin Castle, a symbol of English rule over the Irish. Built in the early 13th century by order of King John, the only remaining part of the original defensive castle is the round tower you see in the photo below. The castle was destroyed by a fire in 1673 and replaced by a sumptious palace which was occupied by the British monarch’s officially designated representatative of rule in Ireland.
The foundations of the tower are built partially upon a wall made by the Vikings in the 9th century.
The tour included a visit to a chapel attached to the round tower. Saint Peter holds the keys to the gates of Heaven above the doorway.
Then the tour visited the State Apartments. This is the entrance hall.
And a detail from one of the urns.
Next was the drawing room, with the central portrait being by Van Dyke.
My favourite part of the state apartments was the beautiful portraits of a young Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert.
We also saw the throne room, for when the reigning British monarch paid a visit, and then the dining hall.
Dublin Castle is now used to house government offices and host official functions. Irish elements have been added to the rooms, in particular the Waterford crystal chandeliers, and the beautiful carpets made in Donegal. The portraits and other symbols of British power and rule remain as part of the historical record.
The last stop of the day was Christchurch cathedral, first built in the 12th century but with a very long history of structural failures, reconfiguration, and reconstruction. The original north wall still remains, though it leans outward by more than half a metre near the top!
My favourite parts of the guided tour were listening to the incredibly fascinating history of the building, within the context of changes in religious and political power, the visit to the crypt below, and up to the belfry. We climbed up a narrow stone spiral staircase of some 90 plus steps where, in threes, we actually got to ring the quarter-tonne bells for all of Dublin to hear! Here is the view from half-way up to the belfry.
Finally, one of my favourite graphic elements from the day was the floor tiles at Christchurch cathedral. All of the 63 tile patterns were copied in the 1800s from 800-year old tiles that were found beneath several layers of flooring during one of the many periods of reconstruction. The first photo is of the original 800 year old tiles, followed by a collage of the replica tiles from the 1870s. So beautiful!
As I said, a very busy day! Dublin in one or two days? I don’t think so!
