July 1, 2023

From Athlone it was a quick trip of just a little over an hour by bus to Dublin (there is also train service). I alighted near the pedestrian Ha’penny Bridge and felt immediately energized by the hustle and bustle of Dublin. I crossed over to the south side of the River Liffey, walked through the always busy streets of Temple Bar, and made my way back towards Long Lane Close to stay again with Pearl and her Mam Therese.

I was welcomed by Therese with a warm hug, tea and biscuits, and an invitation to have dinner with her, “a proper cooked dinner, none of that awful travel food.” I accepted gladly, and after tea I headed out on foot to visit the Irish National Museum of Archaeology. Enroute I passed by the lovely and peaceful St. Kevin’s Park and couldn’t resist a walk through to check up on the roses. I felt like I was in “my park” and “my neighbourhood.”

I had visited Ireland’s exceptional National Museum of Archaeology on my first trip to Ireland and I was excited to see that they were still exhibiting some of their magnificent collection of ancient gold artefacts. The gold collars and torcs (below, top two photos) date from 800-700 BC, and the gold lunulae (bottom right) date from 2000 BC! The nine large round hollow beads (bottom left, Late Bronze Age) come from a hoard of eleven that was found in 1834 by farmers tilling land near Tumna Church, beside the Shannon River, in County Roscommon. They would have been strung together to make an enormous and awe-inspiring necklace for a wealthy and powerful chieftain or king.

I spent a lot of time viewing the bone and stone artefacts from the Neolithic Age (having recently visited many Neolithic sites in the northwest of the country), and I was struck by the beauty of two polished jadeitite axe heads from 4000-3800 BC. The stone originated from quarries high in the Italian Alps (!), and it is thought that they had a ceremonial use as they show no signs of wear.

I also spent a lot of time in the “Viking Ireland” section,

and I definitely had to revisit two gorgeous artefacts in the Treasury exhibit, a tiny golden ship exquisitely crafted in the 1st century BC, and an 8th century silver chalice.

There were also exhibits relating to Saint Comcille (a long distance walk tracing his voyages begins in Glen Colmcille, one of my favourite places in Donegal), and to the monastic settlement of Glendalough (a “must see” for anyone visiting Ireland. It is not far from Dublin in County Wicklow. See my post here: https://christineswalkabout.com/2016/07/21/glendalough/). I learned about “shrines”, highly decorated boxes made to contain holy manuscripts. The one below, the “Shrine of the Cathach” held a 7th century manuscript believed to be written by St. Columba. It was one of the chief treasures of the O’Donnell clan through the Middle Ages and they carried it into battle to bring good luck.

After my visit to the museum (there was still more to see!) I decided to walk through Iveagh Gardens before returning to my accommodation. Like St. Stephens Green and Merrion Square Park it was an oasis of green in the city and featured a treed perimeter walk, expansive lawns, large fountains, a yew hedge maze, and a lovely rose garden.

I returned to my accommodation for dinner with Therese and then a quiet evening in my room resting. The next day, I visited the Kilmainham Jail which is the number one top visited site in Dublin according to Tripadvisor. Operated by the Office of Public Works who provide the excellent guided tours, this notorious jail and symbol of British rule and oppression is now an important history lesson. Before my tour, I spent time in the comprehensive museum where there were displays and artefacts detailing the history of the jail and the conditions and circumstances of those imprisoned here, including many hundreds of women and children, especially during the years of the Great Famine, when the prison population swelled. One floor of the museum focussed on the history of political prisoners held in the jail from as early as the rebellions of 1798 and 1803 (the jail opened in 1796). On display were letters, photographs, newspaper articles, explanatory text, and a collection of political posters that chronicled the fight for Irish indendence.

The one hour tour was excellent and was presented in a straight forward, accessible, sensitive, and even-handed manner. We started in the West Wing, the oldest section of the jail, which is gloomy, dark and cold, with no windows, heating, light, bed or chair provided for the prisoners. We heard several stories here and entered several cells and rooms. Later we moved on to the East Wing which was built in the 1860s and some Victorian-era prison reforms were put in place. A key element of the design was to have every cell door visible to the jail’s guards.

We heard more interesting stories and facts pertaining to this wing of the jail and about some of the people who had been imprisoned here.

From the East Wing, the tour moved on to the Stonebreaker’s yard where fourteen leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad. A cross in a corner of the yard marks the spot where Joseph Connolly was tied to a chair and then shot. He had been badly injured during the uprising, was transported to the jail from his hospital bed, and was unable to stand. The manner of his execution, as well as the execution of the other rebel leaders, stirred wide public support for the goals of the rebellion and the fight for Irish independence.

I had been reluctant to visit Kilmainham Gaol but was very glad that I did. In a contemplative mood, I left the jail to begin the three kilometre walk back to my accommodation but I was drawn towards the nearby 17th century Richmond Tower which led me into a large and very historical green space that I had not previously known about. You find history in Dublin even when you’re not looking for it! To my left, behind a long high stone fence and iron gate was Bully’s Acre, a burial ground associated with St. Maigneann’s monastery. I read that the cemetery was in use from 606 AD until 1832 and that monks, knights, princes and Dublin citizens of all ranks, including traders, merchants, the wealthy and the very poor, were buried here over those twelve centuries. Through the gate I could see the 10th century decorated granite cross shaft that was associated with the monastery. It is said that the son and grandson of the High King, Brian Boru, were buried near the cross after the famous Battle of Clontarf in 1014. A groundskeeper mowing the lawns behind me saw my interest in the cross and the burial grounds and he kindly unlocked the gate and let me wander through the site for a few moments.

Afterwards, I walked along the paved path, beneath a few scattered afternoon thunderclouds that dropped rain on my umbrella, towards a brightly lit patch of blue sky and the 17th century Royal Hospital Kilmainham with its beautiful formal gardens. The hospital now houses the Irish Museum of Modern Art and I was tempted to enter and have a look but my brain was full and I decided to save that experience for another visit to Dublin.

Continuing my walk home, I passed by Christchurch Cathedral and Dublinia, a museum which showcases Dublin’s Viking-era history. I had visited these two sites on my first trip to Dublin and and I recommend them highly. I would love to revisit them, yet another reason to visit wonderful and historic Dublin.

I returned to my accommodation and was again invited to have dinner with Therese and Pearl, a lovely way to spend my last evening before my flight home. I hope that you’ve enjoyed travelling along with me to Dublin, and to the gorgeous Irish countryside with its historic towns, deep green forests and fields, mountains, beaches, rivers, castles, museums and monasteries, etc., etc., etc., … and even Ireland’s (and Europe’s) oldest pub. Thank you, dear readers, and thank you Ireland!