We had a nice breakfast at the hotel. We are to do a walking tour of Dublin today according to the itinerary.

We start pretty much from St Mary’s church.

Apparently at the museum, there is a fish trap that they have found, proving Ireland has been inhabited for 7000 years. Our guide also shows us a picture of a tomb with a roof-box proving the Irish knew for 5200 years, how to tell the seasons.

There have been over 600 uprisings over the years in attempt to gain independence. At the courthouse, part of a wall has different colour bricks. In 1976…IRA bombed it. That’s the patch up. 

1170…. Normans arrived in Ireland 

Guinness brewery has been around since 1759 

Adam and Eve’s is the Church with dome. It was originally held in a tavern with masses held secretly because during 17 century religion was not allowed. 

Liffey River….was originally 6 times as wide as it is now. When the Vikings came, the Poddle River converged with the Liffey river where a culvert is seen.  Apparently there is a statue of 2 women with shopping bags talking to each other. It is referred to as “The hags with the bags” sculpture. It’s referring to “gossiping” that Irish are famous for…. lol!!!

Temple’s Bar is not because there are lots of bars but because of when the river was much wider, a sand bar was built to Sir William Temple’s big fancy house. It is I n the left bank of Dublin… a bohemian and artist section. 

Large Viking settlement now is covered by city hall. The Vikings traded in gold and silver … and slaves (the most valuable were monks) … Vikings were not literate but monks wrote their info. 

 In the area of the fish market we are told about Molly Malone, who was a fish monger that sold her body at night…..Red light district….. hence “the tart with a cart”. Near here apparently Handel … wrote “The Messiah” of which was performed in 1742. 

Christchurch Cathedral-built in 1040. It is inside the walls of Dublin. Normans built it. They were stone builders. 12th century Saint and archbishop Lawrence O’Toole’s heart was kept inside the cathedral. Thieves stole his heart from the cathedral in 2012 but it was recovered 6 years later. 

50,000 Irish were killed during WW1  and commemorated at a peace garden

Guinness family built accommodations, at reduced rate for poor people, men’s hostel, are all these red brick buildings …. near St. Patrick’s church. They are near the employment exchange turned city hall 

Cost of 2 bedroom apartments in Dublin, are 600-700,000 Euros. Yikes….. more than ours!

St Patrick’s …. National church of Ireland but is Protestant …  is outside walls of Dublin. 

There was a huge storm (hurricane)in Ireland in 1839.  In 

1909 when British national pension started, to qualify, question was if  you were born at time of big storm. 

Walls of Dublin-Dublin Castle, the seat of British rule for over 700 years.  Lots of work is being done on it because from July-Dec,  Ireland will hold EU presidency here. 

-1740/41- was the potato famine. 

Blue is colour of Ireland not green as one would imagine. 

In 2011… Queen Elizabeth came and laid a wreath… was very significant. 

Trinity college for boys from age 15. No girls were allowed until 1969.   Book of Kells has survived for over 1200 years, is at Trinity College. We didn’t see it. Maybe when we come back…. 

OMG it rain while we were out on our tour. One of the reason I think there are so many pubs, maybe that, the Irish had to get out of the rain somewhere… lol!