| In Ireland's
fair city where the girls really are pretty, Molly Malone has been
immortalised in statue form in Grafton Street. Dublin is vibrant and
modern yet old and historic. A city of contrast - part of the EC but
so very Irish.
Visit any pub
and find a warm greeting, more than likely you will experience the
Irish love of music with your Guinness! Is this where the
Irish are at their most charming!
The streets are
alive at night with music and partygoers as they spill out of bars
and night-clubs.
Dublin is
divided by the River Liffrey. Crossing to either side is over the
two main bridges O'Connell Bridge and Ha'penny Bridge.
Dublin is a
city steeped in history. It is over a thousand years old. Here's a
few things to do and see while you're there:
Guinness Storehouse: In its visitor centre you will hear the
thrilling history of 250 of Guinness - you'll also get a free drink
in the Gravity Bar (hmm wonder why it's called that!)
Trinity
College: This is where you went if you were 'somebody', now
'anybody' can go - well, you know what we mean.
Walking tours
of the campus: Escorted by students, these walking tours will
provide you with a fascinating account of Trinity's past, a history
of the Campus buildings, and interesting anecdotes about its most
famous graduates. The tours run from mid-April until early October
from inside the Front Gate of the College. Tours commence every 40
minutes from 10.15am - there are generally 9 tours in any one day.
Take a look at
the Book of Kells while you're here. The Book of Kells is the
centrepiece of an exhibition which attracts over 500,000 visitors to
Trinity College Dublin each year. Written around the year 800 AD,
the Book of Kells contains a richly decorated copy of the four
gospels in a latin text based on the Vulgate edition (completed by
St Jerome in 384 AD). The gospels are preceded by prefaces,
summaries of the gospel narratives and concordances of gospel
passages compiled in the fourth century by Eusebius of Caesarea. In
all, there are 340 folios (680 pages).
Dublinia:
Dublin evolved in the tenth century
into a Viking town that became a great international trading centre.
This is an exhibition covering time from the arrival of the
Anglo-Normans in 1170 to the 1540's.
Kilmainham
Goal: Ireland's most famous prison. Built in 1796.
Witness to Ireland's turbulent passage from the late eighteenth to
early twentieth century. Prisoners from the United Irish Rebellion
of 1796, the Emmet Rebellion of 1803, the Great Famine of 1845 to
1851, the Young Ireland Rebellion of 1848, the Fenian Rebellion of
1867, the Land War of the 1880s, the Easter Rising of 1916, the War
of Independence and the Irish Civil War were held and often executed
here.
Dublin Castle:
The site has been occupied over the ages and modified to suit its
ever-changing functions. All the historic buildings have been
restored and the Castle is now fully integrated into Irish society.
Temple Bar:
The cultural quarter of Dublin.
For shopping in
Dublin try Grafton Street, Henry Street where you will find the ILAC
and Jervis Street shopping centres.
For theatres
you couldn't do better than
The Abbey
and The Gate.
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