One for the Books
GAELIC GETAWAY, CHAPTER 3: IN WHICH WE PUDDLE HOP ACROSS DUBLIN
Day 3: Dublin. The weather forecasters nailed it, but then that wasn't too difficult. All of Ireland and Great Britain have dealt with three cyclonic windstorms (similar to hurricanes) in the past month. Another appears to be developing in the Atlantic west of Ireland. At any rate, when we arose this morning, rain and wind were assailing the city of Dublin. Definitely not a day to set out on foot, nor in our car with parking so limited in the city.
With assistance from the Hilton's front desk, we were hooked up with a friendly Irish taxi driver named Shay, who lives north of the city. Estimating four hours as our maximum wet weather sightseeing tolerance, we asked for Shay to pick us up at 11:00. He was prompt and friendly and even brought a large, quality umbrella for us to use.
Our agenda, which turned out to be a bit too ambitious, began at Dublin's Trinity College. Founded in 1592, Trinity holds treasures in its library which we wanted to see. Shay dropped us off as close to the library as he was permitted, and we took his mobile phone number to communicate when we were ready to depart.
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Trinity College's wet campus |
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Turning Darkness into Light exhibit about Book of Kells (photo by Tipperary Times) |
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Long Room at Trinity College Library (photo from Wikimedia) |
Beginning in 1801, the Trinity College library was designated a legal deposit library, entitling the institution to claim upon request a free copy of every publication produced in both Britain and Ireland. By the 1850s, the collection had completely outgrown the first floor spaces. In 1860, Trinity raised the roof, installed the barrel-vaulted ceiling and put in another level of floor-to-ceiling shelves for the overflow.
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Along the aisles are marble busts of famous writers and thinkers, from Socrates to Shakespeare, a tradition begun in 1743. |
Next on our list of places to see was Dublin Castle. We had tried to visit this former seat of government during British colonial rule when we were in Ireland four years ago, but the castle was closed to the public in preparation for a state visit from Queen Elizabeth, the first time a British monarch had traveled to Ireland in 100 years. There were no such barriers today, but Shay insisted we must also see the Charles Beatty Library located on castle grounds, and that is where he dropped us off to splash to the building's entrance.
The library was established in 1950 to house the personal collections of Chester Beatty, an American-born British mining magnate. From a young age, Beatty was fascinated with collecting. As his age and fortunes advanced, his holdings grew into a rich collection of artistic treasures and artifacts, with a special emphasis on unique books and manuscripts.
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An early 17th century scroll illustrates The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Japan's oldest known work of prose. (photo from Wikimedia) |
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A few of the many ancient texts in the Arts of the Book exhibit. (photo from Wikimedia- photos by visitors not permitted) |
Before leaving the Beatty Library, we took time for lunch in the institution's Silk Road Cafe. Their middle eastern menu offered a variety of fresh and flavorful salads, entrees, and pastries, reasonably priced and served by a congenial staff. Then finally we were off to Dublin Castle proper, where the State Apartments were open for a self-guided tour.
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Throne Room in the State Apartments used by visiting British monarchs |
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St. Patrick's Hall |
As we neared the end of our tour of the State Apartments, dreading the need to slosh back to the place a half a block away where Shay would pick us up, we chanced to glance out a window and were delighted to see his taxi waiting just outside the exit door. "The traffic's mayhem," he exclaimed as we dived into the back seat. It didn't take long to see that he had not exaggerated as we crept through the city streets at a snail's pace in the pouring rain.
Both Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral were on our "to see" list, but with our four hours all but done and the torrent showing no sign of easing, we declined Shay's offer to extend our booking. Since we plan to fly out of Dublin at the end of this trip, we'll have at least one more opportunity to see the cathedrals, Phoenix Park, and some of the other Dublin sights we missed.
For now, it's time to move on south. Tomorrow we'll drive to Kilkenny, with some interesting stops along the way. Riding with us will be Shay's "professional" umbrella, which he insisted we keep after seeing my tiny travel version.
Daily Stats:
- Started in Dublin, ended in Dublin
- Miles walked - 2.0 (Trip total: 9.6)
- Weather - 41° to 43°, RAIN!
- Sunrise - 8:20, Sunset - 4:10
THURSDAY, 3 DECEMBER, 2015
More Photos from Today
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An illustration from the Book of Kells (photo from Wikimedia) |
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Gold-leaf illustrated text of Islamic prayers from the 1400s (photo from Wikimedia) |
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Brian Boru Harp, oldest known harp of its kind in Ireland, model for Guinness and national symbols |
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Portrait gallery at Dublin Castle was originally a supper room hosting banquets involving 16 to 30 courses. |