Tour of Dublin, Ireland

This evening, I am focusing on the fine city of Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland.Salient sites are covered below.

• O’Connell Street with its fine architecture, memorials to famous citizens and the Monument of Light. Perhaps the most important building is the General Post Office built 1818 but became a symbol of the 1916 Irish Uprising against British rule.

General Post Office

• Trinity College which dates from 1592 and is perhaps best known for the Book of Kells which is the most richly decorated of Ireland’s medieval manuscripts. This famous work is believed to have been the product of Iona based monks who fled to Kells, Ireland to escape Viking raids. The Book of Kells is contains four gospels written in Latin with Celtic script text. At time of a our visit the College was buzzing with students and visitors.
• Molly Malone’s statue.

Molly Malone

• Nassau Street.
• The National Gallery in Merrion Square.
• Leinster House, which houses the Dail and Seanad, the two chambers of the Irish Parliament.
• St Stephen’s Green, a High End residential and business area which incorporates a pleasant park which is open to the public.

St. Stephen's Green

Fusiliers Arch, St Stephen's Green

• Temple Bar, an Arts and Entertainments district centered on a maze of narrow, cobbled streets.
• Ha’penny Bridge, which links the Temple Bar area and Liffey Street.

Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin

• Four Courts, which dates from 1796 and sits on the banks of the River Liffey. The building was destroyed by fire during the Irish Civil War but restored in 1932. Reference to Four Courts means Common Pleas, Chancery, Exchequer and King’s Bench.

Four Courts, Dublin

• Dublin Castle. This dates from the times of the Anglo-Normans in the 13th century with little remaining today of the original structure. The building today dates from a re-build after a fire in 1684 and features luxury State Apartments.including a throne room installed for a visit of King George IV in 1821.
• Christ Church Cathedral which is Ireland’s oldest cathedral and has a fascinating crypt.
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral which has its origins close to a sacred well where tradition says St Patrick baptised converts around AD450. Much of the present building dates from the late 13th century and subsequent restoration in the late 19th century financed by Sir Benjamin Guinness.
• Guinness Storehouse, a new development  based in St James’s Gate Brewery where the famous stout has been brewed for over 200 years. It is the largest brewery in Europe and exports beers to over 120 countries.
• Irish Museum of Modern Art, a fine 17th century building which houses a collection comprising a cross-section of Irish and international modern and contemporary art.
• Kilmainham Goal, Inchicore Road. This dates from 1796 and restored in the 1970s. During 130 years as a penitentiary it housed many of the leading protagonists seeking Irish independence..
• Heuston Rail Station.
• Ryan’s Victorian Bar at Parkgate Street.
• National Museum at Collins Barracks. Named after Michael Collins, the first commander-in-Chief of the Irish Army.
• Old Jameson Distillery, Smithfield which produced whiskey from 1780 to 1971.
• The Writer’s Museum at Parnell Square North. Focuses on Irish literature spanning the past 300 years.

Finally, here is an image of a Dublin Street Band in full voice.

Dublin Street Band