The ferry crossing from Bilbao was better than we could have hoped.
Smooth with minimal swell, so no sea sickness, a great ship and a dolphin sighting! Others saw Orca as well!
As it was our first trip on Brittany Ferries we were invited to visit the bridge. That was an interesting variation to the day otherwise spent getting bored watching Leeds v Chelsea in the FA Cup, wine tasting in the shop, reading, exploring the ship and having a nap.
We got up early for a spot of whale/dolphin spotting – none this time, but as we were passing the coast of Cornwall we had a few minutes of mobile and map data. We spied a Lighthouse in the distance that we think was Longships Lighthouse– zoom in on the horizon about 1/3 from the left. (We watched a YouTube channel Keeping a Lighthouse episode on this lighthouse a few months ago. Interesting channel!)
Arriving in Rosslare we had to consciously remember we now had to drive on the opposite side of the road from the past 3 months! To add to the stress it’s a left hand drive car.
We got to Dun Loaghaire safely, checked in and went for a walk around the harbour, stopped at a pub for a Guiness and then got some Bangers & Mash for dinner. Yum.
On our first full day in the Republic of Ireland we took a train into Dublin.
We started wandering and found ourselves outside Trinity College, so we booked a tour for the Book of Kells this afternoon.
We walked to Dublin Castle that has a long history, having hosted Queen Victoria, several King George’s, Queen Elizabeth II, JFK and Marilyn Monroe amongst others.
The self-guided tour goes through a hallway with a gorgeous ceiling and history on each President.
A number of restored rooms – there was a fire in 1941 that damaged some – house a collection of artworks including another Last Supper. This must be our 5th or 6th Last Supper so far this trip!
The tour also includes the St.Patrick’s Hall, a ballroom where Irish Presidents are sworn into office. This room has an amazing painted ceiling.
After leaving the castle we walked to Christ Church Cathedral,
Here we noticed a specific work of art that we had previously seen outside the Cathedral in Rio de Janiero;
it turns out there are 50 of these around the world. We continued to St.Patrick’s Cathedral,
also seeing St.Patrick’s Well, actually a rock, not a well!
We then circled back to Trinity College for our tour. Trinity College is quite large, with gorgeous old buildings. (La Trobe Uni’s School of Health in Carlton & Abbotsford doesn’t compare aesthetically)
We went to see the Book of Kells, 4 books of the new testament that are over 1000 yrs old. The manuscripts are considered some of the most ornate known and have been in the protection of the college for over 400yrs.
The tour also includes the Old Library.
It’s mostly empty as they are currently undertaking a restoration, cleaning and cataloguing exercise to preserve the books, but the room is impressive.
There was then an AV display about the Book of Kells and the Old Library.
We treated ourselves to late afternoon tea back at the hotel. One of the treats was Tea Brack an Irish style fruit cake. Probably not going to need dinner after that!
Early start today to get to the Guinness Storehouse for our 9.30am booking.
We walked along the Liffey River,
made a brief detour to chalk up our 6th Last Supper, this one featuring known Dublinites.
And we passed Ireland’s oldest pub-too early for a drink there, it wasn’t open.
Add picture of the gate from Kevin
The tour went over 7 levels of one of the original brewing houses for Guinness. It was highly visual in nature, and delved into the ingredients (4 – water, barley, hops and yeast (they’ve been using the same yeast strain since 1903!)), the processing of each ingredient, how they get the (ideally 12-18mm) head with a mixture of NO₂ and O₂, barrel making and advertising over the past 100 odd years.
The tour included a brief tasting class where we were taught, using a miniature Guinness glass, how to drink it to get the full flavour.
The tour finishes with a full pint on the 7th floor with a great view of the Dublin skyline!
From there we headed to the Kilmainham Gaol.
With a bit of time before that tour started we had some lunch. Keeping on theme it was a Guinness and Steak pie. Yum!
The tour started in the Gaol courtroom.
We toured through the incredibly grim older section of the Gaol, hearing stories of those jailed for vagrancy or begging during the famine, political prisoners of the 1916 uprising and the civil war, as well as the youngest prisoner aged 3, there in his own right, not with parents and a politician jailed for refusing to sign an act that was not retrospective. During the famine many people apparently tried to be put in gaol as at least they would be fed!
We then moved into the modern, light-filled ‘new’ section, built when they realised that access to sunlight improved prisoner physical and mental health. A big improvement, but still overcrowded.
One American guy wanted to know why they didn’t just send all of the extra prisoners to Australia instead of ‘only’ 4000 from this one prison. (Quote: “slavery had stopped and they lots of spare ships so they could have sent many more.”
Guy obviously had no idea of the actual challenge of getting a boat to Australia and back in the mid-1800s, let alone policing the prisoners once they arrived in Australia!)
Anyway.
The tour finished with a focus on the 12 men executed for signing The Proclomation of the Republic-not all of them did sign it; and the four young men killed by Irish soldiers in 1922, both events being catalysts for the increasing call for Irish independence.
It was a really interesting tour.
Across the road from.the gaol is an art installation remembering the 12 men executed in 1916.
Today we had some car things dealt with, booked a week or so ago plus an unexpected slow leak courtesy of a nail, on a tyre.
The car things took way longer than they should have so we ended up not doing much for the day. We did go for a walk, then I had a pedicure and Kevin went to the barber whilst we waited.
This evening though we went north and caught up with Meagan, a lovely Canadian that we met on our tour of Botswana last year and has lived in Dublin for two years.
Was great to catch up for a few drinks & dinner at her local and a few more drinks at her other local.
Now 1030 and we’re on the bus back to Dun Laoghaire. Heading south out of Dublin tomorrow morning.
An Unplanned Year 
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