Once again we’re out the door by 8:15, grabbing a cup of coffee (except me!) and croissant, then walked over to Trinity College again for our tour of the Book of Kells. This is an amazing work of art
created by monks in Scotland in the late eighth century as they transcribed the four Gospels of the Bible. Prior to seeing the book, there’s a wealth of information on how it was done, the painstaking work that went into it, the meaning behind many of the symbols and drawings, why things were done in particular instances, where and how the colors were created, etc. The Book of Kells actually consists of four books, each representing one of the four Gospels, totaling 680 pages; but only one book was on display in an enclosed glass case that is temperature and light controlled for preservation. We saw two beautifully decorated pages. I heard two different things about the turning of the pages … one that a page is turned every day; another that a page is turned every three or four months. It is truly a art masterpiece.
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created by monks in Scotland in the late eighth century as they transcribed the four Gospels of the Bible. Prior to seeing the book, there’s a wealth of information on how it was done, the painstaking work that went into it, the meaning behind many of the symbols and drawings, why things were done in particular instances, where and how the colors were created, etc. The Book of Kells actually consists of four books, each representing one of the four Gospels, totaling 680 pages; but only one book was on display in an enclosed glass case that is temperature and light controlled for preservation. We saw two beautifully decorated pages. I heard two different things about the turning of the pages … one that a page is turned every day; another that a page is turned every three or four months. It is truly a art masterpiece.
Though there was another surprise in store for us. As we left the Book of Kells, we ascended a few steps
to the 200-foot-long main chamber of the Old Library known as the Long room. It is stacked to the extremely high ceiling with over 200,000 of the library’s oldest books and has been a working library since 1792. At one end is Ireland’s oldest harp, which is an image used to represent the Republic of Ireland on all official documents and elsewhere around the city and country. It is still a working library where students come to do research and is quite an impressive sight!
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| The Long Room, Library at Trinity College |
to the 200-foot-long main chamber of the Old Library known as the Long room. It is stacked to the extremely high ceiling with over 200,000 of the library’s oldest books and has been a working library since 1792. At one end is Ireland’s oldest harp, which is an image used to represent the Republic of Ireland on all official documents and elsewhere around the city and country. It is still a working library where students come to do research and is quite an impressive sight!
Next, we hop back on the Hop-on, Hop-off bus to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In 1539 England’s King Henry VIII’s Reformation dissolved all Catholic monasteries in England and Ireland; so today neither Christ Church nor St Patrick’s Cathedral are Catholic, but are the Anglican Church of England. In the late 19th century, the wealthy Guinness family donated funds for the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral … and the wealthy Jameson family donated funds for the restoration of Christ Church. We did go inside, but it was more of a museum than a church, in my opinion; though, of course, there’s always something to learn!
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After another Irish lunch, we caught the bus to the must-stop Guinness Storehouse for a tour of how they make their most famous beer. Arthur Guinness started brewing his beer in 1759. By 1868 it was a thriving business, and today the more than two-block long company brews 10 million pints of Guinness a day world wide. You know, when in Ireland … one does drink Guinness! We strolled through the floors of information, to the tasting, then up to the 7th floor to the Gravity Bar for our free drink. It is up here that we got a 360-degree view of the city and had a chance to simply “be”, savoring the moment, the views and especially the company!
Back on the bus, we get a quick view of Phoenix Park west of the city which consists of over 1700 acres of recreational areas. About a third is wooded, with over 500 feral deer wandering about. There are many open areas, sports areas, walking paths, benches, etc. that seem to be thoroughly enjoy by all, and the official residence of the President of Ireland is allocated in the park as well. Our last tourist stop is at the Jameson Distillery. Not wanting to take yet another tour, we just sat down to taste their creations! Suzanne discovered she loves Old Fashions. Bob and I sampled a flight of their different whiskies and Frank just enjoyed the Jameson goodness. For our last dinner in Dublin, we enjoyed yet another Irish Pub in the Temple Bar area, then walked the streets enjoying the sites and sounds of the area one last time, generating almost 14,000 steps before calling it a day! How Blessed we are to be able to experience all this.
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| Temple Bar Dublin, Ireland |
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