On The Road to Galway and Shop Street (really!)
/I woke up an hour before my alarm went off this morning, partially from jet lag, partially from the anticipation of the wondrous day ahead! We spent the morning exploring Dublin and its fascinating history.
According to our guide, in the early 9th century the Vikings are credited with creating the first trade routes between Ireland, Scandinavia and England, using Dublin as their main base, making it one of the most profitable ports in Europe. Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest building in Dublin founded in 1030, was originally a Viking church.
We passed by what remains of the Old Dublin City Wall, originally built in the Middle Ages to protect the Viking town along the south bank of the River Liffey.
The life-sized statue of Oscar Wilde made with semi-precious stones is a tribute to the Irish poet and playwright. We drove past Kennedys - a pub steeped in literary tradition, visited by Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and William Butler Yeats.
We passed The Long Hall, one of Dublin’s oldest pubs. We gazed through the gates at Dublin Castle, built in the Middle Ages, and we saw the Four Courts, the center of legal life in Ireland established in the late 1700s.
The Long hall
dublin castle
four corners court building
The architecture here is amazing, spanning more than a thousand years. The Georgian style doors with ornate “fanlight” windows were simply beautiful.
We drove through Phoenix Park, where both the President of Ireland and the American Ambassador to Ireland reside. As we left Dublin, we were privy to a few more sites, including The Guinness Brewery, and the Clarence hotel -co-owned by Bono!
You might think that would be all for today - but no, that was just the beginning! We took the coach to our next stop in Galway - a delightful town, in spite of the heavy rain that had moved into the area. We had several hours to shop before heading to our hotel to dry off and get ready for the evening’s activities! No kidding - the name of the street where we did our shopping - Shop Street!!
We barely had enough time to get out of our rain-soaked clothes and into something dry and comfortable for an evening at the Knappogue Castle Medieval Banquet! A little touristy - yes, enjoyable entertainment - absolutely!!
At this point, I’m rather exhausted - maybe it was that tasty Mead we were drinking! Until tomorrow!