Alison

Delights of Dublin – Day Two

Meeting up at 10 am in the lobby we headed off in the direction of the river with a stop for coffee and a bowl of porridge for me! It was a very chilly 5 degrees so I made sure I was well rugged up.

River Liffey
On the Ha’penny Bridge
Posing with the locals
Heading to Trinity College

One place I was interested in seeing was The Book of Kells, located in Trinity College. So we walked over to see about tours and tickets. There was no ticket office only an app to scan to buy tickets. What a palaver to do this, and we weren’t the only ones finding this difficult. Finally we managed to download all tickets and headed off to wait for our time slot.

The Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Ireland, Scotland or England. It is believed to have been created around 800 AD. It takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, County Meath which was its home for centuries.

The book itself is kept under a large dome, with just a different page being turned each day. No photography is allowed of the book itself.

For me to think of a book like this that has lasted for centuries, through wars and pillaging is astounding. How was it hidden and preserved all these years? That is something that is not really known.

The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass those of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript’s pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations. Source – Wikipedia.

Pages of the book are enlarged with descriptions next to each illustration. The paintings are wonderful to see and the more look the more you see!

It took me a while to find all the images mentioned in the page next to this painting.

⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️

After this we walked around to The Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library. This room is nearly 65 metres in length, it is filled with 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books and is one of the most impressive libraries in the world. The books are still used by the students of the college.

The Long Room
Old Wooden Ladders
Wrought Iron Staircase
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”
“When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself.”

The Grounds of Trinity College

Sphere within Sphere and me!

Lunchtime was looming and stomachs were rumbling so we went in search of a pub, not that hard in Dublin. We found a French named Irish pub, where we had a hearty mushroom soup.

We had a walk to St. Stephen’s Green next and to have a look at the prestigious Georgian houses surrounding the green.

Scenes from the streets

  • Umbrellas up high
  • The iconic flower stalls
  • Clocks and Signs
  • Georgian Doors
  • Fancy Door Knobs
  • Ornate iron lamp posts with seahorses –
    Irish Parliament
  • Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre
  • “They lived and laughed and loved and left.”  –
    James Joyce

In the wake of all the walking we went back to the hotel for a well earned rest before agreeing to meet later for drinks and dinner.

Dinner, bars and bands

Tonight we were venturing to Roberta’s, an Italian restaurant within walking distance of our hotel. The reviews said it was noisy but the food was good, it also mentioned a glass atrium.

We had a table near the bar area and noticed an engagement was in place. We got chatting to the bride to be, I think she was glad of a chance to take the weight off her feet as she sat down and gave us her life story!

  • Sicilian Hake, saffron, orange, chickpea, baby spinach and gold almonds

It was time to sample one of the bars that Temple Street is so famous for. We opted for The Temple Bar Pub and squeezed our way to the bar! I hadn’t been to a place this packed since my twenties. Not a place to go if you are claustrophobic! Everyone was singing and laughing and it did feel like gatecrashing a party in full swing.

Stools in front of the band!
A great rendition of I’m a Believer

Walking back to our hotel

A marvellous second day filled to the brim with sights and sounds, delicious food, wonderful company and fantastic entertainment.

And to finish with a very apt quote

“Work is the curse of the Drinking Classes”
Oscar Wilde

35 comments

  2. Oh bring Temple Bar to life, why don’t you!? The four storey pub (John Paul O’Gogarty’s or something like that) is just brilliant and different on every floor. You’re tempting me back there, Ali. However the Book of Kells is just fascinating, looks and sounds well worth a spellbinding hour or more.

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  3. Another wonderful day, Ali. I loved the library in Trinity. I smiled at the palaver getting tickets. Soon I won’t be able to go anywhere, and I certainly won’t be able to eat when I get there, unless I can scan menus and barcodes 😘💗

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  6. You’re bringing back some good memories of our trip to Dublin which was so long ago I’d forgotten a lot of things, like that gorgeous Georgian architecture! No one could forget the Book of Kells however, nor that Long Room 😮 Your evening sounds great fun too!

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  12. Trinity College and the Book of Kells was hands down my favorite thing in Dublin. Those manuscripts are just incredible with the painstaking detail that went into each page. You got some beautiful pictures of this beautiful city! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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