Dublin

 

We stayed at the Shelbourne, which is a grand old hotel overlooking St Stephen’s Green, a perfect location in Dublin.  To get oriented, we took a couple guided tours.  The Fab Foods Trails of Dublin gave us an introduction to the city’s culinary scene, along with historical context.  Highlights were Sheridan’s Cheesemonger (we brought home several great cheeses), the Pepper Pot bakery and café in the beautiful Powerscourt Mansion (1774), the excellent Fallon & Byrne gourmet grocery, and the Griolah grilled “toasties” near Temple Bar.  Through AirBnB we booked the "Sunday Afternoon traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl" tour, our guide Linda took us to three pubs to hear Irish trad and folk music. O’Donoghue’s near our hotel [music links here and here], Devitt’s south of St Stephen’s Green (music here, the band played “of Philadelphia” for us [music here]), and the Brazen Head (they claim to be the oldest pub in Ireland dating from 1198, but that it hard to believe) [links to music here and here].  The music was excellent and we had so much fun. 

Famine statues

Customs House

Shelbourne Hotel

River Leffey

O'Donoghue's Bar

Portal installation, with 
Phlly at the other end!

North of the River Leffey, O’Connell Street (named for Irish Nationalist Daniel O'Connell) is the main avenue with department stores and the General Post Office, which was the site of the 1916 Easter Rising.  There is a very good Witness History museum in the General Post Office describing the events that led to the Easter Rising and the war of independence.  Where the first shots were fired on O’Connell Street, there is 398 foot tall spire that stands as a monument to the revolutionaries.  

Easter Rising Spire

General Post Office

Daniel O'Connell statue

We took a tour of Trinity College which was chartered by Queen Elizabeth I around 1592.  It’s a beautiful campus, especially the Trinity Library which houses the Book of Kells.  This 1200 year old manuscript includes the four gospels, and is illustrated with art that is considered the greatest piece of art from the Middle Ages.  The National Museum of Archeology has artifacts from Dublin’s Viking and Norman periods.   

Trinity College

Trinity Library

Trinity College

Christ Church

Cross of Cong Abbey

Oldest Harp, symbol of 
the Republic of Ireland

Dublin Castle

Office of Taoiseach (Prime Minister)

An elegant townhouse at 14 Henrietta Street is a museum that depicts the opulent lifestyle of wealthy eighteenth century Dublin elite.  But when Britain closed the Irish Parliament with the Act of Union (1801), parliamentarians and other aristocrats left Dublin for London.  Homes like 14 Henrietta were abandoned, and after the Great Famine these buildings were converted into tenements.  The structure that once housed a family of six later housed 17 families of over 100 people!  Our guide told us their story, and it was fascinating.   

14 Henrietta Street

14 Henrietta tenement apt

The Teeling Whiskey Distillery tour was interesting, highlighted by tasting four of their whiskeys.   

Kilmainham Gaol (jail) was opened in 1796, and was greatly expanded in the Victorian era.  It housed many of the revolutionaries from revolts throughout Ireland’s history, particularly the 1848 revolt and the 1916 Easter Rising. Fourteen of the Easter Rising organizers were executed here, Eamon De Valera was spared from execution because he had US citizenship; after the war of independence, De Valera became Free Ireland’s first president.  Kilmainham is a fascinating place to visit, the tour was excellent, bringing the history to life, and highlighting the personal stories of those incarcerated here.  

Kilmainham Entrance

Stonebreakers Yard, cross marks
where the convicted were shot 
by firing squad

Kilmainham Gaol

Victorian cell block

Note statement etched in stone

Gaol cell

We visited too many great pubs to mention, but here are some: Toner’s, Stag’s Head and John Kehoe Victorian Bars, O’Connell’s, Temple Bar (yes, the tourist trap), O’Neill’s Pub across from the Molly Malone statue, The Bank Bar (beautiful interior), just to name a few.  

John Kehoe's

Teeling Distillery

Brazen Head

Devitts

Stags Head

The Pig's Ear was excellent, offering elevated local cuisine, such as Dublin Coddle ham potato and onion and sausage in savory herbaceous broth.  The mixed grill was excellent, as were the Boulluates which are beef croquettes with Coleman mustard dipping sauce.  Chequer Lane by Jamie Oliver was very good, and Peploe’s (great French onion soup).