Ireland day 14

     Just across the street from our hotel is Trinity College, home of the famous Book of Kells, a lavishly decorated manuscript of the four gospels written on calfskin around the year 800.  While there usually is a large crowd around the book (actually, there are four volumes), with time for each person to catch only a glimpse, this morning was different.  We happened to be at the entrance to the rare books area when the door opened, and I rushed through the first portions to arrive in the hallowed room, where there was only a guard present.  This allowed a long look at the two elaborately decorated pages and two pages of manuscript that were open to view under thick glass, as well as unhurried inspections of other books more than a thousand years old.  Upstairs, in the Long Room, built between 1712 and 1732, were 200,000 more of the library's oldest books.  More than 200 feet long, this gigantic room contains several floors of books, a number of the oldest on display in cases.  It was an amazing visit.

     An even more amazing visit followed.  Not far from Trinity College is the National Museum of Ireland's  archeology section.  This part of the museum (whose sections are scattered about the city) contains more than two million artifacts, and is a treasure trove of the history and prehistory of Ireland.  It contains stone tools of the first hunter-gatherers around 7000 B.C., bronze weapons of the Late Bronze Age around 500 B.C. , copper axes and daggers, shields, cauldrons and cast bronze horns (the earliest known Irish musical instruments), jewelry made from amber, glass and stone, wooden examples of shields, wheels and cauldrons, a 4,500-year-old log boat.  and an extensive collection of finds from Viking graves of the ninth and tenth centuries.  It contains the finest collection of Bronze Age and Iron Age gold artifacts in the world, as well as the most complete collection of medieval Celtic metalwork.  Here you can see the Ardagh Chalice, the finest piece of Celtic art ever found.  You can also see the famous Tara Brooch, made from white bronze, gold, silver, glass, copper, enamel and wire beading.  Do you feel like you have read this paragraph somewhere previously?

 National Museum, Archaeology Section

     We saw all of the aforementioned items this morning, since the museum is open on Tuesdays.  The gold collection of ancient pieces was incredible.  No matter where you have been or what you have seen, you would have been impressed by the size and quality of this collection.

Tara Brooch

Huge solid gold necklaces in the museum

     From the museum, we walked over the Patrick Guilbaud Restaurant, the only Michelin two star restaurant in Ireland.  Based upon our lunch experience there, we have no argument with Michelin.  We might have had an argument regarding the numbers on the tab, but what the heck--it was our last day in this great country.  What a fine meal!  Then it was across the river to the old Jameson distillery, where we had a guided tour of the old facility, founded in 1780.  Their Irish whiskey has been made by the same process since then, but actual production was moved to Middleton in the 1970's because the Guinness crowd controlled all the barley production around Dublin  for the making of beer.

Inside the old Jameson distillery

      At Jameson, they asked for volunteers at the beginning of the tour, and I was one of the 8 chosen for duty.   At the end of the tour the duty turned out to be serving as an unofficial sampler of the Jameson product and comparing it with samples of Johnny Walker Black and Jack Daniels.  Not wanting to embarrass Tricia, I didn't object when they poured several glasses with the various samples, and kept up with the rest of the volunteers admirably.  Or, it seemed pretty admirable to me by the end of the fourth glass.  I think it was four.  It could have been five.  Or maybe 6.  Whatever.  By the end of the drinking it seemed we would all be lifelong friends.  But suddenly, everyone seemed to have left the tasting area before we did, and outside, things had changed.  We kept looking for the bus stop, but it had apparently moved.  Several of the streets had relocated, as well.  Tricia was studying the map when we spotted the bus coming down whatever street; fortunately for us the driver recognized our situation immediately and did an unscheduled stop for us.  Now, in what other capital city in the world would a bus driver pull over, far away from a regular stop, and pick up a rider in an obvious state of confusion?  What a great country.

The Oliver St. John Gogarty

     That evening, it was time for some food and Irish music, so I tried to show Tricia a pub I had spotted the first day, which advertised live Irish music from one o'clock in the afternoon until two in the morning.  I knew for sure that you had to take a right just outside the front door of our hotel, then the second street to the right, and another right, and the place would be easy to spot.  But we kept taking right turns and never could find the place.  My companion was not amused.  So we went back to the hotel, where we were told to go across the street and turn left, and we would find the place.  We did.

Inside St. John Gogarty Pub

     When we arrived at the Oliver St. John Gogarty pub, open since 1835,  it was nearly empty, but within minutes two musicians appeared and the place filled up with music lovers and beer lovers.  We ate pub food and enjoyed the Irish music for a couple of hours.  We could have stayed until closing, but needed to get back and sob---I mean, pack--up for the trip home tomorrow.

     Before saying good night, I must share with you a few facts about Dublin,taken from the This is Dublin guide in our hotel room:

    In December 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at an annual rent of £45  to build the Guinness here; the massive brewery still takes up quite a good section of the city.  Over ten million glasses are produced daily worldwide.

     George Frederic Handel gave the first performance of The Messiah here in 1742; the chair which he used is still housed in the Dublin Writers Museum.

     The remains of St. Valentine, the Patron Saint of Love, are contained in a church here.

     Lawrence of Arabia was born in Dublin; the novelist Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula worked in Dublin Castle as a civil servant in the 1870's.

     Ok, enough.  It's time to pack up and get some sleep before heading for the airport.  It has been an enjoyable and educational trip, and we highly recommend it to you--during the warm, dry season, of course.  Actually, even during the rainy season.  If you will be visiting here within the next six months, we have a European phone with lots of minutes left on it that we will be glad to lend you.  Just sent an email or call.  

     We hope you have enjoyed the reports as much as we have enjoyed researching, writing, and photographing for them.  The next faraway trip will be in October, when it will be challenging to report from places that have little or no Internet.  Goodnight for now; we hope to see you soon.

Charlie and Tricia

© 2012