DUBLIN, IRELAND

                                     A Busy City

       Approaching Dublin we arrived into the world of traffic lights and where motorists were nowhere as pleasant as in the country. Approaching the city we noted a McDonalds—the first we’d seen in nearly two weeks.

      Dublin started as a Norse trading post in the 8^th century and is an older Viking settlement than Stockholm, Sweden or Oslo, Norway.  Dublin, a city of Georgian elegance, gets its name from the Black Pool—Dubh Linn that was on the site of Dublin Castle. Dublin, the Fair City with over a million people, is thought to be the friendliest capital on earth. It is a large city but lacks the high rises of most metropolitan areas and might be referred to as low high-rise city. By the late 17^th century Dublin was the second city of the British Empire.

      The River Liffey runs through the city and many bridges link the north and south parts of the city.  Starting at Sally Gap in County Wicklow the river travels 125 kilometers through the center of Dublin, into Dublin Bay and finally into the Irish Sea. The bar is a walkway along the River Liffey. Compact and easy to get around, Dublin is a walking city with interesting alleys, nooks and crannies.

      The 18^th century was Dublin’s golden age. Colorful doors grace lovely Georgian homes. The city has many graceful squares. Now a boomtown, half of the country’s population lives in the capital city. The city is 10 miles north to south and 6 miles east to west. There are over 10,000 pubs n the city.

      In 1728 the corner stone for the Parliament building (Leinster House) was laid and then in 1801 the Act of Union put Ireland under English rule until its independence in 1921.  In 1970 an old Viking village was found and excavated. The city’s largest private home, built in 1745 by the Duke of Leinster is a rather unusual building as it has a different façade on the front and rear sides. On the Merrion St. side the style is of a country home, on the Kildare St. side it resembles a town house.

     Temple Bar is considered Dublin’s cultural center. Developed in the 19^th century and situated in the heart of the city, its narrow cobbled streets run close to the banks of River Liffey. After years of neglect a massive redevelopment took place in 1991-92. The streets now are pedestrian walkways meant for strolling.  Artists, designers, and young entrepreneurs with creative ideas have set up small art galleries, cafés, theaters and colorful shops.

     Government Buildings are the last buildings in Dublin built by the British. In 1904 they were the College of Science, then the College of Engineers and later British headquarters. By the 1940s the buildings had become blackened and in disrepair. In the 1990s a huge restoration took place using Irish craftsmen and all Irish materials.

     The Ha’Penny Bridge is Dublin’s oldest pedestrian bridge crossing the River Liffey and is a symbol of the city. Built in 1816 as the Wellington Bridge, it acquired its nickname because of the halfpenny levied on all users of the bridge until 1919. It is one of the earliest cast iron bridges of its kind.  A 2001 restoration returned the Victorian Bridge to its original sparkling white. It was the only pedestrian bridge until 2000 when the new Millennium Bridge opened. Temple Bar is on the south side of the bridge and Mary and Henry Street on the north side. The bridge is very pretty and to me much more attractive than the modern Millennium Bridge. There are several bridges across the River Liffey that handle motor traffic.

      The Molly Malone statue, located at the end of Grafton Street opposite Trinity College, always drew a crowd and often a fellow who played the bodhran drum. It was very difficult to get a good picture of Molly Malone, the semi-historical-legendary figure who was commemorated in the song Cockles and Mussels. The fishmonger-working girl died in one of the cholera epidemics, which regularly sweep through Dublin. The statue is affectionately nick named ‘The tart with the cart’, ‘Trollop with the scallops’ or the ‘Dish with the fish’.   

    

 POSTS: Trinity College & Book of Kells  2-5-14

MORE ABOUT IRELAND

    Daniel O’Connell, 1775, is considered the liberator of Ireland. After securing the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829 the lawyer was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin. As a young boy he watched the British shoot his uncle because he owned a horse worth more than the allowed five pounds which he refused to give up. This event was no doubt a big factor in his drive for Catholic emancipation. There are several memorials and statues around Dublin of O’Connell who died in 1847. His heart is buried in Rome and his body is buried in Glasnevin.

 

  The 305 foot-long St Patrick’s Cathedral, founded in 450 A.D. and built in 1192, is the largest church in the country and is the National Cathedral of Ireland. The church was restored in 1860 with Guinness monies. The organ dates to 1902. The present structure dates from 1254. Inside the floors are done in geometric designs using 4-inch tiles. The lectern is of ornate brass involving an eagle perched on top of a large world globe representing the word of God around the world. Jonathan Swift was Dean of the church 1713-1745 and is buried there. He was responsible for building an alms house for women who could no longer take care of themselves.

 

   From City Hall it is a short block to Christ Church. Standing in the heart of Viking Dublin and on the site of a wooden church built by a Danish king in 1038, it is one of two protestant churches in the city. It is one of the oldest and most recognized landmarks in Dublin. By 1152 it was incorporated into the Irish church. King James was protestant and King William catholic so the church switched religions a couple of times.

     In 1562 the nave roof collapsed and emergency rebuilding lasted until the 1870s. The church declined in the 19^th century so Henry Roe, a wealthy distiller hired a gothic expert to restore the building. After the 1895 renovation the church appeared Victorian. A two-year restoration of the cathedral roof and stonework was undertaken in 1982. A new organ was installed in 1984. Christ Church was the first church in Ireland to have English spoken.

    The crypt, under the church is the actually the oldest building in Dublin, and the largest crypt in Europe. During the 16^th and 17^th centuries the crypt was used as a market, a meeting place for business and at one point a pub. Reconstruction between 1870-1878 was accomplished with monies from the Guinness brewery. Today the 900 year old crypt is open to the public. New lighting recently has been installed in the crypt floor. Several display cases hold outstanding rare church silver including the stunning royal plate given by King William III in 1697 as a thanksgiving for his victory at the battle of the Boyne. Also on display are candlesticks used in 1689.

  Just before we were about to descend down into the large crypt I looked up and saw a sign on the wall that said in bold letters “CAT and RAT”. Moving my eyes upward I saw a shadow box with a mummified cat and rat. The written explanation stated that the animals were trapped in one of the organ pipes in 1860. I guess that cat really wanted that rat!

                       

St. Patrick's Day is time for the wearing o' the green and dodging leprechauns.     So, tip your tam o'shanter jauntily to the side, take a wee step forward into the land where Irish eyes are smilin’ for some St. Patrick's Day History.

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and many miracles have been attributed to the bishop, including the driving of the snakes from Ireland. His sainthood derives from his conversion of the Irish Celtic pagans to Christianity. He used the native shamrock as a symbol of the holy trinity when preaching and brought the Latin alphabet to Ireland. March 17 is the feast day of St. Patrick.

The custom of imbibing alcohol on St. Patrick's Day comes from an old Irish legend. As the story goes, St. Patrick was served a measure of whiskey that was considerably less than full. St. Patrick took this as an opportunity to teach a lesson of generosity to the innkeeper. He told the innkeeper that in his cellar resided a monstrous devil that fed on the dishonesty of the innkeeper. In order to banish the devil, the man must change his ways. When St. Patrick returned to the hostelry some time later, he found the owner generously filling the patrons' glasses to overflowing. He returned to the cellar with the innkeeper and found the devil emaciated from the landlord's generosity, and promptly banished the demon, proclaiming thereafter everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day. This custom is known as Pota Phadraig or Patrick's Pot. The custom is known as "drowning the shamrock" because it is customary to float a leaf of the plant in the whiskey before downing the shot.

St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in America in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737, and is now celebrated nationwide with parades and as an opportunity to wear green and consume green libations. One reason St. Patrick’s Day might have become so popular is the fact that it takes place just a few days before the end of winter; one might say it has become the first green of spring. The celebration in Ireland is more of a religious matter. The wearing o' the green is a symbol of Ireland's lush green farmlands.

also.see posts 9-22-13,  6-9-14,  8-12-12