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 19th 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 16th
and 17th 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
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