L.L. Diamond

For spring break, we planned a crazy circuitous route around Ireland. We started by driving to Holyhead, Wales to board a ferry that would take us to the port in Dublin. I’ve never been aboard a ferry before, but because the trip is a little over three hours, the ship is more of a mini-cruise ship. Two floors were dedicated to entertaining guests with a place to eat, a bar, a duty-free shop, and a small cinema, giving something for everyone in the family. We took the eight a.m. ferry and were in Dublin just after noon. While we travelled, we ate breakfast, my son watched a movie in the cinema, and the rest of us alternated between walking on the deck and working/homework.

Once in Dublin, we met the rest of our travelling party at Jervis shopping centre, checked into the flats where we would be staying, and a large part of our party went to the Jameson distillery for a tour while I stayed with the children. (I’m trying to get my husband to write a guest post for the tours he took that I didn’t.)

The next morning, we walked to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room. The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript made in the 9th century and details the four Gospels containing the life of Jesus. It is displayed along with other artefacts and very interesting, though you can’t take photos of the book. You can take photos in the old library long room, which is gorgeous and it’s nice to just sit and take in the surroundings.

I definitely recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of your visit. We purchased ours online, which kept us out of the queue, but we still had a thirty minute wait until our show time. The manuscript was interesting and I loved the Long Room. I even found a Jane Austen link!

After Trinity College, we toured Christ Church Cathedral. Where the church sits began as a site of worship in 1028, and in 1108, the previous wooden structure was replaced with a stone building that was added to over time until it is what it is now.

Christ Church Cathedral also has the largest crypt in the UK and Ireland. Visitors can walk around inside the crypt and there are also a number of exhibits down there. It’s said that at one time part of the blanket from the manger was stored down there.

After, we walked down to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. History says St. Patrick baptised people on the site, which became a church in 890. The first cathedral was built between 1191 and 1212 and the current cathedral was built between 1220 and 1260. Like most large cathedrals, the original structure was added to over the years until it became what it is today.

The inside of both cathedrals was amazing and definitely worth seeing! We walked and took pictures until we didn’t know what to take pictures of anymore. After we ate dinner and returned to the flat to get some sleep for the next day.

 

Next up! Day 2 of Dublin!

Sources:
http://christchurchcathedral.ie/about/history/
https://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/learn/life-and-history/