Welcome to Dublin!We were so excited to be in Dublin that we did quite a bit of exploring before officially kicking off our Ireland tour. We enjoyed a picnic at St. Steven's Green, a local outdoor art show and live music in the Temple Bar area. The morning and afternoon before meeting our group, we visited some of the attractions near our hotel: the National Gallery of Ireland, The National Library of Ireland, and the National Museum of Ireland. Our hotel was so centrally located that we were able to pack in quite a bit before our official tour started. This is another aspect of a Rick Steves' tour that we love!
The day our tour officially began, we met our tour guide, Dara, as well as the rest of our group. Together, we set out for a group supper at "The Farm." After a short walking tour of Dublin central, a group of us went out for a pint at O'Donoghue's with Dara. We enjoyed getting to know our group members better and mingling with the locals. The atmosphere was electric, complete with local music and local athletes celebrating a recent football victory. We quickly learned to toast each other in Gaelic: 'Sláinte! |
Diving Deep into Historic Dublin
Our first full day began with a walking tour led by a Trinity College Professor. He's not only an expert on Ireland, but he also publishes the only illustrated Irish history magazine. He was excellent, funny and informative. We learned about the relationship of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the devastating impact of the potato famine. Highlights of the tour included a visit to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College and the campus library, which was an inspiration for the Harry Potter movies. My wife and I are both former library media specialists, so exploring this library was exciting and fascinating for us. We thought it was odd but interesting how they organized their books by size--largest on the bottom shelves, smallest on top!
After our tour, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. We explored Dublin on foot, including another trip through the Temple Bar District where we caught some more live music and had some Gellato with whiskey in it. We also headed out across the river and down past the custom house to the famine memorial and famine ship restoration. It was a great start to our tour, and we had perfect weather all day!
After our tour, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. We explored Dublin on foot, including another trip through the Temple Bar District where we caught some more live music and had some Gellato with whiskey in it. We also headed out across the river and down past the custom house to the famine memorial and famine ship restoration. It was a great start to our tour, and we had perfect weather all day!
People and Culture
The Tour Begins!Our energetic guide, Dara, led us on a walking tour through Dublin to begin our learning journey together.
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'Sláinte!We met our group and quickly began getting to know each other over a Guinness at one of the local bars. 'Sláinte!
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Local Guide!We received a great guided tour from a local Trinity College professor and were even joined by the ambassador to India.
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Places and Sights
Temple Bar AreaThe Temple Bar area was packed with nightlife, live music and interesting people. It was a fun place to hang out.
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The Spire of DublinThe large spire at the end of a downtown street stands as a memorial to a failed rebellion at the Dublin post office.
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Trinity College LibraryAs former library media specialists, we loved seeing the Trinity College Library, an inspiration for the Harry Potter library.
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Music and the Arts
Street MusiciansStreet musicians were plentiful throughout Dublin, and we enjoyed their art, often rewarding them with tips.
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Local Art ShowArt covered nearly every inch of the fence around this park in central Dublin. Local art was on display and for sale.
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Live Music in the Pub!We enjoyed sweet sounds of traditional Irish music at a local pub. As the sign says, "Keep the musicians well oiled!"
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