Dublin, Ireland

We left Beirut, arrived in Dubai and had about 7 hours to unpack and repack. This time we were headed to Ireland. When we touched down in Dublin the next morning we bought a hop on bus pass that included airport transfers to our hotel. We checked into the Dergvale B&B then went out to see the city.
Our first stop was Christ Church Cathedral. It was built in 1030AD. In 1562 the nave roof collapsed and the cathedral was in ruins. It was rebuilt and is beautiful as ever.
The medieval cathedral crypt is believed to be the largest crypt in Britain and Ireland, measuring over 63m in length, built in the 1170s It stores a set of gold communion plates from King James II from 1684.
In the 16th & 17th century the crypt was once used as a market, a meeting place for business and also a pub.
Troy had a call for work so after our visit we found a place to grab a bite and enjoy a cup of tea.

We visited the Dublin Castle. It was originally built in 1230 for defense fortification and later became the Royal residence. Over the years it has served as parliament and law courts. In 1673 it was heavily damaged by a fire (possibly arson) and just the records room survived. It was rebuilt in 1798 and now has beautiful staterooms and is used to this day for state dinners.

We toured downstairs where excavating has taken place to reveal the original gun powder room and outer wall of the castle.

Connected to the Castle is the Royal Chapel. This is not used as a chapel anymore, but has been used in TV series such as The Tudors and also recitals. The pulpit and altar have been removed. When it was rebuilt it was mostly made with wood and painted over to look marble and original. The organ pipes were rebuilt, but only the pipes and no organ was put in place. It is a beautiful, fake, church like building.

We hopped on the hop-on bus and our next stop was the St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was where St Patrick introduced Christianity to the people in Ireland. He started baptizing in a nearby well in 450AD. The well was discovered in 1901 under Celtic grave slabs in a park nearby. In the 10th century the church was a small wooden building. In 1432 the Cathedral Choir School was founded and is the oldest school in Ireland that still exists. In 1860 the Cathedral needed much renovation. It was going to be so costly they considered tearing it down. Benjamin Lee Guinness took on the restoration on the terms he would be unrestricted in any changes he could make. He had the large stone screen that separated the clergy from the congregation and felt this was no longer needed. This resulted in a large open plan space that was very welcomed. The restoration cost around 130,000 pounds.
Benjamin Lee’s sons continued his generous work by adding the tiles to the floor of the Cathedral and by donating a stained glass window. To this day the Guinness family are generous supporters of the Cathedral and remain an important presence in the life of the Cathedral.