Day 3

We are back in our hotel for an early evening tonight after a very thorough tour of Dublin.  After eating a very hearty breakfast this morning, we boarded our coach with bus driver, Derrek.  We then picked up our first local tour guide, James, who is from Dublin and has a very nice Dublin-Irish accent!

As Derrek drove us around the city, James told us about much of the history involved here.  We have learned that the Guinness family is very powerful and wealthy. Guinness produces 3.5 million pints EACH day!  They are the ones who set up the Guinness Book of World Records, and they established a very prominent hospital in Dublin at which the babies born here are given Guinness in their bottles!!  It is said to have many nutrients for the babies and has become a common practice!!

We stopped at King Edward’s Door which was decorated for a visit he was to pay to Dublin but never actually made.  They are known here for their ornate and decorative doors.

We stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and learned some history about St. Patrick and the Anglican church which was started by King Henry VIII after the Pope spoke to him about his divorces and other unacceptable behavior in the Catholic church.  

St. Patrick was the one who began using the three-leaf shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit).

We asked about the Celtic Cross and wondered why they even had a different cross.  

James told us that the Celtic (hard “c”) Cross was invented by monks when Ireland moved from being Pagan to Christian.  The circle in the middle is really from the pagan symbol for the sun and everlasting life. The cross, of course, was from the Christians.  Celtic was the religion that combined the two.

Next, we went to Trinity College which was set up as a men’s college by Queen Elizabeth.  Most of the students, now, are women. At the college is a very old library which contains the Book of Kells and all sorts of old Irish books.  The Book of Kells is an ornately decorated version of the four gospels which are written in Latin and in Gaelic Calligraphy.

Next we had free time downtown where we were able to buy all things green and Guinness!  Unfortunately, we have not heard anything about Leprechauns, but we have seen some fun gifts that have Leprechauns on them!

We finished our day at The Czech Inn where we enjoyed pork chops and rice smothered in a mushroom sauce.  Then, we finished it off with an apple pie and vanilla ice cream! We did get rained on today, but we were prepared with ponchos and umbrellas!

Lastly, we learned that red heads do not come from Ireland!!!  Red heads are from Viking Blood, and the Irish really don’t like the myth!

It has been a very interesting day with some rather contrasting words.  Our tour director told us we would be having lots of Craic today and should stay well-lubricated!  He also taught us about Hookers as we were discussing a local beer called Galway Hooker. See below for definitions:

Craic - the Gaelic word for “fun”

Well-lubricated was actually a mistake.  He meant to say hydrated but couldn’t think of the word we use!

Hooker - a boat on the West coast of Ireland

So, tomorrow we are off to Belfast in Northern Ireland which Satyen tells us has a very interesting history!  Stay tuned for more information!

 

Jacqueline