It wouldn't be a visit to Dublin without heading to Trinity College. John and I have taken multiple people there, and it never disappoints (although getting there and finding parking can be a problem).
The best part of it all is the The Long Room of the library, and the display of The Book of Kells.
There is always some exhibit in The Long Room, and this time, it was an exhibit of Irish authors and first edition copies of their books. There were also some first edition copies of books by English authors (seeing as Ireland wasn't independent from England until 1916). What a trip it was to see a first edition copy of The Hobbit. We also learned that Eoin Colfer, one of Ethan's favorite childhood authors who happens to be Irish, doesn't pronounce his first name E-O-win (as we always thought), but pronounces it Owen. Yep, that Gaelic will always throw us a curve ball :-)
The Long Room is something you would imagine in Harry Potter. In fact, one of the Star Wars movies duplicated the look of the room, because, let's face it, it's just super cool.
So, we hopped in the car and headed north. And yes, the traffic signs honestly say, "To the North" on them.
I can't tell you how delightfully surprised we were with our rental home in Northern Ireland. Pictures can show you only so much, but as we pulled into the parking space, we were thrilled. The views were unbelievable, and the furnishings were just perfect. And honestly, after staying in different hotels every night and spending more hours than we wanted to in the car, it was good to have a place where we could settle in for a while.
Plus, I was happy to see that the Dublin tradition of painted doors extended into the north country. In fact, I had bought chocolates of the doors in the Trinity book store, thinking that I wouldn't see them again :-)
The best part of it all is the The Long Room of the library, and the display of The Book of Kells.
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| A shot of The Long Room from the entrance. The books in this library are still used and accessible to the Trinity students. |
There is always some exhibit in The Long Room, and this time, it was an exhibit of Irish authors and first edition copies of their books. There were also some first edition copies of books by English authors (seeing as Ireland wasn't independent from England until 1916). What a trip it was to see a first edition copy of The Hobbit. We also learned that Eoin Colfer, one of Ethan's favorite childhood authors who happens to be Irish, doesn't pronounce his first name E-O-win (as we always thought), but pronounces it Owen. Yep, that Gaelic will always throw us a curve ball :-) |
| Check out the staircase! |
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Then it was onto The Book of Kells. I can't possibly describe it myself, so here's a bit already written: The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. It was created in a monastery in Ireland and was created around 800 A.D. I would love to show you pictures that I took, but pictures aren't allowed, so here are some off the internet, illegally taken by others:
It is actually very moving to see the beauty of the book. I can't really explain why in words. Perhaps it's because the words of Christ that we find so beautiful and perfect are given the honor they deserve in art. I could have stayed there for hours, looking at the different pages and reading about the monks' methods for creating them. It's very beautiful.
We decided to forego the Viking Tour this time around. Things aren't cheap in Dublin, and The Merry Ploughboys had been expensive enough. However, it wouldn't be a stop in Dublin without a visit to Hard Rock Cafe.
I can't tell you how delightfully surprised we were with our rental home in Northern Ireland. Pictures can show you only so much, but as we pulled into the parking space, we were thrilled. The views were unbelievable, and the furnishings were just perfect. And honestly, after staying in different hotels every night and spending more hours than we wanted to in the car, it was good to have a place where we could settle in for a while.
Plus, I was happy to see that the Dublin tradition of painted doors extended into the north country. In fact, I had bought chocolates of the doors in the Trinity book store, thinking that I wouldn't see them again :-)
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| It may seem old fashioned, but I still use a map to navigate when we are in Ireland. |
Of course, John couldn't wait to get his running shoes on...and he convinced Ethan to join him. What a perfect way to end the day!
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