Hello friends!
I know it has been a while since I have blogged and it's just been really busy here in Maynooth.
This Sunday, we went on a walking tour of the beautiful town of Dublin. NUI Maynooth is about 15 miles from Dublin so it took us about half an hour to get into the city. Since this trip was planned for us, we had our bus driver Eugene drive us into town but normally we would take a city bus which would take about double the amount of time. A group of the girls and I went to Dublin last week so we knew a little bit about the city but we learned even more yesterday!
We first started off at Viking/Medival area of town where we learned about how Dublin was founded by the early Vikings.
Then we headed towards Christ Cathedral Church. St. Patrick's Cathedral and this Cathedral are the only churches in Dublin. And they are both Protestant. Fun fact: there is no Catholic church in the Dublin city limits.
You had to pay to go inside so unfortunately we did not go inside. The reason you have to pay is because the congregation is very small considering 85% of Ireland is Catholic and their main funds come from tourists who want to go inside the church.
After the church, we headed over towards the Dublin castle. Now I have to use the term "castle" lightly. When our tour guide said we were going to castle I automatically thought of some extravagant castle with huge rooms meant for a king and queen. The castle was the seat for the British rule until 1922 but now it is now a major government complex.
The Record Tower is the only standing piece of the actual castle that is left over. The tower was used for the cruel punishment towards prisoners in the early 1200's.
After the Dublin Castle, we took stroll through the Temple Bar area. For me, Temple Bar is the most iconic image of Ireland and many European countries. Many of the streets have their original cobble stone streets with their narrow passageways through the area. There are many bars and pubs in this area hence the name Temple Bar. A few of the girls and I are going to be doing a Temple Bar pub crawl tomorrow night so we will get a better sense of that this area is like at night!
After Temple Bar, we crossed over the Liffey River and went to the South Side of Dublin. The Liffey River splits the town into to parts, the North and the South. All the places I have mentioned so far have been on the North side of the river. There are many beautiful bridges that you can cross to go from side to side but the most iconic bridge is the Ha'Penny Bridge! This bridge is made out of cast iron and has to have many repairs. As you walk across the bridge, you see locks on the side of the bridge. Two soulmates can put their lock on the bridge and throw their key in the river. This symbolizes that their love will never become unlocked and together forever. How cute!
Once we crossed the Ha'Penny Bridge, we crossed another bridge called the O'Connell Bridge to go back to the south side of town. From there we headed to Trinity College. I have heard so many great things about Trinity College because Notre Dame sends students over there for their Junior study abroad. The campus was gorgeous but empty because most of the Irish students go home on the weekends. Some famous people who have graduated from Trinity include Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula), and Jonathan Swift.
Not far from Trinity College is one of the most iconic statues in all of Ireland, The Molly Malone statue. I have wanted to see this statue ever since I was in 4th grade and I sang the solo for the Molly Malone song in Hunting Ridge chorus.
In Dublin's fair city
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockels and mussels
Alive, Alive-Oh!
Alive, alive, oh,
Alive alive, oh,
Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!
(This is the verse I sang!)
She died of a fever,
An none could relieve her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
But her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!
-Libby
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