Free in Dublin (Ireland 1 of 2)

The MV Explorer pulled into the Port of Dublin early in the morning of September 20th. Where the ship was docked wasn’t the best of locations as we were in a shipping area and not close to the city center (a 30-minute walk). SAS provided shuttles directly from the gangway of the ship to the city center, which was nice. I was the secondary on-call and had to be back at the ship by 2000, so as soon as the ship was cleared, I was out the door and on the shuttle bus to the city.

One of the first sights we passed was the Samuel Beckett Bridge. At first I thought it was just a unique design for a bridge, However, it turns out the harp (or stringed argent: a golden harp with silver strings on a blue background) is the coat of arms of Ireland. Reference to them as being the arms of the King of Ireland can be found dating back to the 13th century. In addition, the harp was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Free State when it was separated from the United Kingdom in 1922. So…a little more than a unique looking bridge, this is a symbol of Ireland, right over the River Liffey.

The Samuel Beckett Bridge

The first stop of the day was at Trinity College. Founded in 1592, Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland. It just so happened to be Freshman Orientation Weekend, so we walked in to find students tabling for the various activities/clubs all over the quad (side note: apparently Jack Gleeson, the actor who plays Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO series Game of Thrones, attends Trinity College and was out tabling for different clubs just like any other college student would be doing. This apparently happened in the afternoon, as some of the students in my “sea” got pictures with him). After walking the grounds, we decided to make our way to the big attraction at Trinity College, the Library (no…seriously), which is a legal deposit library for Ireland and the UK and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest research libraries. It contains over 4.5 million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts, including the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is a lavishly decorated copy (in Latin) of the four Gospels of the New Testament. It was created by Celtic monks around 800AD and is a masterwork of calligraphy and regarded as Ireland’s finest national treasure. The second floor of the library is the main chamber (65 meters in length) and houses 200,000+ books (just think…soon these can all just be placed on one kindle/nook) and has 24 marble busts down both sides of the room (48 total) of prominent intellectuals throughout history (ie: Socrates, Homer, Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, etc.). In addition, the main chamber isn’t just for show, as Trinity students can request the use of manuscripts and they are retrieved two times per day.

Student Organizations Tabling at Trinity College

The Main Chamber of the Trinity Library

After wandering through the Temple Bar area, we found a pub for lunch, Porterhouse, which is the oldest microbrewery in Dublin. The traditional food (Irish stew) was great and the selection of beers was good (did a taster). I couldn’t try one of their signature beers, the Oyster Stout (made on the premises with real oysters), but the others who drank it enjoyed it.

Porterhouse Taster

After fueling up for the afternoon, we headed to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral…it’s actually a requirement if you visit Dublin, Ireland. St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts to Christianity at a well that once existed in the park alongside the Cathedral, and because of this, a church has stood here since the 5th century. St. Patrick was actually taken, at the age of 16, and brought as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. He returned after becoming a cleric to spread Christianity in Ireland (so maybe he is actually the person most responsible for the battle between Protestants and Catholics, but I digress). St. Patrick’s Day (which apparently the Irish celebrate fervently…I checked with various Irish citizens) is the date of St. Patrick’s death, March 17th. The cathedral had beautiful stained glass windows and the baptistry was stunning with its medieval tiles. Afterwards, we hung out in the park alongside the church briefly before continuing to walk around the city.

Saint Patricks' Cathedral - Baptistry

Saint Patrick (well...a statue)

Our group started heading back towards the city center; however, we noticed on the map there was a National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, so naturally we were required to stop. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was sold out for the rest of the day. The pamphlet stated, “Come explore Irish folklore, legends, mythology, and storytelling through our unique interactive experience.” This reminded me a little too much of the black light theater in Prague, so maybe it was best we couldn’t get tickets. I broke off from the group to return to the ship and figured I’d see a few more sights. I walked past the Spire of Dublin (or the Monument of Light), which is a 398-foot high steel pin-like monument and by far the tallest structure in the city. Truth be told, I’m not exactly sure why it was built (something about bridging art and technology), but at €4 million…I’m not sure it was needed (just my opinion). I walked past some more notable sights including the Ha’penny Bridge (pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey), the Custom House, The Dublin Convention Center, O2 Arena (largest indoor venue in Ireland), the Christ Church Cathedral, the Four Courts (justice building), and City Hall.

Foreground: Sir John Gray Statue (proprietor of the Freeman's Journal newspaper)

Background: The Spire of Dublin (it's much larger than it looks in this picture)

I made it back to the ship just as everyone else was heading out. It was “Culture Night” in the city, which meant everything (tours/entrance to museums and various sites) was open late and free of charge. I couldn’t take advantage, but apparently everything was packed with people anyways, so I didn’t feel like I missed out too much. Another RD, Carla, was on-call with me, so we planned to explore the city together during our second day in Dublin. Luckily it was a quiet night on-call, so I was able to get a good night’s sleep!

After sleeping in, and having to wait an extra hour while the crew was doing a mandatory drill, Carla and I left the ship at 11am. Carla had been stuck on the ship the entire first day, so we planned to hit the few spots I had already seen. We started with Trinity College, then moved on to the Dublin Castle, where the tour group leaving in 10 minutes had just filled up. We were talking and discussing how we didn’t really care to wait 40 minutes for another tour and were about to leave, when the tour guide told us she had room for two more. Score…we purchased tickets, though we weren’t really sure what to expect. The tour was awesome and the guide had some great stories. One of my favorites involved Queen Victoria in the Throne Room of the Dublin Castle. The throne was originally made for a visit from King George IV of England, who was a large man (the throne was still ridiculously big…unless he was 7ft. tall and weighed 400lbs…which he wasn’t). When Queen Victoria ruled, she visited Dublin and attempted to get on the gigantic throne. Her majesty failed to get up onto the seat, so her attendants rushed to her aid and hoisted Queen Victoria up. On the next visit to the throne room, there was a matching footstool added and the legs of the throne had been shortened (I imagine Queen Victoria saying, “Off with its feet!”...but that's just me).

Dublin Castle's Throne (with shortened legs) & Footstool

Oh...what's up Earl Grey? Thanks for the tea!

One more story: Lady Justice, the Roman goddess of Justice, is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. The Lady Justice statue on the exterior of the Dublin Castle was erected in 1751 by the British Authorities, though it betrays many characteristics of Lady Justice. 1) Lady Justice is supposed to be blindfolded, showing she is blind to discrimination…she wasn’t. 2) Lady Justice’s scales are supposed to be in balance (innocent until proven guilty)…they weren’t (and the scales actually leaned to the side where the Dublin’s Tax Office was situated). 3) Lady Justice’s Sword is supposed to be pointed down, but is instead held proactively upright. 4) Lady Justice (all over the world) faces out from government buildings, in reference to her looking out over the city and its citizens. In Dublin, she faces into the courtyard of the castle, essentially turning her back on the people of Dublin. I’m sure this was all just coincidental, as the British Authorities couldn’t possibly have been trying to intentionally snide the Irish…right? Exactly.

Carla & I with Lady Justice

(prior to our tour and finding out the injustice of this statue)

The rest of the tour of Dublin Castle was fantastic as we saw the Inauguration Room, where the President of Ireland gets sworn in; the ruins of the original city walls; and heard other interesting stories, including the day Ireland gained independence and the fact that when Queen Elizabeth visited Dublin in 2011, it was the first time a member of the British Royal Family set foot in the city since 1911 (and after Ireland gained independence in 1922). Not sure if this is because the British were bitter or the Irish weren’t welcoming…I could see it both ways.

Dublin Castle: The Inauguration Room

Next, we headed back to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and while Carla checked it out, I relaxed at the park right next to it. We then made our way to the Guinness Storehouse, the #1 tourist attraction in Dublin. The Storehouse was a fermentation plant from 1904-1988 and has been turned into a visitor experience dedicated to the history and making of Guinness beer (a brand over 250 years old!). In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease on a 4-acre brewery at St. James’s Gate. It now occupies over 50 acres and produces 3 million pints of Guinness each day. Clearly Arthur knew this was going to be a long-term investment. But still…a 9000-year lease sounds pretty crazy…though I wonder what’s going to happen in 2659 when the lease runs out. 

Saint Patrick's Cathedral & Park

Both Carla and I have done numerous brewery tours, so I think our expectations were pretty minimal for the Guinness Storehouse…just checking it off our list of things to do in Dublin, nothing more. After going, I would tell everyone to visit and spend some time there! It was 7 floors of information presented with the thought of multiples intelligences for learning. There were videos, information you could read, numerous interactive components, “Harry Potter” type portraits that would come to life when you walked near them, an ingredient experience room, and of course tasting rooms. This included the Gravity Bar (where you get a free pint) on the top floor, which offered a great 360-degree view of the city. They also showed their advertising throughout the years. This included caricatures of a hapless zookeeper trying to control various animals (toucan, seal, alligator, giraffe, and more) with the quote “My Goodness, My Guinness.” In addition, they showed some old/new commercials. One of their new commercials titled “Made of More” was fantastic!

On our way to the Guinness Storehouse

My Goodness, My Guinness (Oh...and Carla's)

View from the Gravity Bar 

(you can see the great height of the Spire of Dublin in this photo) 

Carla and I stayed in the Gravity Bar until closing time. We then made our way to the Arlington Hotel for dinner and a show!


"There is a place within each of us where we cannot hide from the truth, where virtue sits as judge. To admit the truth of our actions is to go before that court, where process is irrelevant. Good and evil are intents, and intent is without excuse."