Ireland: Dublin, Tara, & Newgrange

This was a great trip. The pictures really do not do justice to all that we saw since in many places did not allow photographs.


In particular, the Irish National Museum which had large quantities of pre-historic gold and bronze artifacts, a great deal of art from the "Golden Age" of Ireland and an even greater share of Viking artifacts. The detail of gold knot work on pieces from the dark ages is just amazing. The Tara Brooch is probably the best example of that. They had three ancient bog bodies in teh museum, one was so well preserved, you could see every detail in his skin that you might have when he was alive.


At Trinity College we saw the Book of Kells, or at least a few pages of it, and the massive "long room" library filled with an enormous collection of old books and manuscripts--here too no pictures where allowed.


We visited the Anglican Cathedrals of Christchurch and St. Patrick's. Christchurch has great floors which have their medieval patterns preserved even though they where mostly replaced in the 19th century. Interesting catacombs beneath Christchurch, but no pictures hear either.


One place we could take pictures was the Guinness storehouse which is a sort of informative Museum on the history of the porter and the process used to brew it. The best part of this was the bar on the roof from which you can get a good look all around Dublin while your enjoying a pint. I am still scratching my head over paying $20 for what amounts to a live action beer commercial.


On Friday we took tour bus out of the city to Tara and Newgrange.


On the hill at Tara stood a hill fort and town that was the ancient culturing, spiritual, and economic center of Ireland. From this hill you can see 75% of Ireland and it's not hard to see how this vantage point would have held significance for the early people.


On Tara is Lia Fáil, the "Stone of Destiny" which stood inside a royal enclosure in the hill fort in ancient times. Legend has it that the Tuatha De Danaan erected the stone there and imbued it with a power unknown to other stones. It is reputted to "cry out in joy" upon coming into contact with the true king of Ireland and was last said to do this for Brian Boru in the 11th century. Unfortunately I will have to return to my regular job on Monday as it remained silent when I touched it.


Tara is still scarred by it's past and remains a very important site to Gaelic identify and independence.


Newgrange also figures into Irish Mythology and was a remembered as a "fairy mound", inhabited by the Tuatha De Danann. It is a prehistoric passage tomb that served the dual purpose of storing the cremated bones of the honored dead and either of predicting or celebrating the passage of the shortest day and the long march back to Spring. The passage and chamber within illuminate via a carefully aligned roof box during the winter solstice in what our guide said was a awesome site. We put our names in for the lottery to be one of 25 who are allowed to be in tomb for next years solstice.


Newgrange was erected in the Boyne valley Ireland surrounded by a salmon river and fertile fields. Little is known of the purpose of Newgrange or the fate of it's builders. The secrets of Newgrange where forgoten for a millenia until scavaging builders took away a the entrance stone from the hill and found a passage beyond it. sadly this was the 17th century and there where scholarly sensibilities at work for hundreds of years.


The final point of interest was the Viking splash tour in a WWII Dukws amphibious landing craft driven by a tour guide dressed as a Viking. It was very cheesy, but the driver was very entertaining and made for some fun in our last hours in Dublin before our flight back to Amsterdam.


All Pictures are here.