5/22/11 Day 14: Dublin

I'm enjoying Dublin more than I thought I would. I didn't think I would find much to do as an alcohol-free Protestant. Despite my misgivings, Dublin has a charm I can't quite identify. It's not ridiculously old, or drop-dead gorgeous, or full of famous monuments, but it is its own. The Irish have stubbornly held onto their own culture, in spite of their diversity.

We had to show up for breakfast at a certain time, though we served ourselves. It's not the worst breakfast 5've had, but it's definitely not the best. Irish yogurt is disgusting. Very thick and not very flavorful. Their cheese is amazing though. I wish they could keep their croissants warm somehow. Maybe I should track down a microwave.

Book of Kells

Our first stop was at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Apparently Trinity College was founded by Queen Elizabeth I. The Book of Kells was okay, but I was more interested in the library. I wish more than anything they would have let us take pictures in there. It was like something out of a fantasy novel.

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels, dating to the 9th century in Iona. This village faced Viking attacks in the 8th century and established a monastery in Kells. It was plundered by Danes several times. I also saw the Book of Armagh, which was St. Patrick's new testament.

In the library I saw Jonathan Swift's death mask. He was declared to have an unsound mind before he died, but he paid to have St. Patrick's asylum built. I also saw the Irish harp, the symbol of Ireland. It dates back to the middle ages, and is the oldest harp in Ireland.

Next our bus driver took us around Dublin before going to Christchurch Cathedral. We drove by the Guinness Block, the Bono Block (he owns a very exclusive hotel) and Oscar Wilde's house. We also stopped at a park that had a memorial to him. After reading the quotes, I really want to read some of his work.

Christchurch Cathedral

Christchurch surprisingly is an Anglican/Episcopal church. It was founded by Sitrue, the king of Viking Dublin and his bishop in 1030 AD. Henry VIII closed the Augustinian priory in his reforms. He replaced the Latin liturgy with the Book of Common Prayer in English and destroyed many relics. Oliver Cromwell conquered Ireland and outlawed the Book of Common Prayer.

I also learned that Mary of Orange was King James II's daughter and that her father was Catholic.

My favorite part was the crypt, full of ancient documents and artifacts. It kind of looked like a wine cellar or a cave. The cafe was called "the Foxy Friar." Foxy must have a different connotation here. I also saw costumes from The Tudors television series, because much of it was filmed here.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's was beautiful. Of all the churches I 've been to so far, I had the most spiritual experience here. Lots of the tombs had museum style explanations and I learned even more about St. Patrick. Instead of having candles for the dead, this church had candles you could light for the homeless. I surprised myself by donating some change and lighting a candle.

The cathedral was built in 1192. Two granite stones were found when the church was built. The one to the left covered the remains of an ancient well, where St. Patrick may have baptized his converts in the 5th century. With the 16th century Reformation, daily services were remodeled to give a new emphasis on Holy Scripture in Matins and Evensong, which are still sung daily. St. Patricks is the largest church in Ireland. It is the burial place of Jonathan Swift, who was the dean. This church is also Anglican. Where are all the Catholic churches?

My plans to go to Crosspoint Dublin completely fell through. Only one person stuck around long enough to go with me. Our tour ended much earlier than I expected, so many groups went exploring Dublin while I scrambled to figure out a new walking route. Another complication is Obama's arrival tomorrow. Not only are there Irish police everywhere, but there's also an anti-war protest going on. Whitney and I walked through some not-so-nice parts of town and found two similar hotels before we found the right one. When we finally got there, it was almost 6 p.m. and the reception said the church hadn't met there for a while. I'm not exactly sure what happened.

Whitney was craving more greenery, so we went park-hopping on our way back to the hotel. Our first stop was St. Stephen's Green, teeming with love-struck couples and beautiful landscapes. It was less wild than Kensington Gardens, but more wild than our next park Merton Square. Compared to St. Stephen's it was almost  deserted. Whitney and I visited the Oscar Wilde memorial again and read the rest of the quotes. We also walked most of the park and played on the swing sets.

On the way back, we came across a heavily guarded hotel. We're pretty sure it was Obama's hotel, but we will never know for sure. One lady, probably from England, asked us for directions, which made me think that we look like locals.