James Joyce and me
We got to the hostel but realized we were a bit early for check-in so we proceeded on with the rest of our plans. First, we went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library. Unfortunately, they do not allow pictures to be taken of the actual Book of Kells. The illustrations and markings were so intricate and detailed. It was astonishing to see how much work had gone into creating this masterpiece. Here are some pictures of the Old Library and Trinity:
After we saw the Book of Kells we walked through one of Dublin's biggest shopping streets, Grafton Street, to St. Stephen's Green.
The next stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral:
Followed by Christ Church:
Obviously, we wanted to see Dublin Castle!
Which, of course, was closed :(
At this point our feet were getting pretty tired so we decided to go back to the hostel and check-in. Meghan, Molly, Elisabeth, Deirdre, and I were in a twelve person room, which was decent. We sat for a minute or two and decided that we wanted to do some shopping around Dublin. This time we headed over to Dublin's other famous shopping district, Henry Street. We walked into Penney's which is a great store that has some nice things for a fairly good price. We also stopped for a cup of coffee and some chocolate - yummy!! It was definitely a shop till you drop scenario as almost everyone in the group started to fade fast. At this point it was time to feast on some dinner, so we met up with Sarah from SLU and some other friends at a place called O'Neill's. I had a very good turkey and cheese sandwich on brown bread. It was especially fun due to the fact that all eyes were glued to the TV screens throughout the place as a rugby game was being played.
That night we went out to the famous Temple Bar area. Of course, we started the night at the actual Temple Bar. It was very crowded but the conversations were lively and the music was grand. Next, we hit up The Auld Dubliner for a short while and then ended the night at Fitzgerald's. All had a different yet stimulating atmosphere.
The next morning, Sunday, we woke up for a semi-late Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. St. Patrick's is actually the Church of Ireland but we thought it was close enough (plus, that way we got to see the inside of the Cathedral for free!). It was a beautiful service with a lovely choir. After Mass, we saw fit that the Guinness Storehouse should be our next destination. Now, this was my second time visiting the Guinness Storehouse, but the first time I was able to drink! I learned how to pour the perfect pint and even earned a certificate that I will proudly frame upon my arrival back in the States. Here are some pictures from that experience:
CONAN O'BRIEN!!!
Pouring my perfect pint!
Topped it off
My perfect pint and a cameo appearance by Deirdre
The group and our pint certificates
Certified!
My pint!
After the Storehouse, we walked back to the hostel to rest up and then headed off to the concert! Dropkick Murphys was incredible! At first, Meghan and I were directly behind these two muscular and extremely long-haired men. The one in front of me kept swishing his hair back and forth and hitting my face - it was pretty unnerving. Luckily just as Dropkick came on, we got shifted in front of them and the concert continued without a mouthful of hair every 3 seconds. Meghan and I got close to the front almost immediately and it was amazing. In fact, at the very end Meghan was able to get on stage. I was not able to but it worked out really well because we both got some fabulous pictures:
Meghan on stage
Although I left the concert with some bruises, physically touching the singer of the Dropkick Murphys as he sung was not a bad way to spend a Sunday night in Dublin. And yes, they did play I'm Shipping Up to Boston (hence the title of my post). :)
Once again, I slept the entire bus ride from Dublin to Galway, so that was nice. We conquered Dublin in two days and my legs are definitely feeling it. However, it was well worth it and I would do it all again!
Till next time!
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