Today was another full and fun day. We have been blessed by sunny relatively warm weather so far in Ireland. There was some rain last night but we were already cosy in the hotel watching Dr Who. I am hopeful it will continue as we head out on the driving portion of our trip tomorrow (wish me luck in driving on the left!).
First stop was more religion at Christ Church Cathedral which has been around in one for or another for about 1000 years. Another beautiful church. I’m feeling like I want to go to England now with all these gothic stone churches.
Christ Church Cathedral
Inside Christ Church Cathedral
Down in the crypt there was a display of costumes from The Tudors which apparently was filmed partially in Christ Church Cathedral. I like the purple dress and think this should be the next fashion trend (minus any corsets).
Costumes from The Tudors
One of the many people buried in the Cathedral is Strongbow, the Anglo-Norman leader who conquered Dublin in 1170. For centuries agreements, contracts, and rents were agreed to by shaking hands over the tomb. The original was destroyed somewhere around 1350 and it was so important for commerce in the city that they created a new one. The little one beside I’ve heard is either a fragment of the original tomb or represents his son whom he killed in battle for displaying cowardice. I like the first explanation best.
Tomb of Strongbow
We then went next door to the old Civic Hall of the Cathedral to see Dublinia which is an interactive museum explaining the history of Dublin since the Vikings established the first settlement here in 841 AD up through the middle ages. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. Sorry no pictures were allowed and the website looks cheesy but believe me it is fun for us history geeks!
We then continued our education at the Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty Library. The 12th Century Norman castle has been pretty much replaced by later buildings and it is mostly used for state occasions so we skipped it and went straight to the Chester Beatty Library. It is a fantastic collection of early books from around the world from Egyptian papyrus scrolls, illuminated manuscripts, ancient copies of the Qu’ran and Chinese and Japanese paintings. We also saw part of his extensive painting collection. It is probably one of the best setup exhibits I’ve ever seen. His collection is massive so they only show a small part of it. Each item has an explanation and helps develop what they are trying to show and explain about the history of these artefacts. I would need a few more visits to really grasp it all. It was definitely a highlight for me in Dublin.
After pummelling our brains today we finished off with our first spot of tea in the castle tea room which was a perfect way to end the afternoon!