Lisa And Luisa Visit Ireland

We go with them vicariously...   

Day #8 (6/22/2017)

We stayed at Newtown Mount Kennedy, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, Set on 400 acres of grounds, this posh golf resort is 24 km from the Wicklow Mountains National Park and 37 km from Dublin city centre.

The sophisticated rooms have free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs, plus free-standing baths, and tea and coffeemaking equipment. Suites add fireplaces, Nespresso machines, 4-poster beds and heated floors, as well as complimentary champagne.

There's a refined restaurant, and an intimate bar with fireplaces. Other amenities include 2 championship golf courses, a clubhouse and a luxe spa, plus a heated indoor pool, a hot tub, steam rooms and a gym.



Loved those slippers


Let's take the trian to Dublin

Did You Know? - Do Not Order Corned Beef and CabbageTraditionally in the US, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by enjoying a hearty meal of corned beef and cabbage. However, in Ireland this meal does not really exist. It was a creation made up by Americans, who mistakenly think this is the national dish of Ireland. Bacon and cabbage is sometimes eaten in Ireland, but it’s not a popular choice either. If you do find it on a menu, you can be sure its a restaurant that caters to tourists.


Riding the rails


Arrival, right on time!

Looks like fun!


Graduation was underway


The Campanile of Trinity College, Dublin is a bell tower and one of its most iconic landmarks. Donated by then Archbishop of Armagh, Lord John Beresford it was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, sculpted by Thomas Kirk and finished in 1853.

Did You Know? - Trinity College (Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide), officially the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin, a research university in Ireland. The college was founded in 1592 as the "mother" of a new university, modelled after the collegiate universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but, unlike these other ancient universities, only one college was ever established; as such, the designations "Trinity College" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes. It is one of the seven ancient universities of Britain and Ireland, as well as Ireland's oldest university.


The buildings that surround Parliment Square


The tour bus was the way to see the surroundings


Amazing details in the floors

Did You Know? - Saint Patrick's Cathedral (Irish: Ard-Eaglais Naomh Pádraig) in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1191, is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. With its 43-metre (141 ft) spire, St. Patrick's is the tallest church in Ireland and the largest.

Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland cathedral in Dublin, is designated as the local Cathedral of the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough.


The church is huge


The floor design is breathtaking


Decorations are everywhere


Beautifully maintained


Attention to details


The stained glass was magnificent


Honoring the Hugenots

Did You Know? - In 1666, the Cathedral Chapter offered the Lady Chapel for the use of French-speaking Huguenots who had fled to Ireland, and after some repair and preparation works, it became known as L'Eglise Française de St Patrick. A lease was signed on 23 December 1665 and was renewed from time to time until the special services ceased in 1816, by which time the Huguenots had been fully assimilated into the city population.


Steps leading to the pulpit


Bronze statue of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness by John Henry Foley, erected in 1875.

Did You Know? - The major reconstruction, paid for by Benjamin Guinness, in 1860–65, and inspired by the fear that the cathedral was in imminent danger of collapse, means that much of the current building and decoration dates from the Victorian era; medieval chantries were removed among other actions, and few records of the work survive today.

Though the rebuilding ensured the survival of the Cathedral, the failure to preserve records of the scale of the rebuild means that little is known as to how much of the current building is genuinely mediæval and how much is Victorian pastiche. Sir Benjamin's statue by JH Foley is outside the south door.


Great job Ben


Dublinia: Experience Viking and Medieval Dublin


The Church Of Ireland

Did You Know? - The Church of Ireland is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second-largest Christian church on the island after the Catholic Church. Like other Anglican churches, it has retained elements of pre-Reformation practice, notably its episcopal polity, while rejecting the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. Nevertheless, in theological and liturgical matters, it incorporates many principles of the Reformation, particularly those espoused during the English Reformation. The church self-identifies as being both Catholic and Reformed.

Within the church, differences exist between those members who are more Catholic-leaning (high church) and those who are more Protestant-leaning (low church or evangelical)


Taxi anyone... Take you to the Guinness Storehouse


Come on in!


How the deed is done!


Step right in!

Did You Know? - Located in the heart of the St. James's Gate Brewery, the Guinness Storehouse® is Ireland's most popular tourist attraction. It's the home of the Black Stuff, the heart of Dublin and an unforgettable start to your Irish adventure.

The journey begins at the bottom of the world's largest pint glass and continues up through seven floors filled with interactive experiences that fuse our long brewing heritage with Ireland's rich history. At the top, you'll be rewarded with a pint of perfection in our world-famous rooftop Gravity Bar. Now that's our kind of higher education.


Up we go into the top of the building


To the bar!

Did You Know? - If there's one place in the world where you are guaranteed to receive a perfectly poured pint of Guinness, it's at the bar right at the source: the Gravity Bar above the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Soon, even more people will be able to experience the creamy goodness while taking in 360-degree views of the Irish capital, as the brewers announced a €16 million ($18.3 million) plan to expand the storehouse, including a massive expansion to Dublin's highest bar.


Sluggon it down... Such tough work! Someone's got to do it!
Irish lassies hard at work! Hic!


Having fun... For soon we sail for home!


It was a great visit


To ride or not to ride, that is the question!


Wellington Monument Phoenix Park, Dublin

Did You Know? - The Wellington Testimonial was built to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Wellington, the British politician and general, also known as the 'Iron Duke', was born in either counties Meath or Dublin.

Made of a particularly hard and crystalline form of Irish granite, and reaching 205', this is the tallest obelisk in Ireland and Europe, and the second tallest in the world after the Washington Monument, which is considerably taller, at over 555'.

Since it was started during Wellington's lifetime, it is properly called a testimonial rather than a memorial. There are bronze bas-reliefs on three sides, depicting the battle of Waterloo (by Thomas Farrell), Civil and Religious Liberty (by John Hogan), and the Indian Wars (by Joseph Kirk).

The inscription on the other side (facing the left here, with green patina) reads, first in Latin and then in English: "Asia and Europe, saved by thee, proclaim / Invincible in war thy deathless name, / Now round thy brow the civic oak we twine / That every earthly glory may be thine." Recently described as "formidable and rather dreary" (Casey 308), it is nevertheless a notable manifestation of the Egyptian Revival: James Stevens Curl comments on "the growing popularity of this Egyptian form as a commemorative object" (266).

Later monuments influenced by this trend include one designed by Philip Hardwick for the young French explorer Joseph René Bellot in Greenwich, London, and William Goscombe John's Memorial to the Engine Room Heroes in Liverpool.

 


Day #9