Today we arrive in Dublin, Ireland (June 13). This bustling city is the capital of
Ireland. It is the largest city in the
Republic of Ireland. It is raining, or
should I say misting, so a rain coat will be in order for the day. We are met by adorable dogs from Dublin as we get off the ship.
The Easter rising of 1916 left Dublin in an unstable
situation and the Anglo-Irish war and the Irish Civil War left the city in
ruins. The Irish Free State rebuilt much
of the city’s buildings. After World War
II Dublin remained a capital out of time, modernization was slow and it wasn’t
until 1960’s when change finally began.
Dublin has a rich history.
It is legendary as a center for culture, food, and entertainment. There are amazing home baked treats to
historical landmarks located throughout the city. An unplanned walk is one of the highlights of
doing in this city and that is part of our plans today.
We are able to get off the ship at 8:15 am and catch the
first free shuttle (thanks DCL) into the city.
We immediately take a taxi to the Kilmainham Courthouse and prison
where we have 9:45
reservations to tour where prisoners were held. Kilmainham Courthouse operated as a Sessions
House for nearly a century from 1820.
The Petty Sessions dealt primarily with minor crimes such as theft,
public drunkedness and trespass. However
quarterly sessions dealt with the serious crimes.
One of the most famous stories from the prison is that of
Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford.
Plunkett was one of the original members of the IRB Military Committee that was responsible for planning the Easter Rising. He took his place in the Rising with several other of the leaders. Following his surrender, Plunkett was held in the Kilmainham Gaol and faced a court martial. Seven hours before his execution by firing squad he was married in the prison chapel to his sweetheart Grace Gifford. Plunkett was the 4th and youngest signatory of the Proclamation to be executed.
After the Easter Uprising in 1916 there were 14 men shot to death
who were being held in prison.
After that time the executions ended.
Next we worked our way to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
We then go by the statute of the Millinieum Child. There are many statutes throughout the whole
city.
Next to the Durham Castle Courtyard
Next stop one of those quaint little bake shops, The Queen
of Tarts. We have the Queens cake and a
Lemon Meringue Tart. They were
spectacularily delicious.
Then we go by The Temple Bar established in 1840.
Walking to the Ha’penny Bridge we get a great view of the
river flowing through Dublin. The
original name of the bridge was the Wellington Bridge. The official name since 1836 is the Liffey
Bridge. It was called the Ha’penny
Bridge because there actually was a toll charged on it until March of 1919
We walk by a doughnut shop and I get a Nutella/Marshmallow doughnut and save it for tomorrow’s breakfast!
Molly Malone, the tart with the cart. It is said that if you touch her breasts it
will bring you luck. We will see if Pete
wins the lottery when he goes home to Florida.
We found the Disney Store and bought some local Dublin
souvenirs!
Next I wander by the Department of Taoiseach. This is the last building that was built by
the Britains in Dublin. It is used for
science research.
It is getting close to 3 p.m. so I wander my way back to the
shuttle pick up stop to the ship. It
took 25 minutes into town this morning, but only 15 minutes to get back to the
ship this afternoon.
It is Freezing the Night Away on the ship so I watch the
Maypole Celebration in the atrium at 5 p.m.
As we leave Dublin around 5:30 I can see the Pot of Gold at
the end of the rainbow. The sun has
finally come out for our departure and the misty day has ended (for now)
At 7:45 p.m. the deck party for Freezing the Night Away
begins
Michael, Linda and Faith
The party:
The party was incredibly fun. It was misting the whole time, foggy and the
atmosphere was perfect outside. You need
to dress warm!
It is now time for dinner.
It is the Frozen Menu tonight.
The food was delicious and dessert was awesome!
After that it is late.
We have to turn our clocks forward an hour tonight to prepare us for our
visit to France. Tomorrow is a sea day! Yippee.
Looking forward to a nice relaxing day before our next port.
Will download pictures as soon as I have a great connection
and Dublin will be complete. So for
now…….
Goodnight from the Disney Magic!
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