Dublin, Drogheda, a Royal Battle and a Saint Who Lost His Head

We had a grand first two days in Dublin.  We took the  DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) from Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leery!) to Dublin.  We visited Oscar Wilde, the Temple Bar District, saw some old books in a Library from 1701, had a pint in an old bar, and finished off with some fish and chips in a restaurant that James Joyce used to frequent. Here are the 2 days in pictures.

This railway was one of the early suburban rail lines in Ireland.  This station Is Pearse (Stáisiún na bPiarsach)  in Dublin.  The Irish signs are intriguing to say the least. 

This is a sculpture in Merrion Square of one of Dublin's many literary characters, Oscar Wilde.  He was irreverent and garnered controversy with every stroke of his pen.  One of my favourite quotes:

"Anyone who lives within  their means suffers from a lack of imagination"

There's a Library up there!

Marsh's Library Dublin

We were on our way to St Patrick's Cathedral and saw this higgledy piggledy stair up to a library called Marsh's Library.  What a magical place.  It was built to the order of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh in 1701 and has a collection of over 25,000 books and 300 manuscripts.

Temple Bar District

The famous bar district.  A local Ingoldsby said "It's funny there are Irish Pubs all over the world except for Ireland.  In Ireland they are just pubs!"

Maureen and a Cannon

Drogheda Millmount Martello Tower

It's hard to keep all of the wars straight when you travel in Europe.  The Ingoldsby Gathering went on a bus trip not far from Dublin, and toured a fascinating town called Drogheda. This is a picture of the Drogheda Museum Millmount and Martello Tower which are located on the great fort that towers over the town of Drogheda, County Louth, on an ancient hill overlooking the historic river Boyne. It is the gateway to the Boyne Valley, an area rich in heritage dating back over 9,000 years, while the town itself is over 800 years old. This tower was part of a defense system that was used to warn communities of impending invasions. One particular battle in the area was the Battle of the Boyne. 

Jim in front of the manor house at the site of the Battle of the Boyne



 

 

 

 

Saint Oliver Pluckett's Head

We stopped at a church in Drogheda called St. Peters to visit a man who lost his head and is venerated as a Saint.  Saint Oliver Plunkett was drawn, quartered and eviscerated as a victim of the "popish plot" which turned out to be a farce.  The brutality of the age goes beyond comprehension.  

We arrived back at the hotel to get ready for our first Gathering Event!