More on Dublin
Below are a few more places of Dublin.
Travel memory: When Sharon and I were in Dublin in advance of the tour, we stayed in the "Hilton Gardens", recently changed from "The Jury's Inn Custom House".
We never got lost! We just headed for the river and then turned right (it was always right) and just followed the river to our hotel, located - as you may have guessed, right on the River Liffey.
Travel memory: When Sharon and I were in Dublin in advance of the tour, we stayed in the "Hilton Gardens", recently changed from "The Jury's Inn Custom House".
We never got lost! We just headed for the river and then turned right (it was always right) and just followed the river to our hotel, located - as you may have guessed, right on the River Liffey.
Kilmainham Hospital
Sharon and I were lucky to get tickets to Kilmanham Gaol. We had not known that we ought to have booked and obtained our tickets in advance. So glad we 'lucked out' since it is a great attraction (did you visit its page earlier?)particularly during the 1916 centenary anniversary year.
But I digress...
We had a bit of time to kill before our gaol tour began so we wandered around, meandering through “Richmond Tower” and down to the end of a formal avenue to Kilmainham Hospital.
We also peeked through the gates of the cemeteries located along the sides of the avenue: Bully's Acre as well as the Officers and Privates Graveyard. (Note to self: Must return to pre-arranged tours of these cemeteries!)
The Royal Hospital Kilmainham was built in 1680 by royal command and was based on Les Invalides in Paris. When it was built, the hospital housed 20 people although it was designed for 400 (at times through history it housed up to 2,500). In 1690, it began looking after army pensioners from the “Battle Of The Boyne”.
Wow.
It is now an art gallery for modern art – but (insert sad face here) we did not have time to visit that.
However, there was a delightful small exhibition on the history of the hospital itself, perfect for our allotted time.
Sharon and I were lucky to get tickets to Kilmanham Gaol. We had not known that we ought to have booked and obtained our tickets in advance. So glad we 'lucked out' since it is a great attraction (did you visit its page earlier?)particularly during the 1916 centenary anniversary year.
But I digress...
We had a bit of time to kill before our gaol tour began so we wandered around, meandering through “Richmond Tower” and down to the end of a formal avenue to Kilmainham Hospital.
We also peeked through the gates of the cemeteries located along the sides of the avenue: Bully's Acre as well as the Officers and Privates Graveyard. (Note to self: Must return to pre-arranged tours of these cemeteries!)
The Royal Hospital Kilmainham was built in 1680 by royal command and was based on Les Invalides in Paris. When it was built, the hospital housed 20 people although it was designed for 400 (at times through history it housed up to 2,500). In 1690, it began looking after army pensioners from the “Battle Of The Boyne”.
Wow.
It is now an art gallery for modern art – but (insert sad face here) we did not have time to visit that.
However, there was a delightful small exhibition on the history of the hospital itself, perfect for our allotted time.
Below is a brief slide show on Kilmainham Hospital and the avenue and area.
Samuel Beckett Bridge
This is a cable-stayed bridge over the River Liffey in the Docklands area of Dublin. It was only a block or so away from our Dublin hotel - the one we were in prior to the tour beginning, that is.
This is a cable-stayed bridge over the River Liffey in the Docklands area of Dublin. It was only a block or so away from our Dublin hotel - the one we were in prior to the tour beginning, that is.
Bog body
A bog body is a human cadaver that has been naturally mummified in a peat bog.
We saw many in the Irish National Archeological museum.
This picture is the hand of one of these souls. Old Croghan man
He died somewhere between 362-175BC.
I said a prayer for him – and the others that I saw.
A bog body is a human cadaver that has been naturally mummified in a peat bog.
We saw many in the Irish National Archeological museum.
This picture is the hand of one of these souls. Old Croghan man
He died somewhere between 362-175BC.
I said a prayer for him – and the others that I saw.
Ha'penny Bridge (May 1816)
Before this bridge was built there were seven ferries operated by a William Walsh which crossed the Liffey.
The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge.
Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years, hence its nickname.
Before this bridge was built there were seven ferries operated by a William Walsh which crossed the Liffey.
The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge.
Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years, hence its nickname.