Our first stop was to Trinity College. It is a tourist attraction AND functioning University, founded by Queen Elizabeth in 1592. The big site here is Trinity Library and Book of Kells. We took a quick guided tour around the campus and then saw the library.
The books in the library are sorted by size.... not by author, or title or a dewy decimal system... by big to small. It's a strange system but they say it works.
The library holds Brian Boru's harp. He is referred to as the uncrowned King of Ireland. He ran the vikings out of Ireland in the year 1014.
Then we went to Dublin Castle. It's a fully restored castle that they still use today for political functions.
It doesn't look so castle-like from the outside...
A real live throne!
Then we went to Kilmainham Gaol, it's a old jail from the 1800's. The reason it's so famous is because it is the jail used to house and execute the leaders of the Easter Rising.... Irish history is rife with uprisings. Basically, Easer Rising happened in the 1920's when the Irish decided to breakaway from British rule. The leaders of this movement were arrested and executed at the jail. It was a spooky place.
Jail cell door picture
The spot where 16 people were executed for their part in the Easter Rising.
On a lighter note.... We went to the Guinness Brewery! Saw how Guinness is brewed and even got to pour our own pint!
And finally we went to the Curragh for the horse races!! Neither of us had been to a horse race before, and we had a GREAT time! Betting on horses is really exciting! It's a complicated process, but we caught on quick. A couple of our horses even placed! In the end, with all our bet money lost/ won, it cost us 40 euro. Not too shabby!
Now we head home! And we are ready! See you all back in the states!!
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