Friday, July 24, 1998
Dublin Bus Tour
Drove down hill to port area where DART station was & parked car. Tara exit. Walked past Customs Building to O’Connell Street – PO for stamps. Bus tour of Dublin – double-decker bus – sat on top.
10:25 Lvg. Driver witty and factual – much of Dublin destroyed in 1916. Abbey Church (1860) – RR bridge (not architect’s dream). Liberty Hall (1969) – tallest building. Trinity College – Protestant until recently. Mainham Monastery became prison. Phoenix Park – People’s garden – 17,700 acres – Wellington Monument. ?? Crakes almost extinct birds until they left acres unmowed for their nesting. Pres of Ireland home – Mary McAliche – Pope celebrated mass at Wellington Monument for 1.25 million people in 1979. Ann Ambas residence. Mrs. Kennedy Smith – blessed for bringing peace to Ireland. Lord Chesterfield blocked development & created Phoenix Park 1740. Planted Horse Chestnut (called chestnut) beech – basswood – lime trees. 1700’s Georgian houses with painted doors & intricate fanlights. Merridin Squares Russell. Yeats lived in area now offices & showrooms sell for 986 million. St. Stevens green – been a common since 1172. Molly Malone pushcart statue – Temble Bar worth walking. Dublin Castle – City Hall – St. Patrick’s Church – Guinness Brewery had 24 children – 1 wife no multiple births. Stopped at former hosp – now Museum of Modern Art (a boat). Liffey bridges – Danl O’Connell Bridge (brot rights to Catholics) renamed in 1924 – Genl PO – Rebel Hdq during uprising
2:00 Karen & T shopping – T&D to Cybercafe – lunch there. Met Karen at DART
4:15 off DART – to car & headed for Waterford
4:40 – M11 SE Wicklow Mts in SL.
4:45 – Avoca Handweavers shop. Tall plant like at Keith’s front door – Roundwood – highest village in Ireland.
5:45 – Glendalough.
8:35 – Dunmore East “Ashgrove” B&B. Ate at “Ship” £49.50 £55 with top – Karen seafood medley – David monkfish – Trella crabmeat & cheg?