We had a beautiful day to walk from our great apartment and see the sights. The view as we leave our apartment:
Patsy brushing up on Irish history in our living room:
We visited two Anglican cathedrals - within several blocks of each other. It is curious that each managed to tell its story without making any mention of their evolution/expropriation after the founding of the Church of England. As the Christ Church brochure puts it - people have been coming here to worship God for nearly 1000 years and the building has journeyed through many changes.
Christ Church Cathedral:
Strongbow, leader of the Anglo-Normans who captured Dublin in 1170, was buried in the cathedral in 1176. The original monument was destroyed and this replacement dates back to the 14th century. We found fine tiled floors in each of the cathedrals, something we have not seen in our previous travels.
St. Patrick's Cathedral from adjacent park, where St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts at a well that once existed there.
Jonathan Swift was Dean here from 1713 - 1745. The first performance of Handel's Messiah was sung by the combined choirs of St. Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals in 1742.
And on to the most popular site in town (per LP) - the St. James Gate Brewery, founded by Arthur Guiness in 1759. At its height in the 1930’s, it employed over 5,000 workers; today, 600 employees make 2.5 million pints of stout a day!
The old grain storehouse has bee made into a seven story 'visitor experience' dedicated to the history and making of Guiness beer. You end at the top floor Gravity Bar, to drink your pint with some of the best views of Dublin below.
We ended our day at the oldest pub in Dublin, with an evening of Irish folklore and storytelling.
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