National Museum of Ireland, Dublin

Posted on 15 February 2025 by boryssnorc

Somewhat wet and miserable day in Dublin… what to do, what to do? Find the National museum of course. Took a couple of Ubers via the First Chapter coffee shop, to avoid the cold and wet – worth it!

Wow! What an amazing building! The entry/vestibule is so impressive with its gorgeous domed ceiling and beautiful mosaiced floor. I do wish England/Ireland hadn’t embraced this trend for forgoing cloakrooms and/or lockers though. What a pain in the arse to have to carry your coat, scarf and outer layers for a couple of hours through a museum. :/ Europe is still insisting you cloak your shit – anything bigger than a handbag – into a locker it goes, I much prefer it tbh.

Most of the descriptions here are literally copied and pasted from the object’s description plaques, hence the lack of form guide in listing dates, and the weird capitalisation. I could re-type it all, but when you’re travelling and writing on an iPad, time is limited!

Bronze bells, St Mary’s Abbey, Howth, Co. Dublin. Late medieval period.

DECORATED STONE, Youghal, Co. Cork. 2500-1700 В.С.

A necklace of gold beads
Perhaps the most mysterious of all the gold ornaments of the Late Bronze Age are the hollow gold beads found at Tumna, Co. Roscommon in 1834. Eleven beads are said to have been found when a group of men were tilling land near Tumna church beside the Shannon River. Each bead is made in two sections which are fused together. They are perforated which suggests that they were intended to be strung together. The graduated size of the beads also suggests a necklace of massive size. After the discovery the beads were divided amongst various collectors. Gradually over a period of about 150 years nine of the original eleven were acquired by the Royal Irish Academy and the National Museum of Ireland, one is in the collections of the British Museum but the whereabouts of the one remaining bead are unknown.

HOARD CONTAINING A GOLD BRACELET, A GOLD DRESS FASTENER, TWO BRONZE RINGS AND AN AMBER NECKLACE. Meenwaun, [Banagher], Co. Offaly. c. 800-700 B.C.

GOLD AND AMBER BEADS. Cruttenclough, Co. Kilkenny. Later Bronze Age

Part of a hoard of gold ornaments consisting of collars, bracelets, two neck rings, and a double ring.
Mooghaun North, Co. Clare. с. 800-700 В.С.

14. Amber bead. Unknown locality. 900-500BC
Amber Nekclaces C. Cavan. 900-500BC

Bronze chain-link collar. Near O’Connor’s Castle, Co.Rosecommon. c900-500BC.

Collection of swords, Dowris Hoard. Doors sheath, Co.Offaly, c.900-500BC

Selection of horns and other objects of the Dowris Hoard. Doorosheath, Co. Offaly, 900-500BC.

Enamelled bronze belt buckles, Louth Gara, Co. Sligo. Late 7th-early 8thC AD

Penannular bronze brooch, Arthurstown, Co. Kildare, 6th-7thC AD.

Bronze mount with enamel and millefiori, Big Island Lugacaha, Co. Westmeath 6-7thC AD.

Bronze fibula with enamel insets Lough Ree, Co. Longford, 1stC AD.

Enamelled bronze mount, Coolure Demesne, Co. Westmeath, 7th-8thC AD.

Gilt bronze harness mounts, Athlumney Navan, Co. Meath, 8-9thC AD.

Ogham script is the earliest form of writing known in Ireland.
It is a system of linear symbols cut on either side of, or across, a baseline. Ogham is modelled on the Roman alphabet and consists of 20 letters. The key to ogham script is recorded in the Book of Ballymote, a later medieval text. More than 300 inscriptions survive on stone. They are particularly common in the southwest of Ireland and date to between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. Ogham stones surviving in parts of England, Scotland and Wales are a testament to Irish presence in these areas. The majority of inscriptions record personal names and can be considered commemorative inscriptions or perhaps boundary markers.

The Cross of Cong is one of the greatest treasures of the era. It was made to enshrine a portion of the True Cross acquired in AD 1122 by Toirrdelbach Ua Conchobair, High King of Ireland. An inscription records the names of Ua Conchobair, two high-ranking clerics and the craftsmen who made it.
The cross is made of oak covered with plain sheets of bronze. Panels decorated with animal interlace overlay these plain sheets. The relic, now missing, would have been visible behind the rock crystal at the centre of the cross-arms. A staff could be inserted at the base to enable the cross to be carried in procession. The shape of the cross-arms recalls the Tully Lough Cross, made almost four centuries earlier, but the decoration is in the late Scandinavian Urnes style. The glass and enamel studs are characteristic of Irish Romanesque metalwork.

The llth and 12th centuries witnessed the production of a large number of highly decorated religious objects. Croziers, which were used by abbots and bishops, are the commonest type of church metalwork from this period, but enshrined bells and books also survive. These items were symbols of power and authority. Inscriptions on some of these treasures name royal patrons and important churchmen and suggest that the commissioning of such objects was as much a political statement as it was a religious act. Political power in 12th-century Ireland was held by a small number of provincial kings who were generous patrons of the Church. A major reform of the Irish church at this time shifted power from the monasteries to bishops who controlled dioceses. Rivalries ensued as competing groups attempted to lay claim to these new centres of power. The production of ornate church treasures inscribed with the names of key political figures can be seen as a reflex of these power struggles.

Shrine of St. Lachtin’s Arm. Donaghmore, Co. Cork, c. AD 1120.

Saint Patrick’s Bell and Shrine, Armagh Co. Armagh, 6th-8th century AD and AD 1100.

Silver chalice, Reerasta, Ardagh, Co. Limerick, 8th century

Tomb shaped shrine, River Shannon, 8-9thC AD

The Golden Age of Irish Art.
Metal artefacts of the period show unparalleled skill and artistry. Ornamentation
on metal, on stone and on illuminated manuscripts shows close links in style and symbolism. Contacts with Pictish Scotland, Anglo-Saxon England, Germanic Europe and the Mediterranean region exposed Irish craftsmen to new metalworking techniques and art styles. Irish craftsmen blended these styles with native late Celtic ornament to produce a distinctive new style. The greatest artistic achievements of the new style date to between the late 7th and the early 9th centuries, a period often described as the Golden Age of early Irish art. The Church was a major patron of the arts and it enjoyed the support of important political families. Secular artefacts, such as the Tara brooch, also survive.

The Tara Brooch, Bettystown, Co. Meath, 8th century AD

Silver paten and bronze stand, Derrynaflan, Co. Tipperary, 8th century AD

Gold ribbon torc, near Belfast, Co. Antrim, 3rdC BC to 3rdC AD.

The Broighter Hoard
The hoard of gold objects from Broighter, Co. Derry, is the most exceptional find of Iron Age metalwork in Ireland. The tubular collar, miniature boat and cauldron, two neck chains and pair of twisted collars (torcs), which date to the Ist century BC, were found on the ancient shore of Lough Foyle in Co. Derry. The sea god Manannán mac Lir was associated with Lough Foyle and the place-name Broighter (from the Irish Brú lochtair) may be a reference to his underwater residence. Most notable is the model gold boat with its mast, rowing benches, oars and other fittings that can be regarded as an appropriate offering to a sea god. The decoration on the tubular collar appears to include a highly stylised horse, an animal that is especially associated with Manannán mac Lir.

DECORATED LEATHER BOTTLE, Found feet deep in bog, Cloonclose, Co. Leitrim, Early Medieval.

Replica of Gokstad Faering
The battle of Clontarf was fought on the shores of Dublin Bay and a fleet of Viking ships played a significant part. This boat is a replica of one found in 1880 in a burial mound at Gokstad, Norway, where a Norse lord had been buried in a great Viking ship dating to c. 900AD. Accompanying the ship was a smaller fishing boat, crewed by two oarsmen, known as a faering, which is in many respects a miniature Viking ship. It shares many of the same features and techniques – such as the clinker-built oak planking and the side rudder.

The Dunmore Cave hoard – This hoard was hidden in Dunmore Cave around 965-70.
The most interesting objects are sixteen hollow cones, woven from fine silver wire in three sizes. They were probably connected to a knitted fringe of exceptionally delicate coiled silver wire. The fringe, in turn, was probably attached to an imported silk cloth, of which a tiny fragment survived. There is also a decorated buckle and matching strap-end, whose form and decoration suggests that they were made in Dublin and this may also be true for the silver cones.

Skave Chain, Near Strokestown, Co. Rosecommon.
This fearsome chain and collar for a slave or hostage was found in Dublin and may possibly have been made there. It was found mid19-thC possibly on a crannog.

The shrine of the ‘Stowe Missal’, c.1030
This shrine held an 8th-century mass-book for the monastery of Lorrha. An inscription on the base requests prayers for the ‘king of Ireland, Donnchad, son of Brian and Gormlaith. Donnchad reigned for many years after Clontarf but was never generally recognised as king of Ireland. Lorrha, Co. Tipperary.

9th Century Viking cemeteries at Kalmainham and Irelandbridge, Dublin.
The Vikings in Ireland as elsewhere in Europe were not Christianised until the late 10thC. Their burial customs were pagan and the wealthiest were buried with their person: possessions. The cemeteries associated with the earliest, 9thC, Viking settlement at Dublin were located on a ridge overlooking the Liffey in the area now occupied by the modern suburbs of Kilmainham and Islandbridge. One of these cemeteries was located on the site of an earlier Irish monastery at Kilmainham. It is believed that the first Viking fortified encampment at Dublin, established in 841, may have been located nearby.
Most of the objects were recovered in the course of grave digging and in the building of the railway line in the 1840s, 50s and 60s. The presence of weapons, tools and brooches among the finds indicate that both men and women were buried there. The finds recovered represent at least fifty burials, and it is the largest known Viking cemetery outside

Eight iron swords, 10th-11thC.

Copper alloy buckles, belt ends and pins. 9thC.

Roasting spit? 9thC

Three pairs of copper alloy brooches with strings of glass beads.
Oval brooches are typical finds in women’s graves of the Viking Age and indicate that women of importance were also buried there. Spinning and weaving were tasks carried out by women and objects such as the whalebone ‘ironing board’, spindle whorls and bronze needle case are further evidence of female burials. The presence of a number of folding weighing scales, purses and weights indicates that some of the Viking settlers in ninth century Dublin were merchants while the iron tongs and hammers suggest the presence of smiths. Some of the brooches and pins from these burials are of Irish manufacture and indicate that the Vikings of Dublin, as elsewhere, adopted Irish fashions of jewellery and, perhaps dress.

Copper alloy balance scales, 9thC AD. With lead alloy weights.

One pair of Oval brooches, Finglas, Co. Dublin.

Museum replicas of Irish viking costumes.

Pair of copper alloy oval brooches and chain from a burial ot Arklow, Co. Wicklow. The chain is curiously Baltic in origin, it is possible the wearer may have been gifted the chain to wear with the locally made brooches, or herself came from that region.

Silver sword fitting – no known locality.

Ballinderry Crannog, Co. Westneath, c850-1000
The crannog, or artificial lake dwelling at Ballinderry, excavated in 1932, provides the most complete picture of life in a rural settlement between the late 9th and early 11th centuries. Its size and the variety and richness of the objects found suggest that it was the homestead of a prosperous farmer or a local king. The fields and pasture lands were probably located on nearby dry land, reached by hollowed oak longboats or canoes.

Wooden stave-built bucket, c.850-1000 AD.

Wooden gaming board, c.850-1000AD

Leather shoe, Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim, c.9-10thC.

16 SILVER ARM-RINGS – These arm-rings, made of thick bars of silver, are decorated with a variety of stamped patterns. They were current between the late 9th and early 10th centuries and over sixty examples are known from Ireland. They were manufactured in Ireland, probably in the Viking settlements and some have been found in hoards in Scotland, England and Norway.

GOLD ARM-RING – This simple but massive arm-ring, made of three twisted rods of gold, is the largest surviving Viking Age gold ornament from Ireland, weighing 375 g. The heaviest gold hoard from the Viking Age was also found in Ireland at Hare Island, Lough Ree in 1802 and consisted of ten gold arm-rings weighing approximately 5kg. Unfortunately, that hoard was melted down shortly after its discovery.

7 – silver ring ingot, part of a hoard from Derrynahich, Co. Kilkenny.
8 – silver brooch with gold filigree, Mohill, Co. Leitrim.
9 – Ring of silver penannular brooch in two pieces – location unknown.
10 – Head of silver kite brooch – location unknown.
11 – head of a silver thistle brooch – location unknown.
12 – Two silver rod arm-ring fragments, – location unknown.

WOODEN BUCKETS, Cloonarragh, Co. Roscommon, 10th-11 th century
Found together with a third, stave-built vessel in a bog. The stave-built vessel shown here is secured by a pair of wooden hoops, the other vessel is carved from a single block.

WOODEN BOWL, Cuillard, Co. Roscommon, 8th- 9th century, The bowl contained butter when it was discovered, indicating that the storage of butter in bogs was one way of keeping surplus food.

Inlaid glass beads, Clough Co. Antrim, Tristernagh. Glass bracelets and strings, c.8-9thC

Four lead alloy disc brooches, High St, Christchurch Place, Winetavern, c.8-9thC

Copper alloy buckles, belt and strap ends, High St, Winetavern, c.8th-9thC

Model of a typical Viking settlement in Ireland, c.8th-9thC

DUBLIN – Amber, glass, jet and Lignite.
Amber was brought to Dublin in lumps probably having been collected along the shores of the Baltic Sea, mainly in Denmark. These lumps were converted to beads, pendants, earrings and finger rings. An amber worker’s house was identified at Fishamble Street where the floor was strewn with several hundred waste flakes and tiny spicules. Jet was probably brought from Yorkshire, and was used mainly in the production of bracelets, finger rings and earrings. It too appears to been worked in Dublin as was glass, possibly from imported pieces of old Roman glass.

Amber pendants, finger rings, unfinished amber beads, necklaces beads and fragments. Fishamble St, c.8-9thC.

Glass beads, discs and spindles. Some unfinished. Fishamble St. c.8-9thC.
It is likely that some glass beads were made locally from pieces of broken glass imported from old Roman towns in England, such as Chester and York.

Antler and bone were used for knife handles, gaming pieces, buckles, and as panels for boxes. Bone was used for spindle whorls, spindles and weaving tablets. Whale bone was used for clamps or hand-vices as well as for caulking spatulas. Walrus tusk were also used for gaming pieces and pendants.

Decorated bone and antler plaques, and antler combs, Christchurch Place, Fishamble St. c.8-9thC.

Decorated antler strap ends. High St, Fishamble St.

Motif pieces, antler and bone. High St, Fishamble St. c.8-9thC

Weapons and Luxury Goods – 11th to 12th Centuries. Weapons, tableware and sets of gaming pieces were among the most prized possessions of kings and nobles in the early medieval period. Most of our knowledge of weapons from the later Viking Age comes from stray finds of objects lost in rivers and lakes. Shallow drinking bowls of copper alloy and silver were imported from the Continent. In some cases these imported bowls were adapted to Irish taste by the addition of enamelled hooks of local manufacture. Gaming boards and gaming pieces are known from the tenth century onwards. The game of chess, however, was not introduced to Europe from the Islamic world until some time in the eleventh century.

Copper alloy sword pommels, gilt copper alloy swords, Iron swords, locations unknown.
Iron axe head with wooden handle, River Robe, Ballinrobe, Co.Mayo. C11th.

Bronze bells, Donoghmore, Co Tyrone. 11-15thC

MANCHAN’S SHRINE (REPLICA), Lemanaghan, Co. Offaly, 12thC
The original shrine, made to contain the bones of St Manchan, was most likely produced by the same individual that produced the Cross of Cong. Its ornament, known as the Hiberno-Urnes style, is a blending of a late Viking art style with native Irish art. This nineteenth-century replica, which is a restored version of the original; made by Alexander Carte for Dr John Lentaigne.

Inscribed Grave Marker, Clonmacnoise, Co, Offaly. 9th-10thC.
One of several hundred memorial slabs from the cemetery of Clonmacnoise. It bears the name ‘Sechnasach’ along with a cross and some geometric ornament. It is unusual in that it is made from a reused mill or quern.

Shring, copper alloy, gilt and enamelled, early 11th C. Drum lane, Co, Cavan.

Leather satchel, 15th C, Drumlane Co. Cavan – to house the shrine.

Knight Jug. Wine jug decorated with figures of armoured knights and monkeys. It was imported from pottery kilns at Ham Green, near Bristol. Pottery, 13thC. Found High St, Dublin.

Wooden, two to four handed mether tankards. Carved from single pieces of alder, c.14thC. Co. Donegal.

Various precious and semi precious jewelled items.

Gilt silver cross pendant, c.1500. Provence not listed.

Gold finger ring, c.14thC. Provenance not listed.

Knitted cap, 16thC AD. Ballybunnion, Co. Kerry.
This knitted wooden cap was found in Co. Kerry in 1847. This style of cap was fashioned up to the 1580s and made from expensive materials. Often decorated with jewels and feathers. Traditional records that when it was found, the cap had a gold band around the crown.

Often overlooked, I love that the building this collection is housed in is somewhat of a work of art itself.

Bronze laver, believed to be Flemish, c.1425.

Cross Pendant, obverse is engraved with an image of the Crucifixion and symbols of four Evangelists.
Silver gilt with glass and garnet settings, c.1500. Near Callan Co. Kilkenny.

Rock crystal with silver mounting, 15thC.

Reliquary Cross, T-shapedor Tau cross indicates it was designed to protect the wearer from disease known as St Anthony’s Fire, whose symptoms included burning sensations. Contains a cavity to hold a reliquary. Gilt silver, c.1500.

Seal ring with a central image of a human figure inside the doorway to a turret castle. Flanked by engraved images of the Virgin and Child and Holy Trinity. Gold, 15thC, Girley, Co.Mealth.

Shrine of the Cathach. Made to contain a 7thC manuscript believed to be written by Columba himself. The Cathach (battler) was one of the chief treasures of the O’Donnells throughout the Middle Ages. They carried it into battle to bring good luck. IT’s keeepers were the Magroarty family, one of whom was killed when the shrine was captured in 1497. Wood with gilt silver, silver fittings, rock crystal. Late 11th-14thC, Ballynagroarty, Co. Donegal.

Shrine of Patrick’s Trail. This is a complex piece made up of portions of different objects. It’s a purse shaped form dates to the mid-14thC when it was covered at the request of Thomas Birmingham, Lord of Athenry. The shrine was used in the early 19thC for curing sick animals. St John, the Virgin Mary and figures of Irish Saints flank the figure of Christ on the front.

Bell, copper alloy, silver inlay. 11th-12thC. Scattery Island, Co.Clare.

Overall, this musuem on Kildare Street was well worth a visit. It has some fabulously obscure objects – though I did find the curation had more of a focus on *where* something was found rather then where is was created/made. Sometimes that info was a bit buried under the lead.

Beyond the Pale… Dublin

Posted on 12 February 2025 by boryssnorc

For like the first time in forever, I came to the UK this trip with no set plans for any down time. Usually, I have stuff booked, know where I’m going and what I want to see. I had vague ideas that if the weather was good, we might venture to Iceland or the Faroe Islands to go aurora hunting, but the weather was absolutely shite and unpredictable, and both those trips were going to be costly if we couldn’t actually get any viability, so we went hunting for a side trip that was going to be affordable and wouldn’t matter if the weather remained shit. After a bit of discussion, we decided, a long weekend in Dublin could be just the ticket.

We didn’t book an early morning departure – but I forgot how dark it is here until like 9am. Milton Keynes at 7am in February… looks eerily like something out of a Harry Potter description.

Cold and damp as we set off. There was so much moisture in the air… the car park lights in the long stay car park had enormous halos. Was very glad for the lighting though – walking around here in the dark without any sense of direction would be rather creepy.

Today, I embarked on a first – my first ever RyanAir flight. Which might seem a bit odd for me given how far and wide I have travelled over the years, but I’m a One World Girlie, and don’t usually bother looking too far outside the network. But given this was a really short trip (it always does my head in how easily, cheaply and quickly you can get to a whole different country when you’re in Europe… I mean, this flight was shorter than Brisbane to Sydney), we figured – how bad can it be?

Some observations about Luton – I don’t know what people are complaining about. It’s smaller, well laid out and easier to navigate than Heathrow. It’s got all the same food and shopping options of other airports this size and the taxes to fly in and out of Luton are less, so what’s not to like? Maybe the public transport options are dodgy? Not sure, we didn’t look into it. But I’d happily fly in and out of Luton over Heathrow and it’s grimey London ick any day.

Ryanair was a bit of an experience… somehow managed to feel even more like a bus service than even your average American domestic airline does. Perhaps due to all the bright yellow and blue livery – very bus and road transport type colours, (airlines tend to favour soothing over dynamic colour schemes). Or perhaps it was being ushered into a waiting pen and the literal standing around waiting for the doors to open, so everyone could rush the plane to take their (assigned) seats, or the jostling for overhead space or the utter lack of service once on board, or I dunno? It just felt like a bus line. Obviously they’re a famously budget airline, but having mostly flown Qantas, Emirates, Air Swiss, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada and even JAL over the last decade (I can’t remember the last time I was stupid enough to book a Jetstar flight), I haven’t got much to compare it with anymore. I found the air safety card on the seat backs to be somewhat amusing… practical I’m sure, but amusing.

Anyway, it wasn’t long before we landed in Dublin, went through the most cursory of immigration processes, took a shuttle to our hotel, dropped off our weekend bags and head for a pub! Because Ireland! Neither of us are Guinness or beer drinkers so I predict quite a bit of cider will be imbibed over this weekend adventure.

Like most visitors to Dublin, we chose to stay right in the Temple Bar area – because that’s where all the pubs and good vibes are to be found. We knew this could end up noise revelry and possibly disturbed sleep, but that’s okay! When in Ireland and all that. Not far from our Hotel, we found the famous Love Lane, which kinda marks the centre of the town’s creative and arts district. It’s a bit of a hub for handsome graffiti and small galleries. Very quaint.

They must paint over the tiles on the Love Wall semi-regularly, as there are markers around inviting people to leave their marks on the wall.

I did not leave my inane musings in the wall, but delighted in reading some of the more thoughtful and poetic entries left by others.

We had a bit of a moist meander around the Quays, it was here I discovered my new knee doesn’t really like the cold 🙁 It was only 4C today, and I was experience way more pain walking about than I should be… not happy Jan.

A timber riverside boardwalk … every single rivet/bolt head was covered with a bottle cap. People were sleeping on the benches here, Dublin has a right problem with rough sleeping, I can’t imagine sleeping out in this weather.

The “Meeting Place” statue was apparently designed to reflect every day life, quite unlike other statuary in the city which is designed to aggrandise important people/events. As is typical of any city, they’re commonly referred to by something less savoury than the artists and town planners initially intended and are affectionately known as the “Hags with the Bags” or the “Slags with the Bags”. Interestingly, that tidbit was left off the QR code info that could be scanned beside them. 🙂 They are located in Dublin’s busy shopping area, and have iconic Dublin shopping bags at their feet.

More ciders and some warming seafood chowder for lunch at The Lotts… best damn seafood chowder I’ve had since 2009 at a tiny little cafe I can’t remember the name of near the Moeraki Boulders in South Island of New Zealand – in truth, both memories may be impacted by extremely cold conditions and a general sense of wellbeing at finally coming in from the cold and wet. 🙂 The Lotts was a good choice – great ciders, some excellent chowder and an 80s and 90s playlist that just lifted the spirits before we were spat back out into the cold again.

The Palace Bar is a bit of an institution in Dublin, having been established a little over 200 years ago and being one of the few remaining Victorian snugs in town. It reminded me very much of the Princess Louise gin palace in Holborn.

The pressed tin ceiling, the warm timber bar and seating spaces divided into little quiet nooks … if those walls could talk, I’m sure they have tales of politics, poetry, scandal and revolution! The Palace Bar feels like quite the step back in time.

The main bar area, which I have to say isn’t much bigger than my living room (and in fact may even be smaller), had this amazing stained glass roof. It was a very pleasant looking pub, but after the vibrant upbeat atmosphere of Lotts, this place felt a bit staid and stuffy – everyone was sitting way too close to each other and having stifled conversations, I feel it needed a bit of music to liven the place up.

Temple Bar Square – which is you know, rectangular.

The famous Temple Bar… all of 2pm, and lit up like a Christmas tree.

Before too long, we were a bit tired of pub hopping and went in hunt of some dinner. The Seafood Cafe was just down the road from our hotel (The Dublin Citi Hotel), and promised fresh oysters – and who can say ‘no’ to that!? I quite liked their style on this front – they offered a bunch of different types of oysters on the one platter, and if you weren’t a big oyster fan, you’d probably say they all taste the same… but if you’re an oyster snob like me, you’ll find each of these varieties had differing amounts of saltiness, mineral ‘tang’ and varying levels of creamy texture. The Doriel Creek were my favourite – possibly because they are most like the huge Tasmanian Pacific oysters, I like to buy at home.

Next day we were off to Trinity University to hunt down the Book of Kells and see the Long Hall Library. I was here back in 1995, and remember the visit quite fondly… moving quietly through the dark rooms looking at the pages of the this Millenia old book created by monks shivering in their monastery; it’s about as romantically medieval as it gets!

Interestingly the curation of the Book of Kells exhibit started with an series of panels describing and explaining Ogham (writing system c.5thC AD) – which struck me as odd, given the Book of Kells is famous for its illuminated manuscript, and from memory doesn’t have any obvious Ogham text in it? The panels provided some context; Ogham was predominantly used to inscribe stones, much in the same way runes were used by the Norse cultures, and these stones were used as boundary and directional markers. There has been some Ogham discovered in the marginalia of the Book of Kells (which was created in the 9thC AD!), and that apparently is the connection here.

I knew we weren’t going to be able to take any photos of the actual pages of the book, so took advantage of some of the high definitely pictures throughout the display to capture some of the intricate details from the artworks.

There was an excellent display on the medieval pigments used to create the illuminations:

MEDIEVAL INKS AND PIGMENTS:
Extracted from a wide range of sources, these include powdered particles from clays and minerals; dyes extracted from lichens, barks, berries, and insects; and pigments produced through chemical reactions.
BLACK:
1: Iron gall ink: This is created by the reaction of iron salts with the gallo-tannic acid extracted from plant galls. This is the principal ink on the Book of Kells.
2: Lamp black: A fine particle carbon deposit created from burning oils, rosin, or pitch. Carbon black ink
was found in script and design on the Book of Kells.
3: Bistre: A carbon black produced from wood soot and Char-blacks were also commonly made from fruit stones and vines.
4: Acacia gum: Inks and pigments are bound to their support by sticky substances such as gums and glues. Gum Arabic is the hardened sap of the acacia tree.
WHITE:
1: Gypsum: A calcium sulphate mineral common in Ireland. This is the white on the Book of Kells.
2: Lead white: This is a basic lead carbonate, produced by exposing lead to acidic vapours, heat, moisture and fermenting matter. It is a toxic pigment with a tendency to darken.
1: Indigoindigotin dye: Extracted from the woad plant ‘Isatis tinctoria’. This is the blue on the Book of Kells. It was mixed with gypsum to create lighter tones.
2: Azurite: A hydrated copper carbonate mineral. This is common in manuscripts from the later medieval period.
3: Lazurite: This aluminosilicate sulphate comes from the mineral lapis lazuli. Exceptional quality is required for a bright blue, which makes it a costly pigment.

The illuminated alphabet:

Then, after reading all the informational plaques and panels, we are able to enter the room where the book is held… and disappointment ensues. A replica of the book is in a darkened room, opened up with two sacrificial pages from the original tome are on view. Just two pages, and neither of them containing an illumination – just two pages of text. Seriously, nothing special about these two pages at all. I understand wanting to preserve and protect the book, but charging us €25 to come in and see a whole lot of not much is a bit rude.

Thankfully the Long Room library didn’t disappoint – even with over half of the collection of books removed, it is still a stunning place to visit. I somehow managed to initially walk in and be the only person in the entire library for about 5 minutes. Five minutes which felt like an eternity as I stood there and smelled the old books and my eyes adjusted to the dim light. What an incredible building, full of so much knowledge and history. Wikipedia and Google might be able to give you answers to everything your weird and wired little brain can think of, but the feelings and sensations of being in a place like this – they can’t give you that.

The silence was incredible, you could hear a pin drop. No people nearby, no school groups or loud American tourists… it was blissful to have a special place like this to myself; even if only for a few minutes.

I found a quiet seat and just absorbed my surroundings, craning my neck to see the famous ceilings. Just… wow. Fleeting moments like this are what makes the nightmarish transits and cramped budget flights all worth it.

Oddly, there is no ‘exit through the gift shop’ happening here… and if you are interested in books on the Book of Kells or other things associated with Trinity College or Irish history, you are directed to these ‘big red boxes’ which contain the Book of Kells Experience. If you’re immediately thinking, “Spirit of London”, you’d be correct.

Inside is an audio visual tour of the book, with very little history about who, when and where it was created, but plenty of enlarged projected imagery from the book being whizzed around the room and towards you to a medjieval Irish soundtrack… and then the obligatory gift shop exit! Admittedly, it was full of what appeared to be good quality products and souvenirs to take home from your visit, but none of it was thrilling enough that I wanted it cluttering up my house indefinitely.

Directly across the road from the entrance to Trinity College was the Irish Whiskey Museum… and that sounded like a decent place to get out of the cold for a bit longer before lunchtime. 🙂

The museum is located in an old building, but a brand new complex and promised to teach us all about the history of Irish whiskey… and it did, complete with a young tour guide leading us from room to room, reciting a well-worn spiel about how the Irish were making their moonshine since way back when and how lots of it literally led to blindness and death before they figured out how to make it safely.

In the early 19thC the whiskey distilling industry was quite unregulated, and there was over 1000 distilleries manufacturing and selling whiskey of wildly varying quality to unsuspecting customers all over the country. By the 1970s, they were literally down to TWO distilleries both owned by the one company. Now there are around 40 distilleries as whiskey wanking is becoming ever more popular. The history is quite interesting if you wanna read up on it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_whiskey

Of course, there was a wee tasting at the end of the tour… and I discovered I don’t like Irish whiskey any more than I like Scotch whisky… so in the debate over whiskey vs whisky, I’m solidly still in camp, ”Gin”!

After our visit to the Irish Whiskey Museum, we decided (a fatally poor decision as it turned out) to have lunch at The Old Mill. I wasn’t practically hungry, so went for the light seafood chowder option again – worked so well yesterday to warm the cockles; while Stephola opted for a plate of coddle hoping for something reminiscent of her Scottish grandmother’s cooking.

The chowder looked innocuous enough, and was certainly tasty… but, sadly, would have my stomach churning all afternoon, and then eventually hurling my guts up about six hours later! Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I threw up like this… it was bad. And when I emailed The Old Mill to let them know that whatever remained of that particular dish should be disposed of – they didn’t give a fuck and didn’t bother to reply. So warning – don’t go there!

But the afternoon was spent exploring more of the town (before the projectile vomiting, of course – I didn’t know that was going to happen yet!). We went past the Temple Bar again, only to see they had added some massive shamrocks to their lighting design… St Patricks day is just a couple of weeks away, and I imagine Dublin goes off with visitors all in town to celebrate.

Back cross the Quays again, we popped into the Boar’s Head pub to avoid a group of school children that were just entering the National Leprechaun Museum… yes, that’s correct. They have a National Leprechaun Museum – which is a bit of a misnomer, as there was very little going on here to do with Leprechauns in general. It is actually a folklore and story telling museum, and we were quite interested in the old oral traditions of Ireland.

Choosing to stop for a port rather than sharing the spaces with school kids seemed a good way to preserve one’s sanity. 🙂

So the National Leprechaun Musuem is privately owned and dedicated to folklore and mythology. They focus on the oral traditions of story telling and claim to be the first (maybe the only?) leprechaun museum in the world! To visit the museum, you get guided through several rooms – and if you are lucky by a very passionate and well spoken student type – and taken on a journey telling you about the history of Irish oral traditions and you get to hear a number of mythological tales retold to you, much in the same way they were shard for hundreds of years before mass media.

Each room is themed to match the myth or story being shared – and we heard stories of leprechauns, pixies, banshees… it was delightful. If you’ve any interest in history, homeric tradition, poetry, literature, or mythology – it’s well worth a visit, and only an hour or so required.

After this it was back to the hotel to rest as my stomach was really pulling off cartwheels by this time. I think this trip to Dublin will forever be associated with food poisoning! I have NEVER been this sick… normally when we’re travelling, I will watch my travel companions drop like flies from flu and stomach bugs, but my OCD-like meticulous hand hygiene has usually held me in good stead from catching most things while away. Anyways, I was laying down and feeling increasingly BLARGH, and though maybe having a shower and taking my drugs to sleep it off was the best approach. So I go to the bathroom and get into the teeny tiny move-and-you’re-brushing-up-against-the-cold-glass shower cubicle, when he heat and steam starts to rise and I think, “I am going to actually be sick!”. I squish myself out of the shower and barely manage to push my clothes and things off the toilet to open the lid – a microsecond poorer timing and I would have chucked uncontrollably all over my clean clothes!

Linda Blair could not have been prouder! Projectile orangey chowder until my eyes watered. It was sooo gross, and three massive spews in total. I could not for the life of me remember the last time I vomited. It was so unpleasant. Le sigh… I eventually finished my shower and then went to bed hoping that tomorrow was way less interesting.

Thankfully I awoke up this morning feeling much improved. The toxins had left the building, and now I felt good as new, even hungry, as I had expelled yesterday’s lunch and been too queasy to have even a sandwich for dinner. After a bit of a slow start, we hunted down a cafe that Stephola’s stepdaughter recommended – First Chapter. It was a fun little cafe with a quirky interior design made to give the illusion of furniture and furnishings being drawn. The menu was a bit simple, but after last night’s stomach upset – simple was fine by me!

I ordered a up of tea and toastie, and somehow got a full flowery cottage garden with my brunch!

After this we Uber’d (it was pissing down rain) to the Irish National Museum to look for dark ages treasures – which I will put all in a separate post.

After museum’ing for most of the day, we were kinda tuckered out, and decided to head back to the hotel for a quiet afternoon, a dinner at the local in preparation for an early exit out of Dublin to head back to the airport and fly back to Luton.

The shuttle back to the airport the next morning was far more of an adventure than it needed to be – the location we were dropped off, wasn’t the same location that the shuttle picks you up for the return journey… no that might make too much sense. Instead we watched as a shuttle sailed past us and we then spent ten minutes marching up and down the road (which had numerous bus stops and way too much inconsistent signage), until we found the collection point 200m down the road from where you get dropped off. Much logic, Wow. Thankfully, we had allowed ourselves plenty of time to arrive at the airport. So we could board our bright yellow and blue Ryanair bus back to the UK.

All up – had a fine time, so glad to have seen the Giant’s Causeway after all these years, but I could totally have done without the food poisoning, Dublin!

Made it back and noticed that Bella didn’t seem to even know we had gone!