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Day Five - Castles, Colleges, and Small Engine Repair

Brunch today was at a place called The Larder. A delicious prawn wrap for me and Fai chose a quiche. It was a very nice little cafe with a great staff. I read the Health section of the Irish Times while I finished my beverage and found it very interesting and thorough.

We checked out the Georges Street Arcade, a colorful indoor market with a certain alternative flavor, offering everything from art to flowers, LP's, coffee and even body piercings. Fai found it a bit more interesting than I, so I ventured off to peruse some nearby streets before we met back up and headed toward the castle.

Dublin Castle
The Dublin Castle
(Click to Enlarge)

The Dublin Castle was built between 1204 and 1220 on the site of the first Viking fortress and represents some of the oldest surviving architecture in the city. It is located at the site where the Poddle and Liffey Rivers meet, forming a black pool. The Black Pool is called a dubh linn in Irish (pronounced dove-lin), from which the city of Dublin got its name. It was the center of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until it was taken over by the Irish Free State in 1922.

From there we walked over to Trinity College, wich was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The very impressive campus occupies 47 acres and contains two playing fields, primarily for soccer and rugby.

Arms of Trinity College

The main attraction for over 500,000 visitors yearly at Trinity College Dublin is The Book of Kells. Written around the year 800 AD by Celtic Monks, the Book of Kells contains a richly decorated copy of the four gospels in a latin calligraphy.

O'Neill's Pub
(Click to Enter Pub)

The school is quite large and we were in the back, so after looking around a bit, we walked around the outside to get to the front. On the way, however, we spotted a little pub on the corner called O'Neill's and a pint was calling my name.

Properly refreshed, we continued on to the front of TCD and perused the grounds a bit, looking at sculpture or two and the school store.

Strolling about the Temple Bar area, we came upon the Irish Film Institute. There were four films playing that night, all with a good deal of promise, so we picked one and purchased some tickets for later in the evening. But first it was time for some margaretta pizza and Nastro Azzuro at Botticelli, and then a quick pint of Guinness at The Temple Bar.

Small Engine Repair was our choice of films this evening and what a fantastic choice it was. Writer/Director Niall Heary's debut film is set in a mountainous logging area in Northern Ireland and revolves around two friends
who are down on their luck and needing some new direction in life. It has great charm, wit, and even some very palletable country music. A solid addition to your "must-see" list.

We finished the evening with a few more pints at The Auld Dubliner, reflecting on a very busy, fun day in Dublin.

 

Day Six

Day: 1234 56789101112      London, Dublin, Paris