Exploring Dublin from Trinity College: Pics & Info

[Integral]

I am posting this from a pub across the steet from Trinity college Dublin. I will be here for another week, currenly my internet access is limited but I will try to post some pics. I am staying in a hotel just off of St Stephens Green
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On my walk to work.
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The place I am working is right next to the "Box on the dock" if you know anything about Dublin.

Are there any Dubliners on the board?

 

[hypatia]

Hope you have a great time...drink a pint for us..or maybe 2. Great photos!

 

[Kerrie]

i would love to visit ireland someday integral...keep those pics coming!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We'll be able to tell if Integral has been drinking: The pictures will all get blurry.

 

[mattmns]

Wait! Zoom in on that blonde in the center

Have a fun time there!

 

[hypatia]

For the life of me, I can't figure out what the statue in the square is? 2 elephants mateing?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For the life of me, I can't figure out what the statue in the square is? 2 elephants mateing?

...Yep. The legendary Irish elephants.

 

[Kerrie]

We'll be able to tell if Integral has been drinking: The pictures will all get blurry.

ahh yes, beer...do i miss the beverage...

 

[Integral]

That sculpture is apparently a rabbit hugging a dog? go figure, I have not yet learned the Dubliner name for it, seems that Dubliner's name their statues.

here is the "tart with a cart"
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I hope to find the state of James Joyce known as the "prick with a stick" and maybe even the "Stiffy on the Liffy".

This is a shot from near the rabbit and dog sculpture ( I am trying to learn the Dublin name for it, no success yet) looking down Graphton st. which is a pedestrian mall, for the tourists mainly I think.

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I recall seeing this type of broom in Italy 35yrs ago, I am a bit surprised that they are still being used... It is just that Americans are so used to manufactured goods that I cannot conceive of something like a broom being hand made as this type appears to be?
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Today I am going on a rail tour out of Dublin, I hope to get some pics of the country side and some medieval villages. It is kind of inconvenient to have to work while being abroad, there is so much to see and so little time to see it. I spend last night in a pub drinking beer with the engineer I am working with. I had a whopping 3 beers, the most I have drank in one sitting in nearly 20yrs! I am finding that Guinness is not to far from my favorite Terminator Stout at McMinnimens (SP). Well I am going to sign off for now, will be back in 10-12hrs with some more pics.

 

[Mk]

Look at the metallic mammary glands on that statue!

 

[Kerrie]

It is just that Americans are so used to manufactured goods that I cannot conceive of something like a broom being hand made as this type appears to be?

Ah yes, I work for an actual broom/brush company Integral, something like what you posted in the picture would actually be used for decoration here in America rather then a practical purpose household item.

Ireland looks like a lot of fun! I really want to know all about those pubs!

 

[gurkhawarhorse]

ahh... yeah. i am coming to canterbury, kent within the next week for about four years; to study there ;with my family.

 

[Monique]

I recall seeing this type of broom in Italy 35yrs ago, I am a bit surprised that they are still being used... It is just that Americans are so used to manufactured goods that I cannot conceive of something like a broom being hand made as this type appears to be?

That broom is also a very common tool for dutch street-sweepers, I see it everyday. They use it to get all the trash from between cars and wipe it towards the automatic street sweeper.

 

[hypatia]

What beautiful buildings, but now, take a day off and go out to the country side!

 

[Integral]

I find the Dublin archtecture very pleasing, there are few buildings in this area that are very high, so it has a more of a small town or city feel to it. I made it out of Dublin today for a short trip to Avoco, the location where the BBC series Ballykissangle was filmed, I did not see much of that series so it did not mean much to me. We then went on to a 11th centruy monestary, the name of which I know but cannot begin to spell. The wireless access is really spotty tonight so I am having a lot of trouble even getting onto a search engine... kinda frustrating.. My hotel was SUPPOSED to have broadband...

I hope I can get this message posted!
Here I am at Avoco
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The spire is about 30m high and was used as defense against Viking raids in the 11 and 12 centurys. This is in the valley of 2 lakes.

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Here is a church at the same site, note that the roof on this is STONE! That is one strudy bulding!

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This is a shot through the bus window on our way to the train station at Bray and the return to Dublin. An interesting feature of this town was a McDonolds located in a beautiful 1880s brick building?? What a waste!

Well I sure hope the connection is working better tomorrow, I am getting pretty tired of fighting this connection.

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[Norman]

Integral,

I hope you get to catch a hurling match! I think everyone should get to catch a hurling match. I wish I could have made it to Dublin when I was there, but it is too far by car and I only had 9 nights.
Cheers.

p.s. To check hurling schedules pick up the local paper and look up hurling fixtures, or ask someone at the local pub- they will know.

 

[hypatia]

You look like a giant at Avoco! Beautiful photos!
I hope Hurling has a different meaning then it does in the states!

 

[Integral]

I would not mind catching a Hurly match. One my co-workers spent most of last summer here, he brought back a Hurly and a soligar (stick and ball) they have been sitting at his desk ever since. Since I work the night shift, things happen at night that could never happen in the day. One night my supervisor came by and began to experiment with the hurly stick and ball. He only gave it a little love tap, it is amazing how lively the combination are. The ball launched it self across the "room" (I work in a "cubie city" The ball flew over the cube walls and vanished in across the aisle about 5 cubes over! We knew that there would be heck to pay if someone else found the ball somewhere it should not have been (ie exactly were it was!) Only we did not KNOW where it was. We spent the next 45min searching, we finally found it on some engineers desk behind a boat of wafers. It seems it hit the padded cube wall and quietly landed on the desk. It is possible that the boat of wafers were a prototype of some sort perhaps worth 10s of thousands of $$$. We were very lucky. From that point on we have not permitted him to play with the Hurly stick.

While at Glendalough I nearly got a pic of a father and son playing "catch" with hurly and soligar, much as an American father and son would with a baseball. Unfortunately my camera batteries chose that time to give out. By the time I got my batteries changed that had traded the sticks for a sandwich.

I will be posting a few more pics within the next hour.

 

[Integral]

Inside Dublin Castle
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This statue of Oscar Wild sits in Merrion Square, just across the street and looking toward his child hood home.
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Oscar Wilds Child hood home
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Here is Christchurch, it was started in 800AD by the Vikings.
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Inside of the Castle Inn, a pub near Christchurch and the Dublin castle.
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This is St. Patrick Cathedral, sited at a location where St Patrick held a baptism in the 5th century

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Oh, by the way, I have changed hotels. I now have in room broadband. At a rate of10e /day I may choose to walk down to the Pub with free access a few more times.

 

[hypatia]

I now wish I had more time to spend there, I didn't get to see those things. Guess I'll just half to go back!
A note on viewing the keeps...they come back to you in your dreams...many years latter...but they do rank along with some of the finest castles in the world.

 

[Integral]

We finished early do day, so I got in a nice long walk (oh my aching FEET!)

I started by crossing the Liffey River on the Ha' Penny bridge. This bridge was one of the first cast iron bridges in Dublin, built in 1815 to commemorate Wellingtons victory at Waterloo. For many years after it was built it had a Half Penny toll to cross, thus the name.http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/scenery/pic24.JPG

Just on the north side of the bridge I found the sculpture known as the "hags with bags"

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A short distance away just off of O'Connell St is this statue of James Joyce called "the prick with a stick":
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I got this shot of the "tallest street light in Dublin" the 130m stainless steel spire:
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I then proceeded west along the Liffey to what I am told is the first bridge across the Liffey (at least the first bridge was located here) On the south side of the river there has been public house, perhaps originally a "guard house" for the men guarding the river crossing, they warmed their hands at a "brazier" thus the Brazen Head Pub was named this pub is the oldest in Dublin and serves a fine Pint of Guinness and good chips.

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I then passed this picturesque church and park

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This old Gate into Dublin is part of the wall near the church:

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Finally here is a pic of the foundation of what is reportedly a viking church dating from 800AD located at Christ Church.

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[Norman]

Have you got to go by St. James Gate? The Guinness is so delicious in Ireland and I bet being so close to the brewery, it has to be the freshest possible.
Cheers,
Ryan

 

[Integral]

Home again! home sweet home!

After 22 hours of travel I am home. I watched the sunrise in Dublin at 6:30am and arrived in Portland at 4am Dublin time just as dusk ended. that was nearly 22hrs of daylight!

 

[Tsu]

Um. Didn't you like - JUST WALK IN THE DOOR?

GO HUG YOUR WIFE! (Give her one for me, too!)

Cha Da?