Leaving the Big City
Glasnevin Cemetery
Our last stop in Dublin was the Glasnevin Cemetery. The cemetery was first opened in 1832 and since that time, over 1.5 million people have been interred here, including many important figures in Irish history.
We visited the graves of:
We visited the graves of:
- Daniel O'Connell: 1775 - 1847, He was an Irish political leader and the foremost leader in the fight for Catholic Emancipation. He was the first elected Catholic member of parliament and worked to repeal the Act of Union and to make Ireland a free republic. He is buried in a mausoleum with a large round tower monument. You can even touch his casket inside for good luck.
- Eamon de Valera: 1882 - 1975, de Valera was one of the dominant political figures of the War of Independence, the Irish Civil War, and the beginning of the Irish Republic. He was President of Ireland from 1959 until 1973. He has a very modest grave that he shares with his wife and children.
- Michael Collins: 1890 - 1922, Collins was the foremost leader in the fight for Irish Independence. He was arrested during the Easter Rising, but went on to become the Minister for Finance under de Valera. It was Collins that was tasked with negotiating the treaty with England that lead to the creation of the Free State of Ireland - and of Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom. This treaty ultimately led to the Irish Civil war in which de Valera and Collins were on opposing sides. Collins was assassinated on August 22, 1922 at Beal na Blath in County Cork. He remains a beloved figure in Ireland and many people still bring flowers to his grave.
At Glasnevin, we had a wonderful guide, Dara. He was a great guide providing us with lots of information, including a story about how the IRA tried to bomb the mausoleum of Daniel O'Connell and destroy the tower in 1971. They managed simply to blow out the windows and staircase, virtually creating a large cannon (guess they didn't study physics). After the bombing, the mausoleum was closed for about 40 years. When they reopened it to fix the damage and restore the mausoleum, they also found 40 years worth of dead pigeons, as the windows had not been replaced. The staircase was to be rebuilt in 2014, but as you can see, that had not happened by our visit.
And now the Rest of the Glasnevin Story
The Rock of Cashel and the Plain of Tipperary
St. Patrick baptized King Aengus in 450 bringing Christianity to Ireland.
The buildings date as far back as 1134. It gets very windy at the top - be sure to have a good jacket! We had a very personable guide, Ricky, however with some back luck, hail, and short time, we were unable to visit the whole area. Definitely hope to come back here some day. |
And the Rest of the Rock of Cashel Story
Arrival in Kinsale
We checked into our hotel, The Friar's Lodge, before heading out to a group dinner at Crackpots. This was my favorite overall group meal. After dinner, we headed to Kitty O'Shea's Pub to enjoy a pint and some Irish music.
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After the Rock of Cashel, we continued on our way to the small port town of Kinsale. Along the way, we learned an Irish pub song, "Johnny Jump Up," which we were able to sing along with at the pub later that night with Liam "O" and Ger D. Kinsale was the only town in which we had a little trek from our bus parking to the hotel - about 5 or 10 minute walk with our luggage. I found my backpack carry-on bag convenient for this.
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Getting to Know Kinsale
Ever heard of Shiny Eggs? And no, I'm not talking Pokemon. According to local expert, Don, Shiny Eggs came about as a manner of preserving eggs for travel across the ocean. County Cork, where Kinsale is located, is known for its butter (Irish butter is AMAZING!). Being a harbor town, many boats would restock here before heading out into the great unknown. It was found that if you coated fresh eggs in a thin layer of butter, they would last longer. (The secret is that the butter coats the porous shell keeping the air out of the egg - which is why bad eggs float.)
Charles Fort
Charles Fort is a star-shaped fort on the southern edge of Kinsale Harbor. It was built in the 1670's and was an active British military fort until 1921. At this time, due to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, it was taken over by the Irish until it was burned in the Irish Civil war. At this time, it fell out of use. It was named a National Monument of Ireland in 1971 and is now operated and cared for by the Office of Public Works.
Our guide, William, taught us all about the fort, see the floor plan above, and what life was like for soldiers in the fort.
Our guide, William, taught us all about the fort, see the floor plan above, and what life was like for soldiers in the fort.
After the visit to Charles Fort, some members of the group joined Declan for a 45-minute walk back to Kinsale. The Scilly walk provided some beautiful views of Kinsale Harbor, Charles Fort, and the smaller, older James Fort.
Following the Scilly walk, we enjoyed some fish and chips at The Pantry, explored Kinsale Harbor, and then enjoyed a nice dinner at Jim Edwards. We finished the evening with Cork Gin & tonics and a pint or two at Kitty O'Shea's.
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