Dublin
Dublin was our first thematic international trip for the Hadlands and Morgans to celebrate Carter’s and Mitch’s birthdays. Carter’s birthday is March 15th, and Mitch’s is the 19th – so Dublin for Saint Patrick’s day was a perfect day and place to celebrate. The crew for this trip would be me, Carter, Rhone, Jim, Mitch, and Bill VanSickle.
We planned our stay at the Temple Bar hotel, which we thought was above the famous Temple Bar. We learned upon arrival that the area was called Temple Bar and that the hotel was a couple of blocks away. Given the raucous experience of St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, this proved to be a fortunate mistake. The Morgans stayed at The Morgan, of course, next door to us.
Exploring Dublin and Temple Bar
Carter’s Birthday Dinner
After a first great day and evening in Dublin, we set out to explore the bars and quaff Guinness.
Near our hotel, we found The Place Bar. It’s been operating for 201 years as of our visit. The seating has not changed.
Now off to explore Temple Bar road. Now this was the 16th and the streets and bars were packed beyond anything I have ever seen.
St. Patrick’s Day
We hit it pretty hard on the 16th, so a proper Irish breakfast was in order to start our day.
We found The Stage Door Cafe, run by an old, crusty chef who would curse at you and tell you what you were going to eat. There was no ordering. His younger partner would stand by the door, hurling insults at tourists, mocking the Dutch, and daring them not to dine. They had interesting condiments, usually good.
Guinness Tour
I had arranged for a lengthy four-hour tour of the Guinness brewery.
The tour started in the original Guinness family home on site.
After 2 hours of touring the brewing operations, it was time for pouring lessons and tasting.
After the tour, we explored more of Dublin, and had a relatively quiet night given our libations the prior evening and the absolute madness of The Temple Bar district on St. Patrick’s Day. We properly celebrated at the brewery.
Trinity Library and The Book of Kells
Next it was time for history and culture. We set off for Trinity College to visit the famous library and see the Book of Kells. I love the history of illuminated manuscripts and was excited to see this tome in person.
The Book of Kells is kept in a museum, and once a week, they rotate a single page of the book for display.
The Book of Kells is a richly illustrated, ornate manuscript of the four Gospels of the New Testament, created around 800 CE by Celtic monks and now housed at Trinity College Dublin. It is considered a masterpiece of Western calligraphy and biblical illumination, known for its elaborate decoration, intricate designs, and vibrant use of color. Its creation is thought to have started at the monastery on the Scottish island of Iona and was likely completed in Kells, Ireland, after the monks fled a Viking raid.
Next up Trinity Library. The Library of Trinity College Dublin, informally known as the Old Library, is the main library that serves Trinity College, and is the largest library in Ireland. It is a legal deposit or “copyright library”, which means that publishers in Ireland must deposit a copy of all their publications there without charge.
After the obligatory bit of culture and history, it was off to the oldest pub in Ireland. The Brazen Head has been operating since 1198!
While walking the streets of Dublin, we came across many squares with bronzed objects in situ. These are ancient relics recovered during construction and renovation, and are placed in these squares to memorialize them.
We were next off to visit the Jameson Distillery.
After the tour, Jim and I set off in search of cocktails. We then found a lovely, quaint Italian restaurant for dinner.
Rock of Cashel, Cork, and The Blarney Stone
The next day, we hired a car and set off for Cork. The trip is described in the post below.
That evening, we found a restaurant called The Ivy. It had lovely decor and excellent food. I must say I am rather fond of Irish cuisine.
The Giant’s Causeway
On our final day, we hired a car to Northern Ireland and the Giant’s Causeway.
Well, our first Hadland-Morgan clan International fathers ‘ and sons’ trip was a great success. We toured beautiful Ireland, sipped local libations, experienced art, culture, and history, and received the gift of gab from The Blarney Stone, all while witnessing where giants were said to have moved the earth in legendary battles. It was a great birthday trip for all the boys, one of many to come.
Cheers, TheHad 🩵
Great descriptions of a great trip!