DUBLIN-11/2014

This was not my first trip to the emerald isle and probably wont be my last. Ireland has a magical quality about it that seems to call me back, could be my Irish heritage but me thinks it's something deeper within my soul. This was my first trip to the East coast and the capital city of Dublin.

Saw this vintage travel poster in a gift shop at Trinity College.

I can never resist the combination of street art and cyclists.

Traditionally in Irish culture, the public house served as a meeting place for local communities to gather and was often part-shop and part-pharmacy too.
We loved the name of this pub and when we stopped in for a pint late Saturday evening the entire bar was singing "Massachusetts" (Bee Gees).  We felt so welcome.

The Custom House is a neoclassical 18th-century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

After a day of torrential rain we experienced a delightful sunset as a backdrop to The Liffey River and the Ha'penny Bridge.

The Ha'penney Bridge  (officially the Liffey Bridge), is a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland.

Early morning ramble...local street art

shadows

Remnants of yesterdays rain....

Chimneys

The Rotunda Maternity Hospital (1748) was for a time the largest maternity hospital in the world.

O'Connell Street

Trinity College founded by Queen Elizabeth in 1592, is the oldest university in Ireland and extends over 40 acres in a unique site in the heart of Dublin.  The College Library is one of the largest in Europe.  Among its treasures is the famous 8th century illuminated Irish manuscript, the Book of Kells, which is housed in the Long Room in the Old Library.

Sam and Allana in the Long Room, Old Library. The real reason I came to Dublin was to visit my son Sam who is studying at Trinity, seeing him in this library was a high point of my trip.

Dublin Castle

Night time in Dublin

On Saturday we took a train to Greystones, a coastal town south of Dublin and walked to the next town Brey.

The Cliff Walk is about 7 kilometres long, follows the coastline and boasts some of the most amazing views of the East Coast. It was awesome!

Rocks on the beach in Brey

It's Sunday morning and we're catching a train to Belfast. There was so much more I intended to see while in Dublin...guess a return trip is in order.