Day 5 – Dublin, Ireland

Dublin, a city of close to one million people, is Ireland’s largest city and serves as its capital. Early this morning the Jewel of the Seas entered the largest port we have seen yet – a port that has suffered greatly from the recession, but is still busy with container ships generating the primary activity. The Guinness brewery is one of the world’s largest and is Ireland’s largest private employer. Trinity College, which houses Ireland’s world famous “Book of Kells” (an 8th century illustrated manuscript of the Gospels ) is also in this city, and therein lay the dilemma – Guinness or Kells – Guinness or Kells??? ‘Twas easily solved. Dad went to Guinness and the girls went to view the Book of Kells. Both tours gave us a chance to see the city with its contrast of the very old with the modern. Dublin is still haunted by the memories of the Great Famine, but is also aware of the financial and cultural benefits of having joined the European Union. The River Liffey runs through the city and is crossed by 11 bridges, one of which is brand new and built to represent a harp, which is both the symbol of Guinness and of Ireland. (Guinness had it first and refused to let Ireland adopt it as the national symbol unless they turned it to face the opposite direction!)
The Guinness Storehouse (now a museum) is a seven story tower, the floors of which trace the brewing process and history of Guinness Stout. The seventh floor is a circular glass bar where guests are served a complimentary brew at the end of the tour. It is also a terrific location from which to view a panorama of the city and to photograph some of the most notable landmarks.
The girls tour was blessed with a tour guide who interpreted the city of Dublin non-stop all the way to Dublin Castle, the first stop. The Castle has been devastated by several fires, and has been renovated to resemble less a castle, but with many of the same features and rooms of the old building. Next was Trinity College (Dublin University) and the “Book of Kells”. The first room presented the history of this illustrated manuscript and then led to the “Treasury” which actually houses the “Book”. A staircase led to “the long room” which serves as Trinity College’s library, housing around 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. This library houses a copy of every book ever copyrighted in England and Ireland – a magnificent hall, but no photographs allowed! Marina and Jessika confessed to me that they had both had a lot of “crack” (actually, “craik” – the Irish word for fun, but they had me going for a minute!).
The ship is feeling more and more like a floating home, and the afternoon offered lunch, some pool time, and just sheer relaxation! A show tonight features Jacqui Scott, leading lady from ‘Evita’, ‘Cats’, and ‘Miss Saigon’.