Libraries and Gardens and Cathedrals - Oh My!

As I've mentioned before, our family visited Ireland a few years ago, but we stayed in and around Shannon, and didn't stray far from the west coast. The 2 "biggies" on my list that were out of reach then were the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, and the Book of Kells in Dublin. I finally got to see the former on 7th April, and the latter on 11th May.

The Book of Kells dates back to about 800, and is a lavishly decorated copy, in Latin, of the 4 Gospels. Before we saw the real thing, there was a very interesting exhibition on the production of illuminated manuscripts. Afterwards, we climbed the stairs and walked through the Long Room, which is also part of the Old Library at Trinity College. And, as is usually the case, the exit was through...the gift shop.



In the afternoon it was time to divide and conquer. Dave headed off for a pub where he could do some work and then watch a Premier League football match on the last day of the season. I spent several hours in the Sacred Traditions Gallery at the Chester Beatty Library. Included among its treasures are beautiful illuminated copies of the Qur'an, scrolls and artwork from eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, and fragments of biblical manuscripts that date all the way back to between 150 and 250. That's old!



After a rainy morning and a cloudy afternoon on Saturday, our next 2 days in Dublin were gorgeous. On Sunday, we walked back to our hotel via St. Stephen's Green.



And on Monday, we walked back to our hotel via Merrion Square. I'd like to think that I'll return home a much more inspired gardener, but I'm not holding my breath....



If Sunday was Library Day, then Monday was Cathedral Day. I usually don't pay much attention to the monuments, but one in St. Patrick's Cathedral was rather appropriate. The Boyle monument is for Richard Boyle and his wife. Along the bottom are statues of their children, and this figure in the middle is their son Robert, a chemist and physicist. (Remember Boyle's Law? Of course you do! For a fixed amount of gas at a fixed temperature, pressure and volume are inversely proportional. Mathematically, that's PV = k.) Dave's grandfather, father, and mother are all chemists. This monument reminded us that Dave was jokingly told that if he didn't want to be a chemist, he at least had to marry one. So he did.



Every cathedral has a baptismal font. Some are rather plain and attract very little attention, while others are very ornate and/or of great historical importance. (At Norwich Cathedral, the font is made from 2 large copper bowls that came from the local chocolate factory when it closed down!) Dave and I were really impressed with this one in Christ Church Cathedral. It is made out of marbles from all over Ireland, and each different colour is a different piece of marble.



So there you have it - 2 libraries, 2 gardens, 2 cathedrals, 2 days.

Easter Guinness?

Dave and I visited Dublin last weekend. We started our Saturday with the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour. Lorcan Collins (below), co-author of The Easter Rising: A Guide to Dublin in 1916, was our guide. As we strolled to various sites around the city, we learned about the history of Ireland's struggle for independence.



Lorcan passionately brought numerous places and people to life over a period of 2 hours. Our tour ended at the GPO (General Post Office) in O'Connell Street, where Padraic Pearse first read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic to the public on Easter Monday (24th April) 1916.



From there we walked along the River Liffey, passing the Ha'penny Bridge and taking the obligatory photo of this much loved symbol of Dublin.



We next stopped at Dublin's most popular international tourist attraction.



This building was a working fermentation plant from 1904 to 1988, and reopened as a "visitor experience" in 2000. We learned about the brewing process (again), but more interesting to us was the actual footage of coopers making wooden casks. It was a fine art that has now been lost.



We finally reached the Gravity Bar on level 7 to enjoy our complimentary pint. There we also took in a panoramic view of Dublin that included the rest of the St. James's Gate Brewery, where Guinness has been produced since 1759.

Evolution

Mark is the director of CREST (Centre for Research in Evolution, Search & Testing) at King's College London. He's also the person for whom Dave made Dalek cookies! (See "The Doctor" from 4th May.) Given that the "E" stands for evolution, Mark thought his group of CRESTies would enjoy visiting the home of Charles Darwin, which is an easy journey from London by train and then bus. He planned the trip for last Thursday, and 13 people were able to participate.

Charles and Emma Darwin moved to Down House in 1842. It was here that they raised their 10 children, 7 of whom lived into their adult years. An audio tour led us through several rooms on the ground floor. The most important one is the study (2 windows on right), where Darwin did his scientific research and wrote his Origin of Species. The 3 windows on the left belong to the adjacent billiard room.



At the back of the house, the drawing room is on the left, and the dining room is on the right. All of these rooms have been painstakingly restored to how they would have looked when the Darwins lived there. Up one floor, exhibits explore Charles' early travels on the Beagle, and examine various responses to his work, both then and now. But we also got a glimpse into the life of a loving family, and that gave me a greater appreciation for the man behind the theory.



The extensive grounds include beautiful gardens...



...and a peaceful area in which to eat lunch. Cu, who is kneeling, took this group picture using the timer on his camera!



Finally, we were able to stroll along the Sandwalk at the back of the property. Darwin was a man with a set routine, and he visited this "thinking path" 3 times a day for exercise. For such a quiet person, he certainly made a very loud impact.