Dublin Long Weekend (Part II)

Our long weekend in Dublin continued with lots of strolling around the city and ended with a day trip to the amazing archaeological sites of Tara and Newgrange!

Walking along Grafton Street

On Sunday morning, all four of us stopped by the Queen of Tarts for breakfast (again!) before wandering further into the centre of Dublin on foot. We first headed to Merrion Square, a Georgian square and public park surrounded by Georgian redbrick townhouses on three sides. The park is enclosed and feels like a small retreat in the city.

Then we walked a bit further over to another Georgian square in the area, St Stephen's Green. We wandered past the duckpond as a rain shower started, a frequent occurrence during our weekend in Ireland. Luckily the sky cleared shortly after, just as we walked past the gardens and water fountain, with just enough time to take our only group photo of the trip!

Continuing our epic wander we walked along Grafton Street, one of the main shopping streets in Dublin. The street is pedestrianized so it's perfect for an afternoon stroll while stopping to check out some of the buskers. As we made our way back to the Temple Bar area, we popped into the National Library of Ireland and checked out an exhibit called Midland-LÁR TÍRE: Cycling the MGWR from Past to Present by Pamela De Brí. She set out to cycle and photograph over 1000 km of the former Midland and Great Western Railway. She re-photographed stations that were captured in the work of James O'Dea between 1937 and 1977. The comparative photos were interesting but we were expecting a bit more from the gallery as it was recommended on our walking tour.

We then continued onto O'Connell Street on the North side of the River Liffy to check out the area and see the Spire of Dublin up close.

The Spire was built in the early 2000s and cost the city 4 million dollars. The intention was to help revitalize O'Connell Street, but according to our guide on the walking tour we completed, it doesn't seem like Dubliners are very fond of it. 

After working up an appetite from meandering through the city centre all morning, we were ready for lunch. We booked a table at Elephant & Castle and ran off to grab a quick pint of Guinness before our reservation. We settled on a pub in Temple Bar which had three local musicians playing traditional music in the corner of the pub, a session. The atmosphere was great and we really enjoyed an afternoon pint.

Lunch at Elephant and Castle was delicious, although they seem to be quite busy and popular. We then concluded our own self-directed walking tour of Dublin by making our way back to the apartment. Unfortunately, Luke's mom and sister had to catch a flight on Sunday evening so we spent a bit of time with them back at the apartment before they left. We had a great time with them in Dublin and were really sad to see them go! No doubt more trips like this will be happening in the future.

And then we were two! We took it easy on Sunday evening, going out for a late dinner at a tasty Korean restaurant in preparation for our day trip outsid of Dublin. On Monday morning, we got up decently early and headed out to catch our bus for the Mary Gibbons Tour of Newgrange and the Hill of Tara. We drove north from Dublin and straight into the Irish countryside of County Meath.

45 minutes later we arrived at the Hill of Tara, a former religious and political centre from the Neolithic period. The archaeological site contains numerous ancient monuments such as earthworks, a passage tomb, and a standing stone which was believed to be the "Stone of Destiny". This stone is believed to be the location of the coronation of 142 High Kings. From this vantage point you have a 360 degree view and can supposedly see 23 of Ireland's 32 counties! It was spectacular but tough to capture on camera. 

After a little introduction to the site, we were given an hour to walk around, over mounds of earth and down to a well on the other side of the site. The site was impressive and we were surprised to hear that the passage tomb, the Mound of the Hostages, was built around 3400 BC! The rain threatened but conveniently held off until we piled back into the bus. 

We continued our journey further into the Boyne Valley, listening to information about a famous battle in 1690 as we drove along. We then drove through the Georgian village of Slane before arriving at a farm for a bit of lunch and a break. As we got back on the bus, the weather threatened us again but we were happy to arrive at the main stop of the day, Newgrange, without any trouble.

Newgrange is the most well-known passage tomb in Ireland and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It dates back to 3200 BC, meaning that it is approximately 500 years older that Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza! The tour guide started with a brief introduction of the site outside the tomb and then we were split into two groups - half went inside the passage tomb, and half stayed outside. We were in the group that went inside the tomb first, and it was amazing. The passage tomb is approximately 80 metres in diameter and has one, impressively decorated, entrance. There are theories about the meaning of the carvings but we will never know what it meant to those people.

Unfortunately, we weren't permitted to take photos inside but Elizabeth bought six cheap postcards at the ticket booth for 50 cents each which show the inside of the tomb (click picture to enlarge).

It was a tight squeeze to get into the passage tomb and once you arrive in the main chamber, there are three additional recesses where human remains were placed. A corbelled roof encloses the chamber and, without any modifications or supports added to the chamber since it was discovered, this chamber is still waterproof. There are additional engravings on the inside of the passage tomb which are unfortunately accompanied by some graffiti.

Like many people of the time, the people who constructed this were also fascinated by astronomy and the sun. One of the most amazing features of the tomb is that at dawn on the Winter Solstice sunlight enters the chamber through the small opening above the passage entrance, illuminating the chamber. This represented rebirth in the afterlife and the beginning of the new year. For the rest of the year, the tomb is completely dark. The tour guide replicated what it would look like for light to enter the chamber in that way.  Our entire time inside of the passage tomb was unforgettable and it is hard to believe that this structure was built 5000 years ago and has stood the test of time. 

It was then our turn to go outside and check out the outside of the passage tomb. Shortly after we got outside, the rain started to pour and hail started to fall. Needless to say it was hard to take photos/video with our camera but we did manage a selfie before it got too crazy.

By the end of the nasty weather, we were soaking wet and freezing because unfortunately there is no shelter on the site at all; we dried off a little on our way to the Visitor's Centre. We went straight for the cafeteria and ended up spending so much time eating and chatting that we didn't have enough time to see the exhibits! We were then picked up by the bus and made it back to Dublin before 5 pm. It was a great day out.

We finished up our time in Dublin with a dinner at Wagamama and one last Guinness at a pub in Temple Bar. We departed for St. John's on Tuesday morning after an awesome weekend in Dublin that we won't soon forget!

In case you missed Part I of our blog post about Dublin, check it out here:
Dublin Long Weekend (Part I)

And here is the video we made of our trip:

Here are more photos from the second half of our long weekend in Dublin: