St. Patrick's Cathedral -- Dublin

St. Patrick's Cathedral and Park

 St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the largest church in Ireland and believed to be the earliest Christian site in Ireland where St. Patrick baptized converts.  Interestingly, Dublin has two cathedrals that belong to the Church of Ireland and they act as co-cathedrals for the city.  The Archbishop of Dublin has his official seat in the other one, Christ Church Cathedral Dublin.

Christ Church is the official Cathedral of the Dublin Diocese, while St. Patrick’s is considered the National Cathedral.

St. Patrick’s has had a church on this site since the fifth century.  A wooden building stood here until 1191 when the church was granted collegiate status.  It reached official cathedral status in 1224.  The present building was built between 1191 and 1270.

During the 1860s, the building was believed to be in danger of collapsing and a major rebuilding project by Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness resulted in the Gothic Revival building we see today.  Unfortunately, failure to preserve records during this time means that it is difficult to discern which parts of the building are actually medieval and which is part of the Victorian remodeling.

Nave of St. Patrick's Cathedral

On June 6-7, 2015, the cathedral celebrates the 150-year anniversary of the Benjamin Lee Guinness restoration. 

Currently, it is also the location for the celebration of Remembrance Day in November hosted by the Royal British Legion and attended by the President of Ireland.

The building has served as both a Roman Catholic and an Anglican church (its current status).  Worship services are still held daily.

Download the free app St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin before touring the site.  Visit here for a beautiful 360-degree tour of the nave.

Interesting Historical Notes

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, served as Dean (head) of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. His grave can be seen on floor of the cathedral located almost immediately to your right as you enter the cathedral from the southwest porch.  

Jonathan Swift's grave

Here you find not only Swift’s grave but that of his long-time companion, Esther Johnson, aka Stella.  On the wall nearby, you will find Swift’s Latin epitaph to the two of them and a bust of Swift.

The first ever performance of Handel’s Messiah was performed here in 1742.  The composition is on display in a glass case in the cathedral.

As a show of disrespect, Oliver Cromwell stabled his army’s horses in the nave of the cathedral during his stay in Dublin in 1649.

Before the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871, the installation ceremony for the Knights of St. Patrick had been held in the cathedral since 1783.  Although the ceremony was moved to St. Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle, the heraldic banners of the knights at the time of the move still hang above the choir stalls.

St. Patrick's Cathedral and Park

St. Patrick’s Park, the expanse of green beside the cathedral, was a crowded slum until it was cleared and its residents ejected in the early 20^th century.  A stone in the park marks the spot of the “holy well” where tradition says St. Patrick baptized his converts.  A Celtic cross on display in the cathedral and uncovered in the garden next door is believed to have covered this well.

Also note the door with a hole, the Door of Reconciliation.  It is through this hole that Lord Kildare chanced his arm in an attempt to shake hands with his enemy Lord Ormonde.

The elaborate Boyle Monument was erected in 1632 by Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork, as a tribute to his family.  The kneeling five-year-old boy is his son Robert Boyle, who grew up to become the famous scientist for whom Boyle’s Law is named relating to the pressure and volume of gases.

The St. Patrick’s Choir School was established in 1432 and is an all-male choir that still recruits young men.  The choir itself actually dates to 1220.

The Organ of St. Patrick’s Cathedral has over 4,000 pipes and parts of it date to 1695. 

Visit here for an in-depth view of the cathedral’s history via a timeline, a video gallery, and cathedral tales.

Guinness Storehouse -- Dublin, Ireland

Barrels of Guinness Beer

One simply cannot think of Dublin without envisioning a traditional Irish pub…and a dark pint of Guinness that inevitable is associated with it.  All that bubbly brew is produced right in the heart of Dublin at the St. James’s Gate Brewery…one of the largest (and most famous) breweries in the world.

The Guinness Storehouse is the seven-story building located at the center of the brewery that has been remodeled inside to resemble a giant pint of Guinness where all floors are designed around a central glass atrium mirroring the shape of the famous pint.  If full the ‘atrium’ pint would hold 14.3 million glasses of the black brew.

The storehouse was once the fermentation plant, but today entertains visitors by acquainting them with every aspect of the famous stout’s production; from making the beer barrels in the cooperage to the creation of the world famous brand.  It is a rich history indeed.

One will even learn how to properly pour a beer.  (A ‘perfect’ pour of Guinness should take 199.5 seconds at a 45-degree angle.)  Watch this video to see how a master brewer pours a pint—How to Pour a Perfect Pint of Guinness (2:22)

Guinness's signature dark brew

Guinness stout is made from four natural ingredients—water, barley, hops and yeast.  The interactive self-guided experience allows visitors to view the brewing process first-hand, smell the hops, touch the barley, hear the waterfalls, and learn every aspect of the brewing process from recipe to marketing.  Inside the Guinness Storehouse – Ingredients and Waterfall (0:30)

The highlight of the tour for many is the opportunity at the end of the tour to partake in a freshly-brewed pint of world-renowned Guinness beer at the Gravity Bar and the 360-degree panoramic views across Dublin from the top floor.  Inside the Guinness Storehouse – The Gravity Bar (0:35)

Founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness, the operation has expanded over the years down to the River Liffey and across both sides of the street and at one point had its own railway.  A giant gate once stretched across James Street…hence the name of the brewery.

Guinness was originally called Porter and then Stout Porter, before its name changed in the 18th century.  In the 1930s, Guinness employed over 5,000 workers.  With industrialization of the process, the company employs about 600 people, but still produces 2.5 million pints of stout every day.

Join National Geographic as they explore Guinness Beer (45:33) in this documentary.

What to Expect

Guinness Storehouse Gravity Bar

Upon entering the pint glass-shaped building, visitors find themselves in the Atrium on the ground floor.  Here they find the extensive retail store and the beginning of the interactive exhibit, including the company’s 9,000 year lease.

After getting familiar with the main ingredients in Guinness, people are directed to the next level to learn about the brewing process and the different variations of Guinness that are on the market.  Floors 2 through 6 take visitors on an interesting journey back in time to discover the history behind Arthur Guinness, the company and the Guinness Storehouse itself.

By the time visitors reach the 7th and final floor, they will be caught back up to the present and ready to enjoy their pint of the legendary brew in the Gravity Bar.

Dublin Castle -- Dublin, Ireland

Round Tower at Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle, currently a working Irish government building, has served as a prison, the treasury, a military fortress, and court of law over the last 700 years.  In addition it served as the seat of administration of the English government in Ireland until the formation of the Republic of Ireland in 1921. 

Today the sprawling complex of historic buildings is used for important state receptions and Presidential Inaugurations every seven years.  Every ten years, the castle serves as the central base as Ireland hosts the European Presidency.  On occasions, Dublin Castle may close on very short notice for state business.

Located in the heart of historic Dublin, it was built in the 13^th century on a site originally settled by Vikings and has been remodeled numerous times over the centuries.  It includes the State Apartments (built as the residential quarters of the Viceregal court), Undercroft (where portions of the Viking fortress and the 13^th century castle are on view), Chapel Royal, the Chester Beatty Library, the Revenue Museum, Craft Shop, Heritage Centre, and restaurant.

Dublin Castle Drawing Room

The castle features amazing architecture, as well as intriguing exhibits, artifacts, and state treasures.  Places of note inside the State Apartments are the State Corridor, the State Drawing Room, the Throne Room, the Picture Gallery or State Dining Room, the Bedford Tower, and the beautiful St. Patrick’s Hall, the grandest room in the State Apartments used for presidential inaugurations.

The castle stands on the rim of a strategic site at the junction of the River Liffey and its now underground tributary, the River Poddle, where an original fortification may have been an early Gaelic ring fort.  The Great Courtyard today corresponds with these early fortifications and with the Record Tower as the last intact medieval tower in Dublin.

The city gets its name from Gaelic ‘Dubh Linn,’meaning Black Pool or Black Water, which was on the site of the present Castle garden.  Of note, the Irish crown jewels were stolen from the castle in 1907 and have never been recovered.

Dublin Castle Throne Room

Dublin Castle has appeared in numerous films including Barry Lyndon, Michael Collins, Becoming Jane and The Medallion, as well as the television series The Tudors, where it doubled as the Vatican in the pilot.

Roll your mouse over this interactive map of Dublin Castle to learn more about its various buildings.  Click on the links to the left on this site to learn more about specific areas.  Read Dublin Castle’s complete history.

Watch these videos to get an overview of the Dublin Castle complex:

A Dublin Castle for the Irish Knights (2:36)

Travel Dublin, Ireland—Dublin Castle (0:56)

Irish National Anthem at Presidential Inauguration—Dublin Castle (1:14)  'Amhrán na bhFiann' played out in St. Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle as Michael D. Higgins is inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland in 2011.

Book of Kells--Dublin, Ireland

The Book of Kells -- Christ Enthroned

The Book of Kells is Ireland’s most treasured medieval artifact.  It is recognized as possibly the finest illustrated manuscript from medieval Europe.

It is generally accepted that the document was produced in the scriptorium of a monastery on the Isle of Iona, Scotland, to honor Saint Columba in the early 8^th century.  It was later moved to Kells, Ireland, by the Columban monks after a Viking raid in 806 AD.  It is possible the monks may have worked on the manuscript at both locations.

The document was then stolen in the 11^th century and the cover, which likely was covered in gold and precious jewels, was torn off and the manuscript thrown into a ditch.  Although the book suffered some water damage it is still in remarkable condition.  The cover has never been found.

In 1541, at the height of the English Reformation, the book was taken by the Roman Catholic Church for safekeeping, but was returned to Ireland in the 17^th century.  It was in the collection of Archbishop James Ussher when he died and given to Trinity College by his nephew Henry Jones where it remains today in the Old Library on campus.

Since 1953, the manuscript has been bound in four volumes.  On any given day, Trinity College Library will display two of the volumes, one opened to a fully illuminated folio while the other is opened to typical text pages.

The Book of Kells on display at Trinity College, Dublin

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript which contains the four Gospels in Latin according to the Vulgate text which St. Jerome completed in 384 AD, intermixed with readings from the earlier Old Latin translation. 

The Gospel texts are prefaced by other texts, including “canon tables,” or concordances of Gospel passages common to two or more of the evangelists; summaries of the gospel narratives (Breves causae); and prefaces characterizing the evangelists or authors (Argumenta)—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The book is written on vellum (prepared calfskin) in a bold and expert version of the script known as “insular majuscule.”  It contains 340 folios (680 individual pages), now measuring approximately 330 x 250 mm.  Over the years the pages have been severely trimmed, and their edges gilded, in the course of rebinding in the 19^th century.

Ten different colors were used in the illumination using Celtic motifs and Christian symbolism, some of which cover entire pages while other pages have illuminated characters.  Only two of the pages have no illumination at all. 

Some of the colors are rare and had to be imported from the continent, and some of the workmanship is so fine that it can only clearly be seen with a magnifying glass. 

To learn more about the Book of Kells, watch this 7-part documentary.

Part 1 (9:56)

Part 2 (9:57)

Part 3 (9:56)

Part 4 (9:57)

Part 5 (9:57)

Part 6 (9:51)

Part 7 (8:25)

Trinity College Library Dublin has made the Book of Kells free to view online in its entirety through its Digital Collection.   

In 2009, an animated feature, The Secret of Kells, was released depicting a mystical tale of the making of the book.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Old Library at Trinity College