May 5-15 we visited Ireland for our second time (Bob's third). Rose and I traveled there in late May 1997 to celebrate our 25th anniversary. This trip's actual tour started on our 43d anniversary on May 6. We were fortunate to travel with old friends Pat and Katie Coakley. Below are representative pictures of the trip. We should have taken notes along the way as I don't remember many of the monuments and buildings that are in these pictures! Enjoy and Slainte'
Many pictures and I'll add more captions over the next few days so check back.
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| Pat poses next to James Joyce statue in St. Stephens Square in Dublin on our first venture out |
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| Trinity College library. Sadly, the Book of Kells exhibit was closed |
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| The center of Trinity College |
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| Lively entertainment in the city center of Dublin |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin |
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| The preschool was noticeable! |
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| The Customs House in Dublin |
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| The entry gate to Dublin Castle |
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| A chair specially built for a King's visit |
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| Restored ceiling in Dublin Castle |
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| One of three major ceiling murals in the great hall of Dublin Castle portrays St. Patrick bringing Christianity to the people |
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| There we are, wearing our tour badges |
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| THIS was our first pub meal and very good it was, especially the sea food chowder! |
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| Our first, correct that, our second pub meal and drink was at Davey Byrnes pub |
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| A bridge across the River Liffey. Viewed from the right angle you can tell it is representative of the harp, Ireland's national symbol |
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| We traveled north out of Dublin on the coast through the Nine Glens on to Down and then Belfast |
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| One of many bottlenecks on the narrow Ireland roads |
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| The pipe organ in Downpatrick Cathedral |
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| Stained glass depiction of St. Patrick |
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| Downpatrick Cathedral was one of the first known locations of St. Patrick's travels across Ireland to convert the Celts to Christianity |
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| The Penannular Brooch at the Downpatrick visitor center |
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| On the road again |
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| A view of the cliff over Belfast that is alleged to inspire Jonathan Swift to write Gulliver's Travels. The notch on the right is the chin and the v-shaped mark in the center is the eye looking up with an eyebrow just to the left. |
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| Our first sighting of the Redmond name was this poster at the Titanic exhibit. |
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| The Titanic museum was most impressive. These posts represent how high the main structure was and it went to the end of this pier. The people on the bottom of this picture give some scale. |
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| The Titanic exhibit was great and its architecture captured the bow and actual height of the massive vessel from all four corners of view. |
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| A Belfast public building |
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| Queens College in Belfast. Really beautiful architecture |
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| A mural in Protestant section of Belfast extolling the virture of English rule |
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| Murals all over Belfast. This one speaks of Travellers, Ireland's form of gypsy |
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| One of many memorials to those killed in bombings and shootings in Belfast |
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| One view of the wall constructed to separate the Catholic and Protestant sections of Belfast |
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| We were in Belfast on VE day and were caught in traffic with parades |
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| There were literally dozens of groups representing small sections of Belfast and surrounding areas. Each had their own banner with marchers following usually a fife and pipe troup |
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| Can't remember but I think this was once a bank now converted to a hotel |
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| The bloody hand in the grill work is the symbol of Ulster. The legend says two kings vying for that territory had a race and the first to touch the land would reign. They were both close and together so the winner cut his hand off and threw it on land to claim the first to touch! |
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| Again, can't remember the name of this church |
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| The largest Celtic cross in Ireland |
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| One of dozens of murals in this very small back alley of Belfast |
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| This small portion depicts a stauch supporter of the English crown rule |
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| The amazing street art in this small back alley behind the Hotel Europa which was bombed repeatedly through the 'troubles.' |
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| Check out the date on this tavern |
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| Pat and I went to Fibber Magee's pub. This group was near us and celebrating the 40th birthday of the girl in the middle of this picture. Very nice people and the guys were totally fascinated with my hat and asked to wear it and have pictures taken |
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| An example of our weather on a few days |
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| We had a potty stop along the way at a nice little village. I decided to strik a pose. |
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| An interesting tidbit at the stop |
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| Katie and Rose with our tour guide Michael |
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| Our first look at the Giant's Causeway |
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| You can't tell by this picture on the Giant's Causeway but the wind was howling |
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| A great display of vertical hexagonal vocanic formations at the Causeway |
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| Note the path and steps going up the side of the hill at the Causeway |
