Dublin Ireland

18th & 19th September 2011


Millions of Americans claim either Irish or Scot ancestry.   The name "Tosh" can be traced to clan MacIntosh in the Highlands of Scotland.  For many years, it has been my wish to visit that part of the world to see what my ancestors left behind.  So, upon retiring, we did just that - signed up for a tour.  The company we chose did not offer just Scotland, so we selected a two-week tour titled "The best of Ireland and Scotland."  This blog and the next few will share our experiences.


One of the things that was distinctive about Dublin that I regret not taking pictures of is the front doors.  It is said that during King George (1700's) many of the row houses were built.  Originally, all of the front doors were the same.  When the men came home at night, often in "their cups" they had a hard time distinguishing which house to go into.  The wives got together and painted them all different colors.  One now sees bright red, green, yellow, white, and black doors.  No two doors in the same block are the same color.


Ireland, being an independent nation, is part of the European Union.  The currency is therefore the Euro.  The exchange rate was about $1.50 for each Euro.  We were constantly having to mentally calculate the difference when buying things.

 Dublin Castle:


These are the gates to the castle.  Over the centuries, the castle has evolved from a medieval structure to an 18th century series of buildings.   The gates are off of a busy street and, for the most part, unnoticeable.

The Governor's/President's residence (next picture below) is immediately to the left as you enter.  The structure in front (on the right with the clock tower) houses court rooms and solicitors offices.  The building to the right as you enter the courtyard is Representatives and Departmental offices.  The central courtyard is approximately 100 meters square.

 During the 18th and 19th centuries, this was the official residence of the Governor  appointed by the British crown.  In 1922, Ireland became an Independent nation - no longer governed by Great Britain.  For several years, this was the official residence of the Irish President.  However, he no longer lives here.

This is the entry hall (on the second floor) where Official visitors would be escorted to visit the Governor or President.   Our tour guide indicated that the gold on the ceiling reliefs is 24 carat.

The building that houses various governmental Departments has a gate in the center that leads to a side street.


Notice that the cobble stones of the courtyard date back several centuries and are said to be older than the surrounding buildings.

 St. Patrick's Cathedral:


Dublin is noted for its many churches.  This cathedral has been here since the 1600's


Its exterior is magnificent.  However, we found that after paying thousands of dollars to get there, almost everything cost an extra fee.  They wanted 12 Euro per person to go inside.  So, we enjoyed the exterior.


That is my daughter Jennifer walking towards the camera.

 To the North of the Cathedral was a large beautiful park.


Every day it rains for a while, 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch.  As a result, everything is very green.

 The park has a large fountain in the center.  Because it had just stopped raining a few minutes before, there were not many people in the park.

 The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the architecture.

 The rain squalls, began again as we were leaving the park.

 Christ Church:


The main part of the church is to the right.  The bridge across the street leading to the religious library is an exact replica of the Bridge of Sighs in Italy.

 Here too they were charging admission, 14 Euro per person to tour the church.  We elected not to go into the church.