British Isles Explorer: Dublin, Ireland II (3/29/2022)

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 (continued)

Continuing on the motorcoach tour of Dublin, Ireland, with a second stop at St Patrick's Park:

Literary Parade of Irish Writers (1988) honors the
remarkable number of writers (12) who were born
in Dublin, three of whom were winners of the
Nobel Prize for Literature (KSS)

Each niche held a bronze plaque

Samuel Beckett was one of the winners of the Nobel Prize,
the other two were George Bernard Shaw and W B Yeats

Oscar Wilde

Jonathan Swift

Liberty Bell (1988, by Vivienne Roche)
is a reminder that this area, once outside the
walls of Dublin, is called Liberties

Havel's Place (2013, by Bořek Šípek) honors former Czech
president Václav Havel as a human rights champion,
who was also a writer; with the Czech national tree (linden)
growing within the table that is ringed by a Havel quote:
"Truth and love will win against lies and hate one day"

St Patrick's Cathedral (1220-1259, 1860-1865 restoration
financed by Benjamin Lee Guinness) is located at the site
where St Patrick is said to have baptized converts to
Christianity in 450 CE; it is the national cathedral
of the Church of Ireland (KSS)

Kevin Street Library (1904, by C J McCarthy) was a
purpose-built branch library to provide free access to books

George's Street Arcade (1881, by Lockwood
and Mauson, rebuilt 1894 after a fire)

Christ Church Cathedral (c 1180s, rebuilt 1871-1878, by
George Edmund Street in a mixed Gothic-Romanesque
style, financed by distiller Henry Roe) is also of the
Chuch of Ireland, which follows Anglican principles,
but identifies as Catholic in the tradition of St Patrick

St Patrick's Tower (1757) was a windmill
built to power the Thomas Street Distillery

James Joyce Bridge (2003, by Santiago Calatrava) is
named for the Dublin author

I had to steal a photo of the Samuel Beckett Bridge
(2007-2009, also by Santiago Calatrava), which is meant
to resemble an Irish harp lying on its side; the Irish harp
is one of the symbols of Ireland

There are about two dozen bridges over the River Liffey in Dublin.

Phoenix Park (1747) is the largest enclosed public park
in Europe, and was previously a royal hunting park

Wellington Testimonial (1861, by Robert Smirke)
in honor of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington,
who likely was born in Dublin; the obelisk is the
tallest in Europe, and the bronze plaques are
made from melting cannons captured at Waterloo

The Duke of Wellington is known for his decisive defeat of Napoléon at Waterloo (now in Belgium) in 1815.

Áras an Uachtaráin/Residence (1751)
of the President of Ireland (KSS)

In Phoenix Park, the entrance to the residence
of the United States Ambassador to Ireland

Phoenix Column (1747)

Papal Cross (1979, by Scott Tallon Walker Architects)
is made of steel girders painted white, and was erected
for the visit of Pope John Paul II on the 9/29/1979
where he delivered an open-air sermon

Ashtown Castle (c 1430s) was found hidden
within a Georgian mansion (c 1782) called Ashtown
Lodge that was demolished in 1978 (KSS)

Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden (c 1838)

Espaliered fruit tree

Spring flowers

The auto license plates in Ireland are consistent with
others in the European Union (circle of stars on blue),
but includes the Irish name for Dublin: Baile Átha Cliath

We noticed that all important papers (registration, inspection,
tax, and insurance) are readily visible on the car windshield

Our shore excursion motorcoaches were always the most
modern; wearing seatbelts was required in the UK and Ireland

To clarify, the United Kingdom includes the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain includes England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland. Due to Brexit, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union, but has always had its own currency. Ireland is an independent country that is part of the European Union and uses the Euro as currency.

A glimpse of the vast St James Gate Brewery,
the Guinness beer complex

Ha'penny Bridge (1815-1816) is a pedestrian bridge
that once had a half penny toll to cross

O'Connell Monument (1866-1883, by
John Henry Foley) honors Daniel O'Connell,
known as the Emancipator or the Liberator,
who was best known for campaigning for
Catholic emancipation and for arguing for the
repeal of the Act of Union (1800), which united
Great Britain and Ireland in one 'United Kingdom'

The O'Connell Monument stands at the foot of the O'Connell Bridge, which is as wide as it is long.

The rear of the O'Connell Monument appears
to be where the fast food delivery carriers
congregate to await their next assignment

Rotunda Hospital (founded 1745, built 1751-1757 by
Richard Cassells, as the New Lying-in Hospital,
a purpose-built maternity training hospital)
is still the maternity hospital of choice

On these motorcoach tours, we see much more than we can photograph. Yes, we did pass the General Post Office (1814-1818, by Francis Johnston in Neoclassical style, the last of the great Georgian buildings erected in Dublin). The GPO is better known as the site of the Easter Rising of 1916, the first armed conflict during the Irish revolutionary period. Although other sites in Dublin were involved, it was the General Post Office that was the de facto headquarters and where the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read. Although the Irish rebels were defeated and their leaders executed, the general result was increased sympathy for the rebels by the Irish population.

Embassy of the United States (1962-1964, by
John M Johansen with Michael Scott)

Monkstown Church of Ireland (1823-1831, by John Semple)

Next: Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.