After eating breakfast at our hotel we headed out for the day, crossed over the Liffey on the Sean O’Casey Footbridge and made straight for the Archaeology Museum. This is one of my very favorite places in Dublin. The Archaeology Museum has an absolutely spectacular collection of Irish History from the very early days of habitation. You can explore the Viking era, the Celts, historic artifacts, brilliant metal work and even people discovered in the bogs of Ireland.
An example of a gold artifact with superb craftsmanship. You can see the twining vines and the intricate closure.
Loved this beautifully carved piece with soldiers and horses.
This is an example of one of the famous bog people discovered preserved by the acidity of the bog. They are able to learn so much about these people from the remains. Really fascinating.
Our next stop was the Science Gallery At Trinity University. This is also the location of the famous Book of Kells and the Trinity Library but we had visited them on our last trip. The Book of Kells is one of the highlights of Dublin and a great museum so worth the time. The Science Gallery is not a large space but it houses experiments and exhibits that involve students from the university. The day we visited they had a great exhibit on virtual reality. My husband, the Science Geek, spent a long time chatting with the graduate student on duty and really enjoyed himself. It doesn’t take a lot of time to go through but one of the benefits is access to the very nice cafe that adjoins the Science Gallery. Also has a small but good gift/book shop.
By this time we were getting a little hungry (a lot) and I wanted to try a place I had read about for tea. So, we went to the Library Bar at the Central Hotel. The place was very Victorian and relaxing. Not too crowded with plenty of breathing room between tables.
We had a lovely tea with scones and jam. In fact we had several pots as we were getting our second wind.
After tea we went to the Little Museum. This was one of the highlights of Dublin for us. The Little Museum is in an old house and the exhibits consist of donations from locals. It’s a quite comprehensive look at more modern Irish history specific to Dublin and Dubliners. The other nice thing about this museum is it’s Ambassador program. You can sign up on-line to meet with a volunteer ambassador who will answer questions about Dublin — what to see, where to go, favorite restaurants, etc. over a cup of tea or a beer.
You see the Little Museum with a tour guide. You wouldn’t want it any other way. Our guide, John, was informative, funny, and had great stories about the memorabilia in the museum. This is one museum not to be missed. http://www.littlemuseum.ie
Our ambassador, a lovely young student, suggested we try the Merhant’s Arch for dinner and music. It was located right across from the Ha’Penny Bridge. She advised us to go upstairs for quieter music to accompany dinner. It was great. It’s a pretty big tourist restaurant but the food was good and service great.
We really enjoyed the music and stayed after we had finished eating to enjoy another set. Some Irish tunes as well as American.
The food was fresh and well presented. My husband had the stew and I had a really nice vegetarian pasta.
After dinner and music we walked back to the hotel via the Liffey river walk. It took us past one of the iconic pictures a visitor has of Ireland.
The sculptures are quite famous and one of the things you should really see when in Dublin. We saw them at night, taking a romantic walk. They are quite startling. You see this reminder of what terrible things can be done to a people. I can’t really describe adequately what I felt when we saw these incredibly moving pieces of art. You have to see it for yourself.
Had a night cap at the hotel bar and headed to bed.