On the third day in Dublin, Dad and I got bus passes for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus that goes to most of the important sites in Dublin. We needed to cover more ground because we wanted to make sure we got out to Kilmainham Gaol (the old prison) and to the Old Jameson Distillery. On the way, we hopped off the bus at the Christ Church Cathedral (we couldn’t get to it on the first day because it was surrounded by protesters and demonstrators). This is the not only the oldest church in Dublin, its the oldest building in Dublin. Ruth will like that it is an Episcopal Church.
Below the church, there was a cool crypt area. They had costumes that were worn in the Tudors Showtime drama. I don’t know why, but since Ruth and I were big fans of the show, I took a picture of the costumes.
Also, down in the crypt, there was a mummified cat and mummified rat. Apparently, the cat chased the rat into one of the pipes of the organ in the church and the two of them got trapped in there and perished. Their ill-fated game of cat-and-mouse has been preserved for all time. There was also a coffee shop down in the crypt. Clearly, this was one of the best crypts you could ever hope to visit–and walk away from.
After the church, we hopped back on the bus and got off at Kilmainham Gaol–the old prison. We learned more about the modern history of Ireland from this visit than any where else. The history of Ireland is written on those prison walls. It was opened in 1796 and considered a model in its day. Rather than throwing all the prisoners in one room, this was one of the first prisons to try to separate everyone into their own cells. You can see in the pictures below that the Victorian’s tried to allow light into the prison because they thought light was essential for rehabilitation for the wicked. The reason Kilmainham Gaol stands as a monument now to Ireland is that it was used by the British as a political prison. It has been called the “Irish Bastille.” Many of those who fought for Irish Independence were held and executed there. 40 leaders of the failed Easter Rebellion in 1916 were executed at the prison. Although the Easter Rebellion only lasted about 5 days and accomplished little more than destruction to the center of Dublin, the executions that followed galvanized the Irish people to revolt against the British and they fought from 1918 until a treaty was signed that gave Ireland some independence from Britain in 1923. Then Ireland was in civil war for about a year between those who favored the treaty and those who opposed the treaty. The pro-treaty Irish used the prison to hold anti-treaty rebels. Once the civil war ended in 1924, the prison closed for good. Plus, I understand the acoustics are great in this prison–U2 shot a music video here once.
After all that time in prison, we needed a drink so we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Old Jameson Distillery. Dad and I had a Jameson cocktail while we waited for the distillery tour to begin. The drink is a Jameson Manhattan which adds caramel to the traditional whiskey cocktail. During the tour, I was lucky enough to be selected to compare Scotch, Irish Whiskey and American Whiskey.
We took the bus back to the heart of Dublin so we could stop by and see the statue of James Joyce and the striking Famine Memorial. I called them the “Walking Dead” which is probably not all that respectful, but damn, look at them!
After spending some time with the Famine Statues, my Dad and I felt a bit peckish and ready for a pint so we stopped into a nearby pub called Mulligan’s. My good friend Dan had emailed me once he saw from my Facebook page that I was in Dublin to tell me that someone related to his family owns Mulligan’s and they serve the best pint of Guinness in town (as a footnote, I’ll add that my guidebook suggested Mulligans as one of three pubs to go to if you’re searching for the best pint of Guinness in Dublin). Anyway, after a busy day of touring churches, prisons and distilleries, it was great to take a load off at Mulligans and enjoy a pint. While we were there, Dad and I were finally able to get a picture of the two of us together
What a great visit to Ireland! For both of us, it was our first trip to Ireland. The people there were extremely friendly and seemed to genuinely like Americans. Also, I don’t have photos of it, but each night we stopped by a few pubs because what’s a visit to Dublin without exploring the pubs? We even went into one pub that one of Joyce’s characters in “Ulysses” walked into and described. In Dublin, it’s easy to mix your literature with your Guinness!
For more photos of our last day in Dublin, check out the slideshow below. Also, below the slideshow I put a link to my SmugMug gallery which contains all three days of Ireland in one gallery.
Gallery of all the Ireland Photos