Day 2 in Dublin – Off to Kilkenny Castle

Today was our second day in Dublin, Ireland.  Today we left the city and went on a 9 and a half hour bus tour to the city of Kilkenny, stopping in other small towns along the way.

Our tour guide on the bus was a very nice man named John.  John told us different facts about things we were seeing, was very humorous, and sang some Irish songs to us as he drove!  I thought I would share some of the interesting facts that I learned today.

In 1592, Queen Elizabeth the First founded Trinity College, which presently houses the Book of Kells in its library.  This is an ancient book containing the four gospels, and was written by monks and brightly illuminated with beautiful script.  The college collection also holds a harp known to some as the “Trinity College Harp”.  The harp is Ireland’s national emblem, though many think the national emblem is the shamrock, which is the national flower!

Much of the architecture in Dublin has been influenced by the Georgian style.  A fact I found interesting is that many of the Georgian style homes have wide doors so that, in the past, the ladies’ wide skirts could fit through!  Previously the doors were all painted either black or white, but today they are all painted brightly with different colours.  One theory is that when the men come home from the pub after too much to drink, they were not always able to read the house numbers and they would sometimes go to the wrong house.  But the painted doors are easier to see and to remember, so now the men end up in the correct house!

Quite a few movies were filmed in Ireland, such as “Brave Heart”, “Blue Max”, and “P.S. I Love You”.  Speaking of movies, did you know that Ireland has its own Hollywood sign on Hollywood Hills?

For those of you who love or teach geography, we found out some neat facts about the geography of Ireland.  We were told that the highest mountain in Ireland was 4,414 feet, but with further research, we found that it was 3,406 feet!

There are 3 main water reservoirs in Ireland, but now there is a water shortage in Dublin due to over-pumping as well as an issue where, during a warmer winter, some of the pipes leaked, leaving many houses without water for quite a while!

During the tour, we passed through quite a few small towns and learned some cool things about them! For instance, the town of Roundwood is the highest town in Ireland, at 400 feet!  For those of you who enjoy pubs, be warned…the town of Annamoe doesn’t have any!  Glendalough, or its other name Gleann Da Loch, means valley of the two lakes, because of its upper and lower lakes.

The name of the City of Kilkenny means St. Canice’s church.  When Oliver Cromwell was burning down churches, abbeys, and monasteries during the reformation he didn’t burn down St. Canice’s because he used it as his stable!  Kilkenny Castle was built by Richard de Clare and later owned by James Butler, the 3rd Earl of Ormonde, who then passed the castle down to his heirs until 1935.  For more information on Kilkenny Castle, click here.

Fun Facts

• Bram Stoker, author of the famous novel Dracula, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
• There are lots of sheep and shepherds are very protective of them.

• There are 100 round towers all over the country that were used as bellfries, lookouts, and places of rest.

• The Irish make a lot of money exporting live cattle to the Middle East.  Sometimes there are so many cows they cause traffic jams!

• The “golden vale” in southwestern Ireland is a great farming area that is very sought after.
• If you litter by spitting out your gum and are caught, you have to pay a fine of 150 euros  ($225 Canadian)!
• The coke bottles have names on the labels like Steve, Bobby, Maria, Friend, Dude, Babe, and many more!

• And you can always get a taste of home, no matter where you are!  Tim Hortons…in Kilkenny!