DAY SIX
While day six leaves plenty of time in the afternoon for you to explore Dublin on your own, the morning is action packed with one of my favorite activities. The group visits Trinity College for a tour of the campus, an up close look at the Book of Kells, and a jaw dropping look at the expansive library collection. With the night free, my family and I choose to visit the National Archaeology Museum, and pop in for a bite at the extraordinary restaurant-- The Bank on College Green (as talked about in my advice column). My mom, dad, and I round off the night at The Temple Bar Pub with a lively crowd and wonderful live music.
Bus and Walking Time
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0 hours
5 hours
2-6
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8 miles
TRINITY COLLEGE
Trinity College History
Trinity College has a reputation of curating minds such as Oscar Wilde and former Irish President. It is obviously well known for its Old Library and main chamber--The Long Room. The Book of Kells is also an attraction. Additionally, the College is very highly ranked as a university and it located in the city centre.
The Long Room
My favorite part of visiting Trinity College was the Long Room. Taking up almost 65 meters in length, the Long Room is filled floor to ceiling with books dating back to the 1743. The library became full in the 1800s when the precedent was set that
The Book of Kells
The Book of Kells contains the four Gospels written in Latin on prepared calfskin. The manuscript is known for its lavish decorations, and due to its fragility, is unable to be photographed by the public.
the library would receive a free copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland. Notably, it contains among the remaining copies of 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.
The tote bag I bought at the gift shop!
PHOTO BOMB!
CENTRAL DUBLIN
During our walking tour of Dublin, the group stops on the bridge that stretches over the River Liffey. Ha'penny Bridge, officially called Liffey Bridge, was built to relieve the ferry system that would run across the river but that eventually became ran down. Originally, there was a toll with turnstiles at either end of the bridge that was nulled in 1919.
Molly Malone Statue
At the end of Grafton Street, you can find a famous statue named after a woman called Molly Malone. Molly Malone comes from a ballad about a fishmonger who passed away, but haunts the city streets. The statue was erected in 1988 and thus brought up a search into who Molly Malone was. A Mary Malone was possibly considered as the woman behind the statue, and the confusion brings up questions of her existence. The statue is bronze, and the breasts of the statue are rubbed down to a sheen as it's said to be good luck. Whether that is true or not, Molly draws a crowd willing to take a chance on that luck.
THE BANK ON COLLEGE GREEN
If given a chance to have lunch during your time in Dublin, 100% make reservations at The Bank on College Green. For my whole opinion on why you should eat here, check out my advice column. However, the history behind the restaurant is interesting. At one point in time, the building was occupied by a banking hall (specifically, 1895). When converted into a pub, the beautiful Victorian interior was preserved; as well as the bank vaults in the lowest part of the building.
IRISH ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
The most fascinating part of the Irish Archaeology Museum are the bog bodies. While there are a wide variety of artifacts to view at the museum (seriously, you could spend a whole day here); with a limited amount of time, direct yourselves to the pink door in the back to visit the bog bodies. You also may want to take advantage of the free guide for a brief overview of the most important artifacts. The completely preserved bodies (skin, hair, nails, teeth) emerged with an array of non-human artifacts such as jewelry. The bog bodies are so special because of the extreme preservation caused by the conditions found naturally in bogs (which is an accumulation of wetland, grass, moss, etc.). The anoxic, acidic, low temperature, and high nutrient conditions have brought Ireland 9 men, 7 women, and 1 child. The bodies are in a variety of conditions (as seen in the photos above), with the bones being the worst preserved feature. This was my mom's most exciting attraction!
The Temple Bar Pub
The Temple Bar! If you were to ask your guides for one of the best pubs to visit in Ireland, they'll direct you to the Temple Bar-- and I will too. Without an ID, my dad vouches for me and lets the bartender know I'm 20. I order a gin and tonic, and my dad orders a Guinness and attempts to split the harp/ split the G. My mom orders an Irish Whiskey, and my brother stays back at the hotel with a migraine. The music was amazing, the vibe was rowdy, and the people were a great chat. On top of all of these traits, it's a short walk from the hotel which makes coming home late really easy.