Wednesday, May 22, 2019

A Dublin treasure, and a cross-country trip to meet the inishfree group

Back in Dublin, I set out to do some last minute exploring before leaving for Southwest Ireland to join my group tour. I wanted to check out the Books of Kells, an early 9th Century illustrated copy of the Gospels often referred to as Ireland’s greatest cultural treasure. After centuries of being held at a monastery in the town of Kells (County Meath), it was given to Trinity College in 1661, to keep safe during the 17th Century Cromwellian raids on religious institutions.

It was a short walk from my hotel to Trinity College, and I had prebooked an entry time, so was able to walk right in. This was definitely the most tourist-heavy thing I had done on the trip so far, and it was noticeably pretty loud and crowded, but definitely worth the visit. The book itself is small and turned to a new random page every few months, but the exhibit around it is the reason to go, as is the picturesque library Long Room.

No photos are allowed in the small room where the actual book is, but I snuck this photo just to show how crowded it was! I managed to worm my way in and get a glance, but not for long.

The good news is that just around the corner was one of the most magnificent libraries I’d ever seen. No surprise that this is photographed over and over… it really is breathtaking.

The Long Room Library contains 200,000 of Trinity College’s oldest books, as well as a variety of old manuscripts, letters, and significant artifacts like the Brian Boru Harp, the oldest surviving Irish harp and basis for the national symbol of Ireland.

Our guide was Art, a pre-law student who had just finished his last exam and while clearly proud of his university, was also clearly proud to be done.

After leaving the university, I stopped for some lunch on the way back to the hotel, and happened to have one of the most delicious crepes I’ve ever had. If you find yourself in Dublin, definitely grab a meal at Lemon Crepe & Coffee Co! This photo is of a very boring looking crepe, but it was filled with spinach, cheddar, garlic mushrooms, fresh chives, and creme fraiche and man was it really good.

That was my last hurrah in Dublin, as it was it time to check out and head to the train station to make my way down to Bunratty. At Heuston Station I sat and enjoyed some people watching before catching the Irish Rail to Limerick.

I took the inter-city train to Limerick Junction where I switched to a more local train to the Limerick-Colbert station, and from there took a bus from Limerick to the village of Bunratty, where we were staying at a B&B for the night. Definitely a big change in feel from Dublin.

In Bunratty, the proprietor of the Bunratty Heights B&B picked me up at the bus station, and I quickly settled in before meeting some of the people I’d be traveling with for the next 10 days on our Inishfree Music Tour.

We all met for an informal dinner at Gallagher’s Restaurant in Bunratty, before heading back to the B&B for an impromptu performance by Harmonious Wail, the Madison, WI-based gypsy jazz trio who would be our guides for the rest of our time in Ireland. I was excited to see them perform in person, and felt very lucky to be sharing a trip with three musicians of their caliber! I could listen to their stuff all day, and it was the perfect way to head off to bed before our tour began.