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| St Patrick’s Cathedral |
When St Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, to teach the Irish about the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, little did he know that he would come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. This is just one of the many legends that surround this picturesque country that includes the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom.
Landing at Linenopolis
Nicknamed Linenopolis because it was the largest producer of linen in the world, Belfast in Northern Ireland suffered four bombing raids in 1941. In fact, the Europa Hotel in middle of the city was the most bombed hotel in Europe with 28 bombings! Today, Belfast is more known as the place where the world’s most famous ship, RMS Titanic, was built. Samson and Goliath, the two massive cranes used in building the iconic ship, still dominate the skyline of the city. The five-storey Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic visitor attraction, has nine interactive galleries that take visitors through the story of the ship from her conception and construction in Belfast to where she lies on the ocean floor today (she was discovered by Professor Ballard in 1985).
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| Giant’s Boot | Giant’s Causeway |
Leaving Belfast for the North Coast, travel along the Causeway Coastal Route. Rated as one of the world’s top five road trips, the Causeway Coastal Route stretches for 120 miles and links the pretty little coastal villages of Glenarm, Carnlough, Cushendall and Cushendun. The route takes you to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Giant’s Causeway, formed over 60 million years ago, when molten lava cooled suddenly on contact with water. The Giant’s Causeway is an awe-inspiring landscape of mostly hexagonal basalt columns with some distinctive formations such as the Organ, Giant’s Boot, the Shepherd’s Steps, the Honeycomb, the Giant’s Harp and the Camel’s Hump.
A little ahead of Giant’s Causeway is Dunluce Castle. This medieval castle stands where an early Irish fort was once built and its history can be traced back to early Christians and Vikings. The castle offers scenic views and the ruins themselves are spread over a huge area but audio guides are available to make the tour easy.
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| Ring of Kerry | Dunluce Castle |
Walls and gates
Derry or Londonderry as it is officially known, is the only remaining completely intact Walled City in Ireland and one of the finest examples of a walled city in Europe. The walls were built between 1613-1619 by The Honourable Irish Society as defences for early 17th century settlers from England and Scotland. The Walls, which are approximately 1.5 km in circumference vary in height and width between four to 12 metres. The Walled City had four original gates – Bishop’s Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Shipquay Gate. Three more gates were added later – Magazine Gate, Castle Gate and New Gate, making seven gates in total. Historic buildings within the walls include the Gothic cathedral of St Columb built in 1633, the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall and the courthouse. Beyond the Walls one can see the Bog Side where reminders of the wars known as the Troubles (the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday) still adorn walls in the form of colourful and thought provoking gable-wall murals by The Bogside Artists.
On reaching Dublin, the literary mecca, visitors can find a mix of colleges and cathedrals, the most famous of them being St Patrick’s Cathedral with its beautiful spires. St Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland is said to be the earliest Christian site in Ireland, where St Patrick baptised converts.
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| Walled City of Derry | Gates in Derry |
City of Literature
Formally designated as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2010, Dublin is one of only six cities in the world with the designation. No less than four Nobel Prizes for Literature have been awarded to writers associated with the city: George Bernard Shaw, W B Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Other illustrious Dublin writers of international repute include Jonathan Swift, Cardinal Newman, Oscar Wilde, Sean O’Casey, Denis Johnston, Flann O’Brien, Brendan Behan and Jennifer Johnston.
Dublin’s literary tradition dates back over a thousand years when monks would transcribe the bible into beautiful manuscripts. The best surviving example of which, The Book of Kells, is on show at Trinity College. It was written around 800 AD by Irish monks, who started writing it at a monastery in Iona, an island off Scotland and finished it at Kells in County Meath. It was later buried in the ground for fear of the Vikings and after being rediscovered it was deposited for safe keeping in Trinity around 1653. It has been on display in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin since the mid 19th century, and attracts over 500,000 visitors a year. Featured in the Harry Potter movies, the famed Long Room in the Old Library, houses over 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books, stacked from floor to ceiling.
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| The Temple Bar | Charlie Chaplin’s statue in Waterville |
Needless to say, literary pub crawls are a must do activity on any tourist itinerary in the city. The 25 year-old Dublin Literary Pub Crawl is guided by two actors who stop along the way to re-enact excerpts written by Ireland’s literary greats. Before entering each of four historic pubs, there is a skit that takes place around the city’s landmarks such as Trinity College and St Andrew’s Church. A great way to mix with the locals and hear local tidbits never found in books.
Even today Dublin bars like the famous The Crown Liquor Saloon, are a place of conversation and exchange of ideas. The Temple Bar with a lively nightlife is very popular among tourists. Located on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It probably got its name from the Temple family, who lived in the area in the 17th century; it is believed that Sir William Temple, provost of Trinity College in 1609, had his house and gardens here.
A ring of beauty
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| Trinity College |
The Ring of Kerry is probably the most visited attraction in Ireland outside of Dublin. The Ring of Kerry is a 170 km trail around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry in South Western Ireland. As it is often a narrow, winding route, it is advised to always travel anti-clockwise. The Ring of Kerry’s circular route takes in the towns of Killarney, Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Cahersiveen. Waterville, a picturesque village on the Ring of Kerry, was a favourite holiday spot of Charlie Chaplin and his family who used to stay in the Butler Arms Hotel. There is a statue of him in the centre of the village in his memory. The route also passes through the Killarney National Park where the Lakes of Killarney are located. Dingle Peninsula, Kerry Bog Village (the village is made up of six dwellings with thatch roofing, restored to their original setting), Gap of Dunloe, Molls Gap and Ladies View are some of the attractions along the route.
