Another Day in Dublin

We started our last day in Dublin with a traditional Irish Breakfast, which is usually an egg, bacon, sausage, lamb, beans, black pudding, white pudding, fries, a fried tomato, fried mushrooms, and soda bread:

Then we got on the tour bus which stops at all of the main attractions:

First stop, Trinity College to see the Book of Kells:

Next to the Chester Beatty Library, which has many ancient religious texts on display:

A random Czech church as we were walking down the street....

...with Adoration:

Next stop, The Old Jameson Distillery:

A beautiful sight - a bar with nothing but Jameson:

Jameson being made.  The barley is soaked in warm water to release the sweet "wort" to be fermented:

The liquid is put into washbacks:

And then into stills.  Jameson is distilled 3 times:

It is later put into barrels that previously held bourbon, which gives it a great flavor.  2% of the Jameson evaporates through the wood every year, and the Irish call that the "Angels' Portion."  The Irish say that if you smell the Angel's Portion of whiskey when you die, you are on your way to heaven:

A whiskey tasting, comparing Jameson to Scotch and Bourbon:

And a small glass of Jameson at the end of the factory tour:

Unfortunately, this was not the "Trad Fest" I had envisioned, but the music was also good:

We went to the famous Abbey Theatre that night to watch a play, The Seafarer, which was wonderful:

And then to a pub for an Irish music session:

From Kerry, to Cashel, to Dublin

After leaving Dingle, we began the drive across the Island to Dublin.  We stopped in County Tipperary to see the Rock of Cashel.  The Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion.  Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century.  A 12th Century church remains today:

Chris slipped and fell down the side of the mountain:

We arrived in Dublin in the afternoon, and stayed across the street from a beautiful Carmelite church:

The relics of Saint Valentine:

Then we took the tour bus that goes around the city.  You are free to jump on or off at any time, and buses run all day to all of the major tour sites:

Our first stop was the Guinness Factory:

...Where we saw the barley used to make the beer:

...and the water:

....and learned that Guinness "builds strong muscles...enriches the blood...and helps with insomnia"!

During the tour, they teach you how to pour Guinness properly:

On the roof, there is a great view of Dublin:

Tralee, Ring of Kerry, and Dingle Peninsula

From Limerick, we traveled to the southwest tip of Ireland, the "Kerry" region.  We stayed the night with my friend Brendan in Tralee, and the next day we toured the "Ring of Kerry" (red line).  We stayed for one night, and then went to Dingle, where Father Bernard drove us around the "Dingle Peninsula."

The Ring of Kerry:

Charlie Chaplin used to visit here, so there is a statue of him at one of the stops:

Brendan and me.  I hadn't seen him in over 5 years:

Stopping in Killarney for lunch:

At the end of the Ring of Kerry, the Killarney National Park:

The rocks were covered with ice, but I still climbed into the waterfall:

The next day, Fr. Bernard took us around the Dingle peninsula.  In one of the churches, there is a lovely painting of Pontius Pilate and his wife.  An Irish legend says that Pilate told his wife, "If Jesus has risen, the rooster will jump out of the boiling pot."  Immediately, the rooster jumped out of the pot and cried "Mac na h'Oige slan!" which is Gaelic for "The Son of Man is safe!"  To this day, instead of "cock-a-doodle-do," the Irish still say "Mac na h'Oige slan" when describing the sound of a rooster:

Fr. Bernard showing Chris how to use a map:

Monastic ruins of a 6th Century monastery:

An early 6th Century Irish cross.  This design developed into the Celtic Cross that we know today:

After leaving Dingle, we began our journey across the island to Dublin...