+ DUBLIN: A river runs through it, the Liffey. This is much like London and Paris except that the river is relatively straight as it cuts across the city unlike the winding Thames and the winding Seine. Dublin has a lot to offer. We were there the day before our Trafalgar trip began, September 12, 2022 and on the first and last days of the trip, September 13 and September 21-22, 2022. Most of the attractions are South of the river. Our hotel for the first 2 nights was on the North side but it was easy to walk across any one of several bridges to get to so much of what Dublin offers: Trinity College which includes the famous Book of Kells, the Temple Bar entertainment district, some great museums, St. Stephen’s Green, the Dublin Castle, City Hall, Christ Church, Dublinia, the Guiness Storehouse and more. O’Connell Street is a wide and popular main street on the North side of the river named for Daniel O'Connell -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O%27Connell -- who got the English to end centuries of anti-Roman Catholic persecution in the 1820s. He is honored with a huge statue at the beginning of the street by the river.

On Monday, September 12, 2022 and on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 we did most of the recommended walking tour offered by Rick Steves. The photos on this page were all taken during this walk. The highlight was the Book of Kells exhibit which is found in the Trinity College Library > https://www.worldhistory.org/Book_of_Kells/

Dublin was founded and ultimately settled first by Vikings. They mixed with the native Irish so no one in Ireland can really say that they don’t have Viking blood. The Normans came in the late 12th century and quickly established English rule over most of Ireland. For 700 years the seat of English rule was the Dublin castle which was built soon after the Normans came. Most of Ireland finally overcame English rule in 1922, six years after an uprising which began in a bloody way on Easter 1916. Northern Ireland is a much smaller part of Ireland and is still part of the United Kingdom.

+ Go to First Day of Our Tour > https://pbase.com/abundancetrek/ireland_1