Yes, you are right! I know that, so not sure why I said Aztec Camera. Thanks for letting me know. I don't want to post incorrect information.

Happy to see you are doing a trip report Karen! Tomorrow we leave for Dublin and 2 weeks in Ireland.
We are driving to Belfast after Dublin, then around the North Coast of County Atrim to Portrush. Next to Sligo, Westport and Cong, followed by Doolin, then Dingle, before heading back to Dublin. Hoping we see some sunshine along the way but am packing for all types of weather.
I was able to get our 4 Kilmainham gaol tickets for the time we wanted but I was glad to have practiced a few times beforehand as they seem to disappear within seconds.
Looking forward to your trip report and wonderful photos.

francebound, you will have an awesome trip! You are going to some beautiful places! We really enjoyed Belfast. Where are you staying in Belfast? Do you have a walking tour or Black Cab tour reserved? We took a very interesting and informative political walking tour with Coiste Tours. One half of our tour was with a Republican, and the other half was with a Loyalist. The Causeway Coast is beautiful. You will love it. We loved the Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, and walked across the Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge. Will keep my fingers crossed that you will have lots of sunshine.

Love your pictures Karen, so glad you enjoyed your immersion in Irish history - it really is mind blowing for those of us not familiar. two notes - it was James Conelly who was "shot in his chair, the wounds from the battle all bleeding and bare." (from the Patriot Game sung by Judy Collins). and re Kilmainham tickets. We learned from a guide in the know that if you can't score them at the initial "midnight offering" they release some every day between 9 and 9:15 am ( or maybe 9:15 to 9:30).

love the food pics! and darn, we missed the Hairy Lemon

lauramsgarden, thanks so much for the tip about Judy Collins' song, The Patriot Game. I just listened to it. So sad and beautiful at the same time. She has a gorgeous voice.

May 10, 2026: A Walking Tour and the Book of Kells

After another delicious breakfast, we took a cab to the Spire on O’Connell Street to meet our guide. I had booked our “free” walking tour in advance through Freetour. I chose the Best of Dublin (South Side) tour with Yellow Umbrella Tours. The tour began at 10AM and is 2.5 hours long. Our guide, Rob, is wonderful. He is friendly, engaging and very knowledgeable.

The Spire is on the north side of the River Liffey. We walked across the river and stopped in front of the entrance to Trinity College. From here we walked through the Temple Bar district, then headed towards Christchurch Cathedral. Along the way, Rob pointed out a pub, Lundy Foot, that he recommends for lunch or dinner. He definitely is not a fan of Temple Bar, and told us we would find more locals at Lundy Foot. He also suggested Yellow Umbrella’s pub tour, which begins at the Spire. They visit pubs in that area; they don’t come to Temple Bar. We thought it sounded interesting and fun, but at our ages we don’t stay out that late; we don’t drink that much; and we had to wake up early the next morning. So we passed on the Pub Tour. Anyways, back to our walking tour, we stopped in front of Christchurch Cathedral, then onwards to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is Ireland’s largest church. We ended at the gardens of Dublin Castle.

At this point, we were tired and hungry, so we took up Rob’s suggestion of having lunch at Lundy Foot. We both ordered the seafood chowder, which is outstanding. It is chock full of fish and seafood and is very filling.

After lunch, we had some time before our Book of Kells reservation, so we walked over to Christchurch Cathedral, which was once a Viking cathedral. We used their audioguides to tour the cathedral. The tomb of Strongbow, the Norman leader who captured Dublin in 1170, is located inside the cathedral, as is the embalmed heart of the 12th century St. Laurence O’Toole.

Then it was time to walk over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, located in the Old Library. First, there is a very informative and interesting exhibition room that explains the history of the Book of Kells and how it was actually created. The Book of Kells contains the four New Testament Gospels. It is believed that it was created in Scotland on the island of Iona. After a Viking raid, the book was moved to the monastery of Kells in County Meath in Ireland. Then, at some point, for safekeeping, it was moved to Dublin.

After you are finished with this exhibition, you walk into a small room where 2 pages of the Book of Kells are displayed in a glass case. Photos are not allowed.

Then you walk upstairs to the beautiful Long Room. The Old Library is undergoing a major conservation project, so the majority of the books have been removed. There are about 4 stalls that still contain books so you get an idea of what this room looks like when it’s filled with its valuable books. The oldest harp in Ireland is displayed in the Long Room along with a rare original printing of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, made on Easter Sunday in Dublin.

When you leave the Old Library, you walk to a new building to see the Book of Kells Experience, a new digital exhibition. While very pretty, we didn’t think it added much to our visit. But it’s included in the price of our ticket, so why not?

Our dinner tonight is at an Asian restaurant, Little Dumpling, located literally right next door to our hotel. The food is very, very good!

Tomorrow we leave Dublin for Kenmare. We really enjoyed Dublin. It’s a lively and bustling city; we like its architecture; and there is so much history here and so many interesting sights. I wish we had an extra day so we could have visited the EPIC Museum and taken a tour of Dublin Castle.

The entrance to Trinity College - one of the stops on our walking tour.

Christchurch Cathedral

Christchurch Cathedral

Dublin Castle and its gardens - the last stop on our walking tour

Lundy Foot Pub, where we had lunch after our walking tour

Interior of Christ Church Cathedral

Stained glass window inside Christ Church Cathedral

The altar at Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral - its choir with carved oak stalls

Not sure what this ceremony/event is all about

The tomb of Strongbow

Book of Kells Exhibition Room

Book of Kells Exhibition Room

Book of Kells Exhibition Room

Book of Kells Exhibition Room
[img alt="This is a rare original printing of the Irish Proclamation printed on Easter Sunday, 1916. One thousand copies were printed. This is one of a dozen or so survivors of the original printings.
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This is a rare original printing of the Irish Proclamation printed on Easter Sunday, 1916. One thousand copies were printed. This is one of a dozen or so survivors of the original printings.

The Long Room's oak bookcases

The Brian Boru Harp - the Irish Government adopted the harp as the national emblem of Ireland. This is the oldest harp in Ireland

The digital Book of Kells Experience

Trinity College campus

Trinity College campus

Trinity College campus

And one last look at Molly Malone

For some reason this photo did not upload previously. This is the rare original printing of the Irish Proclamation printed on Easter Sunday, 1916. One thousand copies were printed that day. This is one of a dozen or so survivors of the original printing.

I forgot to include a couple photos of St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is the largest cathedral in Ireland. We did not have time to go inside.

St. Patrick's Cathedral