Following church I took a personal detour to head to Kilmainham Gaol (Kilmainham Jail), an 18th century prison with a brutal history. The prison was originally based on strict rules of silence and isolation, as part of Jeremy Bentham's prison reform efforts. But when the potato famine hit, there were so many prisoners that they often slept on top of each other. People were so starved in 1847 that they committed crimes to go to jail, where they knew they would receive three cold meals a day. Jonathan Swift observed this and wrote that the prison overcrowding problem would end only when conditions in the prison were made more miserable than those in the slum. The rebellion of 1916 ended in Kilmainham Gaol, with the imprisonment and execution of 14 rebels. Though the Easter Uprising was unpopular and widely criticized, their martyrdom inspired the independence movement that concluded in the mid-1920s (or, depending on your political views and geographical region, is still raging on). The stories I heard at the Kilmainham Gaol were shocking and powerful. The sacrifices of these rebels for their country was truly moving, and it makes me proud to be of Irish descent. From a history perspective, this tour was the most fascinating thing I did in Dublin.
After a quick kebab lunch, I went to Trinity College, Dublin's main University, to see the famous Book of Kells. Made by monks in the 9th century, the Book is the best example of medieval manuscript illumination and early medieval art. Miraculously, the book has survived dozens of fires and viking raids, and now rests at Trinity College under the protection of a thick layer of glass and a 6 euro admission fee. The history behind the book was fascinating- and gazing at its ornate pages is mesmerizing. You really do have to just look at it for a period of 5-10 minutes to catch the fantastic detail.
Later that afternoon I visited the archaeological museum (saw some Viking skeletons and stone age artifacts) before going out for Fish n' Chips. That night we visited the Brazen Head Pub, Dublin's oldest pub, founded in the 12th century. That's over 800 years of Guinness drinkin'! That night we also heard a great traditional Irish music group, that we hung around and talked to long in to the night. They gave us recommendations of places to visit, and laughed at our Sconnie accents. It was a great evening. I'm sure the Guinness corporation appreciates their business, if you know what I mean! I'll place a video of all the pub music we heard in a later post.
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