Dun Laoghaire, Dublin and The Irish National Stud, Ireland
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We were pleasantly surprised by our hotel here, the "Royal Marine" - just beautiful! Good location in Dun Laoghaire and we explored
the area and found a great fish and chip shop here that really suited our needs. The next morning Adrian drove us into Dublin and we had a bit
of an orientation drive to point out the sights. One of the interesting facts was that the famous coloured doors of Dublin were created so
that if husbands had had too much to drink they could still recognise their own homes after a big night out. Tradition still exists as the doors
are a highlight of the city.
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The drive continued and we saw O'Connell St, the Cathedral and lots of other interesting buildings and statues. A visit to Trinity College
and an entry to see "The Book of Kells" and the Old Library was fantastic. The "Long Room" is the largest single chamber library in Europe. The "Book of Kells"
is an 8th century manuscript of the four gospels of pre-Christian legends. It was stolen in 1006 and stripped of it's gold cover but now is preserved for historical purposes. The "Dish with the Fish" or Molly Malone (her real name) was remembered by way of a special statue at the top of Grafton Street.
She was supposed to be a fishmonger but sold her wares in many ways. Another famous person remembered here is Oscar Wilde - it's so interesting to come
across these people that we only know through history and literature. He is an image sitting on a rock in the park in central Dublin. Other places of interest were the
National Library, National Museum and St Stephen's Green. Highlight of the city was the Georgian Terraces and Fitzwilliam Street is the longest one of these.
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Next day we crossed the Curragh to visit the Irish National Stud. An amazing place! The Irish National Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility
based at Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. The grounds were so very well kept and many famous horses are here including Vintage Crop, a Melbourne Cup winner. The horses
were very valuable and one was worth some 60 million Euros. Saint Fiachra's Garden was a delight with many Woodland and lakeside walks to explore.
The Japanese Gardens were beautifully set out with streams and many types of appropriate foliage. A delightful place to sit and reflect on the day
or our whole holiday.
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