Dublin, Ireland
- hollymathwriter
- 6 minutes ago
- 4 min read
July 4, 2026
We did a city tour of Dublin with Gate 1, visited the Epic Museum and then gathered for a farewell dinner for the Gate 1 group.
We first stopped at the St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of Ireland. It was founded in 1191, but mostly built in 1220. It has the tallest steeple in Ireland at 101 feet.
It was built next to the well where St. Patrick is said to have baptized many Irish converts to Christianity in the 5th century.
We were able to spend time admiring the interior of the church.
These beautiful stained glass windows within the church illustrate scenes from the life and ministry of St. Patrick.
The Door of Conciliation hangs in the church to commemorate the peaceful resolution of the 1492 Feud between the Butlers and the Fitzgeralds. Gerald Fitzgerald cut a hole in the door and stuck his arm through it in a risky gesture of peace to the Butlers within. This brave act gave rise to the Irish phrase "to chance your arm". Luckily for Fitzgerald, Butler shook his hand instead of removing his arm and the feud was resolved.
One of the cathedral's many claims to fame is that Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels, was the dean of the church from 1713 until his death in 1745. He is buried within the church itself near his good friend, Stella (Esther Johnson). His death mask is on display nearby.
The Boyle Family monument shows the Earl Richard Boyld and his wife (the two reclining figures in the middle) with their 15 children, including their youngest child, Robert Boyle, who is known as "The Father of Modern Chemistry" and discovered Boyles Law. Robert Boyle is the child in the center of the bottom flanked by 3 of his sisters on each side.
This stained glass window in the nave shows the Archangel Michael standing over a vanquished dragon.
This statue honors Captain John McNeill Boyd who lost his life trying to rescue shipwrecked sailors.
This beautiful pulpit is decorated with statues of the evangelists.
The high altar area has a beautiful altar frontal embroidered with angels.
The Jubal stained glass window features a musician from the book of Genesis.
We also had a little time to explore the outside with its blooming flowers and statues.
As we resumed our bus tour, we passed by different street murals such as "Brigit Spinner" of Brigit, a goddess in Irish folklore, or St. Brigid, an Irish saint.
Comic Con was coming to Dublin as advertised by this Superman figure.
James Joyce was another famous Dublin author. He wrote the novels Ulysses and The Dubliners. This life-size statue shows him walking around Dublin.
The Spire of Dublin (officially the Monument of Light) was built for the Millenium, but completed a few years late. It towers over the city at 394 feet tall.
After the tour, we walked from the hotel to Epic Emigration Museum. On the way, we passed by the Dublin General Post Office which became famous on Easter Rising in 1916 when the Irish rebels captured it for their headquarters. It was here the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read. The columns still have bullet holes from the fighting that raged outside in the streets.
A coupe blocks later we passed the Daniel O'Connell Monument. Known to the Irish as "The Liberator" His peaceful efforts led to the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 which restored civil rights that had been stripped from Catholics under the Protestant rule of the English in the 17th century. It also allowed Irish Catholics to have seats in the British Parliament. Sadly, it now bears the scars of the more violent Easter Rising.
The harp featured in this mural is one of the traditional symbols of Ireland.
When we reached the Epic Irish Emigration Museum, we saw the Triumphal Arch built to commemorate Wellington's victory over Napoleon in the Battle of Salamanca. It used to be the entryway to the Custom House but was moved to George Dock in 1998.
Epic celebrates the accomplishments of the Irish as they have emigrated around the world throughout history. It encourages people to research their own family connections to Ireland and you can make appointments with genealogists to help you do so.
This display encourages you to use your 5 senses to experience Ireland.
Here the floor display shows the different models of transportation used to leave Ireland to their new home.
This exhibit reminds visitors that "We all come from somewhere."
As you passed through each station celebrating different parts of Irish culture and achievements, you could stamp your "passport".
After leaving the museum, we crossed the street to walk along the River Liffey with great views of the City Quay on our way back to the hotel.
The 1997 Famine Memorial honors the victims and emigrants of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s. It is often known as the Potato Famine as it was triggered by a blight on the potato. Even today the weather report in Ireland gives blight warnings.
This swing bridge is named after the Irish playwright Seán O'Casey.
This statue honors an Irish labor leader, Jim Larkin. One of his famous quotes is inscribed below the statue. "The great appear great because we are on our knees; let us rise."
After we returned to the hotel, we got ready for our farewell dinner. However, instead of flying home, we will have Sunday to explore Dublin and then start our cruse to the Wild Scottish Islands on Monday.
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