On our first day in the Republic of Ireland we jumped on a bus and headed south to the Wicklow Mountains National Park. This part of Ireland has been the location for a number of Hollywood
movies such as Braveheart, Excalibur and the Count of Monte Cristo and it is not hard to see why. We also spent some time at the ruins of a monastery established over a thousand years ago. We hiked through the woods and later in the day visited the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, built in the 12th century. Today we visited Dublin’s number one tourist attraction – The Guinness Storehouse. This attraction chronicles the history of Ireland’s national drink in one of the old buildings where the brewery is still located. It was actually very interesting to see how the world’s most famous stout ale is made. In the afternoon we visited Kilmainham Gaol – one of Europe’s most notorious prisons. Built in 1796 it has housed prisoners as young as five. It played an important role in the history of Ireland as many political prisoners were kept here during the struggle for independence and a number of them were executed here as well. It was a sobering experience. Check out some of the photos posted on the Ireland page. Comments are closed.
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AuthorIn January, 2012, Curt and Char left their jobs in Canada to spend four months travelling around the world. Archives
May 2012
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