Dublin Day Two: Historical Walking Tour, The Old Jameson Distillery, and the Abbey Theater

My second day in Dublin included a walking tour of some historical sites (which got pretty dull by hour 3), and then free time until the evening when we saw George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara at the Abbey Theatre (which also got pretty dull by hour 3).  I joined a few friends during our afternoon off on a trip to the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery. 

The walking tour started at Trinity College then went to the Old Parliament, which is now a bank, then to a few other places, that to be honest I don't recall what their significance is, and it culminated at Dublin Castle and City Hall.  The architecture throughout the city was great to see and it was interesting to learn more about the English/Irish tensions, especially since Trinity was founded as an Anglican institution.  The guide also told us about some statues, like one of William of Orange, that were removed, blown up, torn down, etc., that are no longer in Dublin.  He seemed to disagree with altering the monuments since history is history and should be left alone, so it was interesting to hear about things like that, that we probably wouldn't have learned otherwise. 

Tower inside Trinity

Old Parliament Building--Now a Bank of Ireland Branch

The buses here, and in Galway too, get VERY close to the side of the street so you have to stay inside the black posts to make sure you don't get clipped!

Okay, this is the last time I'll whine about it; here is the ledge from which I got pooped on by a pigeon.  Sorry for the dramatics, it was a very traumatizing experience.

Rachel, who lives on a equine rescue farm in NC, found the sale of horse meat a little dismaying.  Clearly she has some more rescue work to do.

Christ Church Cathedral

Our hostel, The Kinlay House

Guard house outside of Dublin Castle

Inside the "Castle"...not very evocative of "castle" to me but, eh, whatever floats your boat, Dublin.

Inside City Hall

The Jameson Distillery was one of the best parts of my trip.  It is much smaller than Guinness, and we received a guided tour by a charismatic guide named Niall, who knew all about the States!  As three of my companions are from Upstate New York we were surprised that he knew there was more to NY than just the city.  The tour culminated in a free drink of Jameson, and a whiskey tasting for a few volunteers.  I raised my hand and got to try Jameson, Johnnie Walker Black Label, and Jack Daniels.  Niall gave us tasting notes and explained the differences of each whiskey to us.  Out of 12 volunteers, 11 selected Jameson as our favorite, and we were all given certificates stating we are qualified whiskey tasters. It was also neat to learn a little bit about the laws that go into the alcohol industry, in terms of what can and cannot be called "Irish Whiskey" and what makes each type of whiskey unique.  The Scotch Whiskey, for example, tasted very mossy due to the malt being fired with peat, while Irish Whiskey uses smokeless fuel. 

The three stills that give Jameson its triple distilled taste

Very excited to be getting free booze.  I'm a real class act.

Cue "Pomp and Circumstance"! I got a certificate!

The girls with our lovely tour guide, Niall

Lastly, we went to see Major Barbara, about a Major in the Salvation Army, whose father happens to be a munitions maker and dealer.  There is moral conflict within the play, which, had it been only 2 hours long, would have been interesting to see played out on stage.  Unfortunately, the play did drag on and even the overbearing mother's jokes, and the witty jabs at Greek scholars couldn't save my enjoyment of the play.  I don't want to be completely negative because the acting was great and we got to sit in a historic theatre.  So all things considered, I had a great day aside from the terrible, awful pigeon that I decided to stand under at the wrong moment.  Good thing the hostel had plenty of hot water for showers!

Before the play!

Getting a drink after the play, because three hours later we needed it.

Stay tuned for Day Three!