Tuesday

Paula and I sleep in and promise ourselves a late morning visit to Dublin Castle.  This is the residence and offices of the former British viceroy, pre-independence, and was also the holding and trial facility for the rebel leaders prior to their brief sojourn at Kilmainham prison. Its history goes back to medieval times, and still has remnants of the walls and water moat fed by the Liffey.  Othewise it is quite opulent.  Bram Stoker had a job in the castle during the time that he was hanging out with Oscar Wilde and  was a frequent guest at the Wilde home, where Mother Wilde preferred the dark rooms untouched by sunshine.  The castle is till used for events, including inauguration of the Irish government officials, so it is kept up for both offficial use and the tourist trade. 

The Dublin Castle Chapel

Chapel Organ loft

The room where the wounded James Connolly lay while the doctors tried to fix his wounded leg prior to his execution..

  The throne room used by George IV on his visit to Dublin.  He was a large man and the throne is also very large.

The ceremonial room where the inaugurations take place.  The British government created the Order of St. Patrick, similar to the Scottish Order of the Thistle, to invest high-rank Irish in an attempt to co-opt and secure loyalty to the Crown.  This room is their meeting place and is descorated along the sides with heraldic designations of the members.