Sunday 4 August 2013

Ireland Trip - Dublin Day 3

The National Library of Ireland was open on Saturday morning, so we returned to continue our research. Once it closed we had something to eat then walked to the building next door which was the Museum of Archaeology and History. The building was a mirror image of the National Library, and was really beautiful. It was very hard to get a phot which could capture the inside decoration adequately. Inside were many fascinating ancient Irish displays, including 3 bog bodies - Clonycavan Man, Oldcrogan Man, and Gallah Man. I was intrigued by the Silver Gundestrup Cauldron, which is huge (I don't believe my arms could reach around it) and decorated inside and out (even knowing this one was a reproduction of the original in Norway didn't diminish the effect). Another item (of which there were many) which intigued me were the reliliquaries. These came in all shapes and forms, an arm, a bell, a shoe, and books (for holy books). One can only assume that the arm one had contained the relic of a saint's arm, and the shoe one likewise. They seemed to like to have gems on the outside, so I can only imagine the value of these. http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/archaeology-and-ethnography-museum.aspx. We walked down to St Stephen's Green Park, which was very nice, being set out in quite a classical way, with lots of statues and monuments. We then walked back to see the Natural History Museum http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/natural-history.aspx. This was really amazing, much like the Old Brisbane Museum used to be, with cases of animals all lined up – I just loved it! Especially interesting were the skeletons of Giant Irish Deer, which had been extinct from way before people came to Ireland. Once again we had dinner at O'Sheas Pub, nicely washed down with a Guinness...or two!

An early pottery bowl

Inside the Museum of Archaeology and History

Clonycavan Man

Oldcrogan man

Gundestrup Cauldron

Gallah Man

Gold bracelets


Ceremonial hammer head from Knowth Megolithic Tomb

Church arch and door

Bronze hammer

Carved head with faces on 3 sides

Gold neckely

Religious item

Reliliquary

Brooch

Brooch

Gold Torc

A reminder that Medieval times were pretty brutal...look at the cuts in the skull

This guy didn't survive having half his head hacked off.

A Holy Book Reliliqary

A London Plane tree

Flax growing at St Stephen's Green Gardens

The Museum of Natural History

Upstairs at the Museum of Natural History

Skeletons at the Museum of Natural History

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