Dublin, Day 2

St. Patrick's Cathedral
The national cathedral of Ireland. Johnathan Swift was once Dean of the Cathedral.
Trinity College
Very interesting tour given by one of the students. The actual Book of Kells wasn't on display that day, but a reproduction was.The next picture is the Bell Tower, under which is a marker noting the spot where the monastery that used to stand on the ground was. Legend has it that when they were kicked out, the monks cursed that spot so any Trinity student that walks underneath will not get their degree. Our tour guide walked around the tower. I walked underneath, but avoided the marker.
The next picture is of George Salmon, who was Provost of Trinity and was opposed to admitting women to the college, saying it would only happen "over my dead body." When the order came from the King to admit women, he said he would do it, but didn't believe in it with his heart. After signing the order, he had a heart attack and died. A month later, the first women attended Trinity College.Dublin Castle
Doesn't look like a castle, it's actually more of a Georgian palace. The original castle was badly damaged by fire centuries ago. Only one tower and a few remnants of the walls remain.Old Jameson Distillery
Very fun tour, tasting included. They ask for volunteers at the end to taste and compare Jameson to a Scotch Whiskey Blend (Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 year old) and an American whiskey (you can guess the brand). I volunteered and among the three I actually preferred the Jameson, but would still prefer a single malt scotch as my whiskey of choice. The second picture shows barrels of Jameson at different stages of maturation, the darker, the older.
Kilmainham Gaol
An old jail on the outskirts of Dublin, hasn't been used since 1924.It was also here where the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916 were executed by firing squad. They take you to the very spot where this happened. It has also served as the backdrop for many films.