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Dalkey Island

On our day in Dalkey we caught a ride from Ken the Ferryman and he took us the brief distance to Dalkey Island. Dalkey Island is uninhabited now, but records indicate people living there more than 1,000 years ago. Dalkey Island at one point had a church on it. Today the ruins of that church, a military cannon station, and a radar structure still stand. Other than that it has goats, but we didn’t see any of them, and a lot of seagulls.

Three people sitting on a large rock in front of stone church ruins on a grassy island under a cloudy sky. Roofless stone church ruin on a grassy island with a cylindrical stone tower visible in the distance under a cloudy sky. Green grassy headland with stone church ruins near the rocky shoreline, calm sea and coastal town visible in the background. Seagull perched on the corner of ancient stone ruins overlooking a calm bay with hills in the distance under a cloudy sky. Ruins of a coastal stone cannon battery with overgrown circular gun emplacement tracks and sea visible in the background Round stone Martello tower on a rocky grass-covered headland with a coastal town visible across calm water under a cloudy sky. Person walking a grass path toward stone ruins of a roofless building on a rocky coastal island under a cloudy sky. Small red ferry boat docked at a stone pier as passengers board, with white houses on a wooded hillside across the water. Map showing a blue GPS track crossing Dalkey Sound from the mainland to Dalkey Island with red pins marking stops along the route.
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Sounds on Dalkey Island.

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Dalkey Castle

After getting to Dalkey we found our way to the Dalkey Castle to take a tour. This tour included actors portraying three different roles in medieval times: Barber/Surgeon, Archer, Cook. The actors did a great job and made it all very informative and funny as well. The barber/surgeon shared the somewhat gruesome tale of how they would bleed someone to keep their humors right, and how that bloodied cloth would be wrapped around a pool and hung out front — a red and white striped pole — a barber poll. The archer explained the defenses of the castle including the “murder hole”. The cook described how the flesh would be prepared for the important people and that she could have the organs and make it into a pie — a humble pie.

It was fun to hear more about this castle and it answered some questions about Tubbrid Castle that we stayed at in Kilkenny. In fact, Tubbrid Castle also had a murder hole that you could pour hot liquids or drop heavy objects on people at the door. It also featured a fortified and locked ground level with double entrances.

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Taking the DART to Dalkey this morning.

Green DART train stopped at a platform, with a few passengers waiting on the wet brick platform beside it.
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Ireland 2024 Log - Day 16

Weather: Great weather. Maybe the best day we’ve had.

Father’s Day!

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Figured out Dublin bus logistics.
  • Took C2 bus from Wellington Quay (stop 312) to South Circular Road.
  • Guided tour of Kilmainhham Gaol Museum.
  • Walked to Guinness Storehouse experience at St. James Gate.
  • Lunch at 1837 Bar & Braserie.
  • Took cab to Windmill Lane Studios for very cool tour.
  • Walked to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells.
  • Walked back toward hotel and explored Grafton Street and got some truffles at Butler’s Chocolates.
  • Got to hotel and cleaned up for dinner.
  • Special Father’s Day dinner at F. X. Buckley on Crow Street. Delicious steaks.
  • Return to Cloud Nine for Tyler to get a crêpe and Tammy and Mazie an ice cream.
  • Stop quickly at the hotel to change clothes.
  • Walk to Darkey Kelly’s for some traditional music.
  • Four piece band playing with a lot of issues with their microphones.
  • Return to the hotel. Everyone tired.

Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or see Ireland 2024 Collection.

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I’m a very lucky man to be father to these two! Happy Father’s Day!

Man in plaid shirt and flat cap with arms around two smiling teens inside an industrial museum setting
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We took the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College today. It was cool to see this book that is over 1,000 years old. Along the tour you also go through the Long Room at the Old Library. It is an awe inspiring room. Like a temple to knowledge. Sadly the books have been removed for a massive restoration project, but it was still great to see.

The Long Room at Trinity College Dublin packed with tourists, towering dark wood bookshelves lining both sides, marble busts on pedestals, barrel-vaulted ceiling, glowing Earth globe at far end Row of marble busts including one labeled Milton lining the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin with a glowing Earth globe visible at the far end Long Room of Trinity College Library with marble busts along bookshelves and a glowing Earth globe installation overhead
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Windmill Lane Studio Tour

We made our way to Windmill Lane today and took a tour of this famous studio. Windmill Lane was the studio where U2 recorded “Boy” and many other Grammy Award winning songs. The Rolling Stones rented all three studios at Windmill Lane for 6 months when they recorded “Voodoo Lounge”. The list of artists that have recorded here are incredible including very recently Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, P!nk, Hozier, and many more.

The tour took us through Studio 1 which is large enough to host an orchestra. It uses a completely analog board setup for 2-channel mixing. It is the classical look of a recording studio. It was fun to be in “in the room” where so many amazing recordings happened.

The tour also showed Studio 3, which is completely digital and setup for 5-channel mixing for various video mixes. Very modern and much smaller with the brains of it all being a Mac Studio with a digital mixing desk.

This was a really cool experience.

Windmill Lane Recording Studios Studio One sign painted on a white wall pillar, with a person walking toward an exit ahead. Windmill Lane Recording Studios control room with a large analog mixing console, Genelec studio monitors, and a monitor screen displaying the studio logo. Person with long hair leaning over a massive analog mixing console in a recording studio, with a teenager seated in the background. Windmill Lane Recording Studios live room with grand piano, red ambient lighting, hardwood floors, and overhead microphone rigging Windmill Lane Recording Studios control room with a large mixing desk, Genelec monitor speakers, laptop, and a screen displaying the studio logo Six framed Grammy Award certificates for Windmill Lane Recording Studios displayed on a dark wall in two rows of three.
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Me and my Guinness “Stoutie”.

Man in a plaid shirt and flat cap holding a pint of Guinness with his face printed in the foam at the Guinness Storehouse.
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Guinness Storehouse

We joined thousands of our best friends on the Guinness Storehouse visit today. As a fan of Guinness this was a Father’s Day highlight for me. It was not a brewery tour, but instead more of a history of Guinness itself. I liked seeing some of the archive of advertisements over the years. And we got to get a “Stoutie”, a selfie printed into the head of the Guinness. We finished with lunch at 1837 Bar & Brasserie and my favorite beef stew of the trip. Awesome.

Guinness St. James's Gate Brewery Dublin gold sign on a brick wall above a group of visitors queuing at the entrance Indoor exhibit featuring a large field of golden barley stalks inside a circular room with screens showing a sky backdrop and visitors around the edge. Crowd of visitors watches two bartenders demonstrate Guinness pint pouring at a gold bar counter with harp tap handles. Two pints of Guinness with portrait faces printed into the foam heads alongside the Guinness Storehouse logo Bowl of rich beef stew with mashed potatoes and garnish, served with brown bread and butter alongside a pint of Guinness Four people posing in front of a large black Guinness St James's Gate Dublin Ireland sign on cobblestones