May 3, 2024. Dublin joining the Globus bus tour

There was no need for an alarm this morning. Our checkout time was Noon when we took a ten minute taxi ride to the Globus bus tour hotel closer to the port area by Dublin Bay, near the 3Arena. Another cloudy day, after an early morning rain. Temperature was 11°C at 9 a.m. and a light wind. The 80 seat breakfast area was only half full.

Once checked in at the new hotel, the Globus desk had a sign that there was a 3 p.m. city bus tour and the group Welcome dinner was in the hotel at 7 p.m.

We added a sweater under our jackets for a walk along the River Liffey from near the cruise terminal entrance gates to the old Custom House building then back to the hotel on Mayor Street. We saw the harp shape of the white Samuel Beckett bridge as we reached the Liffey River. It was opened in 2009, named after the Irish 1969 Noble Prize winner for Literature. The bridge in 120 meters long and its height is 48 meters above the water. If necessary it can pivot open from a pivot point on the south side of the bridge.

There is the Famine Monument along the river to commemorate the mid 19th century Great Irish Famine. We turned from the river along the side of the Customs House, which was built in the 1870s, and across from the International Centre was a small flower garden. When we turned onto Mayor Street Lower we entered BEAR Market coffee house for coffee and a muffin, our lunch. We continued along the street and the name changed to Mayor Street Upper and ended behind our hotel. We had accumulated over 7,000 steps for the day.

At 3 o’clock the tour group met at the bus for a two hour plus drive through Dublin. A few people were several minutes late because they had just checked in. There were 41 passengers, plus Norman our driver for the next ten days and Peter our guide. There may be a few more people joining the group at 7 p.m. for dinner in the hotel dining room.

Several places were pointed out that we had walked right by on Wednesday and not noticed. By Merrion Square Park, where the Oscar Wilda’s statue is, was the National Gallery which has free admission and beside it is the former manor house of a Duke who donated it and it is known as the Doyle. This is where the Irish Parliament meets. Still across from Merrion Square Park is the Natural History Museum. Later we passed St. Steven’s Park which was gifted to Dublin by the Guinness family which owns the Guinness Brewery.

Merrion Square and St. Steven’s Park are located in the new town formed in the late 18th century. We drove into the old town with buildings from the early 16th century and a less prosperous area. We had not been to this part of Dublin which is not far from Dame street.

There was a short photo stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which we had seen two days ago. Most people took advantage of a chance to stretch their legs. The church dates back to the 1200s. Next we drove on the south side of the River Liffey for a good view of the boutique four star hotel, The Clarence Hotel, Dublin’s original rock and roll hotel. U2 stars Bono and The Edge have officially sold the hotel in October 2023.

There is a white cast iron pedestrian bridge not far away known as the Ha’penny Bridge when it was built in 1816. The toll when it open was half a penny but by 1919 the toll had increased to a penny-ha'penny (1½ pence), before it was eliminated. We drove on O’Connell Street, the main street of Dublin. It is named after Daniel O’Connell who successfully crusaded the British government to give equal rights to all religions in 1829.

The final photo stop was at the northern end of O’Connell Street at the Garden of Remembrance dedicated to the memory of "all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom". The garden was officially opened on the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, that started Ireland final struggle for independence. The focus point is the Oisín Kelly sculpture based on the legend of the Children of Lir, in which four children are transformed into swans by the wicked stepmother and remain so for 900 years before becoming human again. With a quick pass to see Trinity College, we were back to the hotel with time to relax before the group dinner at 7 p.m. Peter handed each person a luggage tag to attach to their main suitcase. We all need to place our bags in the hall between 6:45 and 7 tomorrow morning, so that they can be collected and put in the bus storage for our journey to Castlebar after breakfast tomorrow. Dinner was in the hotel and our group had a separate room and our own menu. We sat with Mark and Jeannie and Sammy and Mike, all from the states.

Returning to our room we wanted to charge our devices, but none of the five outlet or two USB ports had power. The receptionist said that there was no one to fix the problem tonight. There was an outlet in the corridor that worked so I read my book while the laptop charged.

Steps for today 9,261