An Introduction to Dublin - 4 hours
Duration: 0.5 day
Highlights: Dublin Castle, Trinity College
A marvellous half-day culture tour through Dublin Castle and Trinity College.
Request a quote
A&K DMCs’ specialised services are only available on a business-to-business basis, to travel industry advisors. We regret that we cannot provide quotations for consumers.
Send itinerary to client
Itinerary
This tour will enable you to appreciate two very different aspects of Ireland. Dublin Castle with its unique place in Irish history and Trinity College to view the Book of Kells in the Treasury. Your guided tour of the Castle will show you the luxury State Apartments. These rooms, with Killybegs carpets and chandeliers of Waterford glass, served as home to the British appointed Viceroys of Ireland. You will see the lavish decorations, fine proportions, grand chimneypieces, and beautiful antique furniture.
Close by is Trinity College, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, on the site of an Augustinian monastery. You can admire the fine buildings and courtyards that make up this well-known university, the oldest in Ireland. Trinity's lawns and cobbled quads provide a pleasant haven in the heart of the city where you will visit the Old Library and view the Book of Kells. The most richly decorated of Irelands medieval illuminated manuscripts, the Book of Kells, may have been the work of monks from Iona, who fled to Kells in 806 AD after a Viking raid. The book, which was moved to Trinity College in the 17th century, contains the four gospels in Latin. The scribes who copied the texts also embellished their calligraphy with intricate interlacing spirals, as well as human figures and animals. Some of the dyes used were imported from as far as the Middle East. Due to the popularity of the Book of Kells, there is nearly always a line to view this work of art. You will be able to view an exhibition on how the Book of Kells was made, and general exhibits of Ireland, whilst waiting for entry to the viewing area. You will also see the spectacular Long Room of the Library which houses 200,000 antiquarian texts, marble busts of scholars, and the oldest surviving harp in Ireland. At the conclusion of the tour, you may remain in the center of Dublin for shopping or independent sightseeing, or return with your guide to the ship.
