The Best Things in Ireland are Free
Of course money can’t buy happiness, but my plane ticket wasn’t cheap! Now that I’ve been in Dublin for almost two weeks, I’m getting a pretty good idea of where everything in the city is and what are some of the must see attractions. So the best free things I’m talking about are museums and views!! This past week I visited the the National Archeology Museum, The National Gallery, Dublin Castle and Glendalough in Co. Wicklow.
The National Archeology Museum was fascinating and portrayed the history of the Irish island via objects. With tools from the stone and bronze age as well as jewelry and Christian artwork, the museum gave a concise and eye-catching window into how Ireland came to be. The most interesting thing at the museum had to be the preserved bodies. Yes, kind of like mummies, the bodies were naturally preserved by the bogs of the country. My personal favorite pieces were the hoards of gold jewelry and viking swords.
The National Gallery is home to beautiful European paintings, drawings, stained glass, and much more.
Dublin Castle is a huge building at the center of the city which was built for British royalty while they ruled Ireland as a colony. Sort of a sore subject for the Irish, but a beautiful castle and gardens.
An amazing part of the week was visiting Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. Glendalough is about an hour and half outside of Dublin and is one of the oldest and best preserved Monastic cities in the country. The grounds hold the remains of a Monastic city where St. Kevin lived and preached. Structures still standing include the round tower, cathedral, gateway, kitchen, priest house, and church. In my opinion, Glendalough’s lakes are some of the prettiest views on earth. The grounds include a graveyard with many Celtic crosses. While the graves hold wealthy people who died from the 1900s looking for a ticket to heaven, St. Kevin’s cross dates back centuries. Legend has it that if you can wrap your arms around St. Kevin’s cross and lock your fingers on the other side and make a wish…it will come true! So no wishes for five foot three me and my short arms, but an amazing monument nonetheless. The cloudy, misty, weather only added to the majestic scenery. Our group packed lunch and enjoyed the views after a short walk. Check out a short video of the day here!
While I will always be a shopaholic, and Pennys (Primark) is the place I’ve been most in Dublin, the best sights I’ve seen so far have been free!