Jail and whiskey

Today was a busy day in Dublin! We started out bright and early for the long walk to our first adventure. We could have taken a bus or taxi, but Brian and I enjoy learning more about a city by walking through it. The temperature was in the 30’s when we left and could be breezy at times so we were glad we had purchased our new wool items yesterday. Along the walk I found my heart for Ireland, which was on the utility covers there. I'm sure it's some logo, but it has a heart and I love it!

Kilmainham Gaol was our first stop. It’s an old jail built in the late 1700’s that was in use until the early 1900’s. It housed not only men but also women and children, the youngest only 7 years old. There is so much history in the jail and it helped us understand more about both the history of Ireland and the conditions in which it’s residents lived (and were punished). It held participants from most of the Irish rebellions and our guide shared some of their stories with us in the tour. At the end was a little museum where you could see artifacts and letters written while at Kilmainham Goal. It was all very intriguing and we both enjoyed it.

Up next was our first whiskey experience of the day, this time at a small distiller called Pearse Lyons. The most interesting thing about this little boutique distillery is that it’s housed in the old St. James church. The church had closed in the 1963 and was in shambles until the distillery bought it and renovated it. Now it houses their distillery and tour. It was interesting to see and compare this to yesterday’s tour, but the building makes it so much more memorable. It was a gorgeous location.

We started out in the visitor center next door where we got our first dram and got to see the church and the grounds. This renovation took a lot of work because the grounds are also a cemetery and they had to ensure the paths weren't being placed on gravesites. Look how gorgeous is it from above! Oh, another little piece of trivia. There are actually bodies buried on top of bodies, buried on top of bodies. When they ran out of room they just built up!

Once through the visitor center, our tour took us inside. They have obviously replaced the stained glass windows. LOL

And then on to the tasting. Again, the small tasting was mine and honestly, Brian got most of it. I took a smell and a sip of each and that's all I could take. 

By the time our tour was done the skies had cleared and it was beautiful and blue outside!

After the drinks we grabbed some lunch and hit our AirBNB for a quick refresh, then headed to our next adventure - the EPIC Emigration Museum. This museum was another really intriguing stop. It talked about emigration from Ireland - how a huge percentage of the population has left Ireland to make their mark elsewhere in the world. There are lots of reasons for this - civil unrest, the great famine, world wars, and so much more. Visiting all the rooms, it really helped us connect with the Irish people and the impact Ireland has had in the United States and throughout the world. I didn't take photos inside, instead I just soaked it all in.

After the museum we took a leisurely stroll towards our next experience. We crossed the River Liffey and got some beautiful pictures of the city from the middle of the bridge. Then we walked through Trinity college, which had some gorgeous old architecture.

Last up was one more whiskey experience, this time at the Irish Whiskey Museum. It’s not connected to a distillery so it was a chance for a tasting of several different Irish whiskeys. Again, I was glad Brian is a whiskey drinker because one small sip is all I can take.

A dinner at a local pub, then we were off to our AirBNB for an early night in. We’ve got a big day planned for tomorrow and it starts early!