Dublin Castle

Saturday morning I woke up and although when planning, I’d earmarked this day for Trinity College and the Book of Kells, for some reason I just didn’t feel like it. I scrolled around on Google Maps to see what did look enticing, and Dublin Castle caught my eye. Did I know anything about it? Nope. Did I read about it or look at pictures? Nope. I just saw it on a map, saw it was walking distance to the Molly Malone statue and the Oscar Wilde statue and a garden I’d been told was lovely, and also near a cathedral (and I wanted to see at least one) so I was like, whelp, sorry, all the librarians in my family, I’m ditching books for history today.

It did turn out to be a perfect, if long, day.

The cab driver on the way (I’ve been taking cabs rather than the bus; I know it’s more expensive dollar-wise but it’s easier for me to tell someone where I want to be picked up and where I want to go, I’m supporting an independently contracted driver, and I don’t need the 2.60 in EXACT change for the bus, and I get to talk to a local about what they love most about their city) said that if I was walking to St. Patrick’s Cathedral from the Castle, I’d go right by Christ Church (which I hear is actually Christchurch like the launch point to get to Antarctica, but if that’s the case why is it two words on all the stuff in the gift shop? At least I could have sworn it was broken up, on the t-shirts and things I saw for sale? I don’t know, maybe I didn’t look too closely, I don’t need a church t-shirt…) and it has beautiful stained glass if that’s what I was after. So I decided to add that quick stop into my route, too. More on how all that turned out later – for now, let’s get back to Stop #1, the Castle.

Since I hadn’t looked up the Castle, I wasn’t completely ready for it to look like a government building. I mean, I guess it makes sense? What with being the seat of government and all? But on the tour there were original parts of the castle still standing, if underneath the current one.

OK; that photo doesn’t look nearly as impressive as it felt.

And the Guide told us all about the history of the castle, which of course goes back centuries. They had paintings of what the castle, castle walls, and the city of Dublin looked like at different times during the ages, and it was fascinating to see how it grew and changed (or caught fire and was rebuilt and changed). At one point they even redirected the river to benefit the castle and fill the moat. The rooms were… how do I describe this…. they were both bare, and opulent, at the same time. That might not make sense. The walls are so tall in some areas, they’re almost like a two-story room. So there are thick carpets, and lavish furniture, and ornate fireplaces, and life-sized portraits, and then bare walls for about ten feet, followed by intricately painted or adorned ceilings.

And then, there was the chapel. The chapel was, hands down, my favorite part of the tour. It made me glad I took the guided tour instead of the self-guided tour (the self-guided was only the state rooms; the guided tour also got you the underground stuff and the chapel).

I mean. Whoa. When I think of all the time, all the craftsmanship that went into this…..? That wood. Those carvings. That stained glass. Even though it’s not a … what’s the word, consecrated? area any more – they use it for things like concerts, or filming movies, not for Sunday service… I could just feel the weight of all the work that went into making everything.

Yes, I know, I’m a Maker, so I’m prone to focusing on the Making of things. But if God, as you see God, is the Ultimate Maker, and we are made in the image of God, could that not mean that we are made to be Makers? So wouldn’t a building entirely made, slowly, by hand, with attention to every single small detail, be a testament to the joy and love and celebration of Craft? I don’t know that I am humbled by the thought of God when I go into a building like this, but I am humbled by the time and care that people took to make it.

I don’t know if that makes sense; I hope it does, because I’m going to talk more about that when I talk about the Cathedral. I’m not trying to harsh anyone’s religion buzz, or yuck your yum – whatever you find your strength in is fine with me. Me, I find inner strength and inner peace in the beauty of the slowly made.

If you want to see more of the state rooms and underground, you can see my castle album here. And if you want to see more of the chapel (for which I broke out my good camera, not just my cell phone), you can see those here.

Thanks for reading, y’all!