Castles · Tour
Cockles and Mussels at the Statue, and the Castle from the Outside
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
DublinFast-track entry to the Book of Kells, booked online and timed, so the exhibition is seen without the crowd that builds through the middle of the day. The guide works through the 9th-century manuscript properly: the ornament, the layers of symbolism, and the meanings that have been argued over since 800 AD. The walk then continues to Dublin Castle, 13th century, and its gardens, through the medieval streets inside the line of the original city walls. The history is told rather than listed, by local English-speaking guides. The Book of Kells remains on display.
What's included
- Entry to the College Treasury to view the 9th Century Book of Kells
- Visit to the 16th Century Trinity College campus
- Exterior tour of the13th Century Dublin Castle
- Book of Kells 360 & Long Room reimagined Experience & Gaia - The illuminated sculpture of Earth
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- Tour is led by an expert english speaking local guide
Itinerary
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Trinity College Dublin, College St, Dublin
Meeting time: 15 minutes before the scheduled start. Place: the Edmund Burke statue, Trinity College, Dublin 2, D02 E620. Point: the main front entrance of Trinity College, facing College Green, between the big wooden doors and the iron railings.
The Book of Kells Experience
The Book of Kells, made in the 9th century and called in the Annals of Ulster in 1007 the most precious object in the western world. Twelve hundred years later it is still the standard against which medieval illumination is measured. The tour starts here, with the ornament, the symbolism packed into it, and the case for it as a work of art.
Trinity College Dublin
After the Book of Kells and the library, 10 minutes in the shop.
Dublin Castle
Then Dublin Castle. It was built in the 13th century on ground the Vikings had settled, and it worked as a fortress, a prison, a treasury, a court and the seat of English administration in Ireland for 700 years. This is a guided tour of the exterior: the original 13th-century Record and Octagonal Towers, the Upper and Lower State Yards and the architecture around them, with the guide supplying the intrigue that goes with a building used for that long. The Castle Gardens are included, and they are the place where the first Vikings landed in Dublin in 795 AD. The lawn there now is landscaped on Celtic lines. (This tour does not go inside the State Apartments.)
Molly Malone Statue
The Molly Malone statue, where the group sings a few lines of Cockles and Mussels with the guide. The song is close to an unofficial anthem for Dublin, and Molly and her barrow have become one of the standing images of the city.
Dublin Castle, Dame St, Dublin 2
Not included
- Interior visit to Dublin Castle
- Hotel Pick Up & Drop Off / Transportation / Food and Drink / Gratitude
Good to know
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please wear comfortable shoes as this tour involves a fair amount of walking, including over uneven surfaces, cobblestones, hills, inclines, declines and stairs.
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- Participants should be in good health - consult first with your doctor if you have any medical condition or are not used to regular exercise.
- Wheelchairs, motorised scooters or any other device to assist mobility are not recommended, as we cannot guarantee: that all footpaths/sidewalks/curbs will have suitable ramps.
- Anybody under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by somebody aged 18 years or older.
- Not recommended for travellers with limited mobility
- Up to 8 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, fr, es.
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