I copied this from Wikipedia...
The estate began in 1185, when Richard Talbot, a knight who accompanied Henry II to Ireland in 1174, was granted the "lands and harbour of Malahide." The oldest parts of the castle date back to the 12th century and it was home to the Talbot family for 791 years, from 1185 until 1976, the only exception being the period from 1649–60, when Oliver Cromwell granted it to Miles Corbet after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland; Corbet was hanged following the demise of Cromwell, and the castle was restored to the Talbots. The building was notably enlarged in the reign of Edward IV, and the towers added in 1765.
The estate survived such losses as the Battle of the Boyne, when fourteen members of the owner's family sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall, and all were dead by evening, and the Penal Laws, even though the family remained Roman Catholic until 1774. In 1918 during the First World War a mooring-out base for airships was established in the grounds of the castle, used by airships from RNAS Anglesey in Wales which conducted anti-submarine operations in the Irish Sea. There were plans to base airships here from 1919, but these were abandoned at the end of the war.
In the 1920s the private papers of James Boswell were discovered in the castle, and sold to American collector Ralph H. Isham by Boswell's great-great-grandson Lord Talbot de Malahide.
Malahide Castle and Demesne was eventually inherited by the 7th Baron Talbot and on his death in 1973, passed to his sister, Rose. In 1975, Rose sold the castle to the Irish State, partly to fund inheritance taxes. Many of the contents, notably furnishings, had been sold in advance, leading to considerable public controversy, but private and governmental parties were able to retrieve some.
The Abbey ruins
It was misting and cool (50s) and I dropped my toboggan walking to the bus stop ;( I might have to buy a new one at the famous Aran wool knitting mills later this week ;) I had planned to take a different bus to the seaside village of Howth, also just outside of Dublin, but It was a long overnight flight and morning acclimating to Dublin. I kept nodding off on the way back from Malahide Castle, so I just rode back to Dublin and got off in the city center to walk 1-2 miles through town back to my hotel. Glad I did! Temple Bar is a festive cobbled area in the old city, filled with cozy bars, restaurants, and live Irish music along the River Liffey. There are quaint bridges spanning the water too. I was too tired to stop in and have a beer, but figured I'd catch the same things later in the week, in smaller villages, less touristy. It was still fun to stroll. Dublin is a typical city, population around 500,000, with an international population and many languages heard on the streets. I read that 40% of people from Ireland claim to be able to speak Irish/Gaelic but sldo that it's only really spoken and heard in more remote areas, especially in the southwest. I saw lots of groups of school age children, many red haired and very Irish looking, as I rode the bus to the village of Malahide. I was surprised to hear them speak Gaelic sometimes, and switch back and forth to English from on minute to the next. Bus stops are announced in English and Irish, and street signs around Dublin are the same... interesting.
A few blocks from my hotel is St Patrick's Cathedral and the surrounding park... a beautiful space..
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral has been part of Ireland’s history for over 800 years and today is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Dublin. Built in honour of Ireland’s patron saint between 1220 and 1260 Saint Patrick’s Cathedral offers visitors a rich and compelling cultural experience and is one of the few buildings left from medieval Dublin. It is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland and is the largest Cathedral in the country. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, was Dean of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1700s and he is one of many burials on site. The Cathedral is world famous for its choir which still performs daily during school term and in recent years the Lady Chapel, dating from 1270, has been restored to its original glory and a new exhibition called Lives Remembered has opened which includes a specially commissioned tree sculpture and marks the centenary of World War 1. They also have regular masses and choral Evensongs.
There's a nice plaque dedicated to Ireland's many literary "giants"...
And a block from my hotel is a very popular but lesser know Irish whiskey distilleries with tastings and a store! Well, that's all I could pack in today. I'm dead on my feet and need to rest up before meeting up with my tour group at 9AM.. I'm really excited about the next 9 days of exploring this awesome country!! ;)
Dublin has a great transportation system with light rail (top photo) and double decker buses. I pre-ordered a 1 day unlimited pass, good for any mode of transportation, and used it to get into town from the airport, to and from Malahide, and into town the next morning to meet my tour group. Well worth the 11 Euros and convenience!
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