Dublin!

I have just returned from a 4 day trip to Ireland. My three classmates and I arrived in Dublin last Saturday late in the evening. I learned so much about the history of Ireland through our visits to the National Museum, the National Gallery, Christ Church Cathedral, and Trinity College, where we saw the Book of Kells. The highlight of the trip for me was our day tour by the coast of Ireland and through the Wicklow hills to Glendalough. The tower at Glendalough was built by Vikings in the 11 century. It is all stones, no mortar! There is also a church there built around the same time period. I was most interested in the entrance of Christianity into the Celtic cultures of Ireland in the eleventh century and beyond. St. Patrick is one of the most well-known saints who brought Christianity from his native homeland, Rome. Our tour guide described how the celtic religion which existed in Ireland long before Christianity was rooted in a belief in Mother nature and the circle of life. St. Patrick sought to minister to the peoples of Ireland by amalgamating their existing beliefs with Christianity. One representation of this is the celtic cross, in which Jesus is seen in the center, but he is inclosed in a circle, which would illustrate the Celtic belief in the circle of life.

We saw TONS of other interesting things, not to mention the sites where much of the film Braveheart was filmed. (Located behind me...)

Ireland is a great place to visit. Now it's back to the books for me. I am focusing now on some interesting contemporary artists whom I wish to highlight on my blog soon....