The capital of the island of the Celts and Druids
Getting to know the homeland of the elves should begin withacquaintance with its capital. According to historians, Dublin was built by the Vikings about 1000 years ago. It is located around Dublin Bay in the valley of the River Liffey. The city is full of spacious squares, historic mansions, geometrically correct rows of Georgian houses, picturesque parks and squares. O'Connell Street is the main street of the capital, one of the widest in Europe. Its main attraction is the Monument of Light. This is a steel monument 120 m high, made in the shape of a needle. It stands on the site of the monument to the legendary Admiral Nelson, which was blown up by IRA militants in 1966. The Dublin needle has become a symbol of the new millennium and a special pride of the country's residents. The most fascinating place in Dublin is the National Leprechaun Museum - a fairy-tale people who have become a kind of symbol of Ireland. In the museum, you can immerse yourself in the unique world of local folklore: look for the place where the pot of gold is kept, feel like a really small person surrounded by huge pieces of furniture, learn interesting stories from the life of leprechauns. No less exciting will be a visit to the National Maritime Museum, which has existed since 1941. It contains 4,000 books telling about the development of navigation in Ireland, and displays images of sailing ships that delivered food to the country during World War II. The most popular exhibit is a model of the ship "Sirius", which was the first to cross the Atlantic under steam alone.
The main cathedral complex of the city
Ireland's largest cathedral is also locatedin Dublin. It bears the name of St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Emerald Isle. It was first mentioned in 1191. In the cathedral, you can see ancient frescoes, half-decayed heraldic flags of knights who underwent initiation here, medieval stained glass windows and many religious attributes from different eras. One of its deans, the famous writer Jonathan Swift, is buried in the central nave of the cathedral. The temple houses an exhibition consisting of the works of the author of "Gulliver", his death mask and some personal belongings.
Cliffs of Moher: the island's business card
The majestic and unapproachable Irishnature is able to melt the heart of every tourist. Cheerful emerald meadows, gloomy steep cliffs, mesmerizing depth of the sky and sea, gray mountains and winding bays - everything looks like hundreds of years ago, when the followers of St. Patrick erected Celtic stone crosses on the hills and built monasteries. Those who were enchanted by Ireland, advise you to definitely visit County Clare to enjoy the incredible spectacle - the Cliffs of Moher. This calling card of the island of green Eireann is a ridge of steep cliffs about 200 m high, which are washed by the cold waters of the Atlantic. The ridge, 8 km long, attracts about a million tourists annually - that's how many want to admire the breathtaking landscapes that open up from the terry cliffs. On clear days, you can see the outlines of the Connemara Valley and the Aran Islands from them. The place looks so fabulous that Hollywood directors chose it for location shooting of the Harry Potter film.
Newgrange - Temple of the Sun
Древнейшее сооружение на планете, которое older than the great Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge, located 40 km from Dublin. This is a burial chamber located inside a 13.5 m high mound, a 19-meter corridor leads to it. Inside the chamber, a ritual bowl has been preserved, in the walls - niches decorated with stone carvings. This cult building is called the Temple of the Sun, in the dark depths of which Light has been born for 5,000 years. The mystery occurs on the days of the winter solstice: at dawn, a ray of sunlight penetrates through a small entrance into the pitch darkness of Newgrange; it timidly slides along a narrow underground corridor, the height of which gradually increases, and reaches the upper room - the crypt, shaped like a trefoil. The growing ray of sunlight illuminates the altar stone for 15-20 minutes. Not everyone can see this magical spectacle: to get on the list of lucky ones, you need to win a special lottery.
Castle Cair: the most impregnable fortress
Irish castles - a separate directiontourist pilgrimage. Some of them house fashionable hotels, while other buildings are still inhabited by the heirs of famous ancient families. In these historical landmarks, you can see with your own eyes all the elements of castle architecture - massive watchtowers, blocking bars on the gates, armories, lancet windows and ancient bridges. The largest castle building in Ireland is Cahir Castle in County South Tipperary, built in 1142 by the King of Thomond. It seems to have come straight from the pages of a history book: the main keep, the donjon, six watchtowers on the fortress walls, a portcullis that drops down in front of the gates, an unexploded cannonball remaining in the fortress wall. Elizabeth I called this citadel the most impregnable.
Valley of the Great Kings
The Valley of the Great Kings is what they call it in IrelandTara, a low, long hill near the Boyne River (County Meath). According to Celtic legends, traces of the Druids can be found here. In the old days, the "Feast of Tara" was a ritual marriage between the High King and his land. In the center of Tara is the Fal Stone, famous for the cry it made under the High Kings. According to historians, the legendary stone symbolized chaos, and its cry - the resistance of chaos to the process of ordering that the kings embodied. If you look at the area from above, you can see two connecting spirals of earthen ramparts, each of which consists of 7 circles. In the center of their intersection was the royal palace, in which the central place was occupied by the Mead Chamber. 4 additional rooms of the palace were oriented to the 4 cardinal directions, they personified all of Ireland, namely its 4 main kingdoms. As you can see, the sights of Ireland include not only medieval architectural monuments, but also many amazing places that are the pride of this country. These include gorges and lakes, cliffs and moorlands, mounds and islands. The sights of Ireland are a variety of impressions that change at every turn of its winding roads.
