Dublin Castle: exploring the grounds 1

Dublin. The name? Comes from the old Irish ‘Dubh Linn’, and that translated to English is Black Pool, but let me say this great city is immensely and nicely far removed from the Blackpool that springs to mind 😉 The gardens of this castle, so full of history, sit where the black pool was. Of course much has changed since the time of vikings and with a great city built around it, together with some great and some rough times through the ages, the castle stands proudly on the highest point of Dublin. We had a little time so we wandered away from the River Liffey and took a walk around the outside of the castle in the sun.

P9220113-photos

P9220109-photos

In the 10th century a viking settlement. Then in the 12 century came the Normans. The spot and its strategic location was always a place for fortification, and evidence has been found of the old stone and wood structure. In the 13th century King John ordered a proper castle built and so the seeds of what you see today were laid. The one remaining intact tower dating from this period is Record Tower, shown below and in the main image atop this post.

Social Wellness Walks

P9220104-photos

Throughout the over 700 year history of British rule from then the castle was used as a centre and also thus the centre of many flashpoints. With Henry VIII and some really vicious religious purges and fires destroying the medieval buildings of the courtyard in the 1600s together with uprisings, revolts, oppression and civil wars in the centuries, along with so many other incidents this castle has had more than its fair share of time and scars.

P9220112-photos

DSC_1526-photos

1922 brought the end of colonial rule with the Irish Free State and later the Republic. The castle has since been brought to glory within a true Irish Dub,in home and hosts state visits, conferences and of course the many many tourists that flock to see the treasure it is. Inside you can see amongst the old history the glorious State Rooms, dining room and corridors together with a decoratively adorned ballroom dated from the 18th century.

DSC_1525-photos

P9220120-photos

DSC_1524-photos

Today the sun was beating down and it was an absolute pleasure to escape the crowds of the city centre for a while and venture around some of the castle perimeter, courtyard and park. The grandness of it built over centuries with different tastes of the time. A quiet time to examine the fine details and read about the history whilst looking on from the gardens beside. There is so much to see and do in Dublin but a stop by here is a must if you want to learn more of the old Dublin and part of what made it the great place it is today.

P9220102-photos

P9220133-photos

P9220143-photos

Share with your friends!
Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Similar Posts

12 Comments

  1. john castledine says:

    Absolutely nice scenery and beautiful post enjoyed your post emensly Paul.

    1. Paul Steele says:

      Thanks John very much

  2. Suzanne Snyder says:

    Loved Dublin – and all of the Emerald Isle :-). Next up – Scotland. Thanks for sharing

    1. Paul Steele says:

      🙂 Enjoy Suzanne

  3. Cynthia U - No Roads and No Horizons says:

    I love Dublin so much. Thank you for bringing back great memories with this post. Great pictures!

  4. eirewalk.com says:

    thank you for sharing this beautiful day in Dublin. very good photographs. Dublin castle is part of my tours and that’s really a place nobody should miss.if the weather is not so nice , you can always find shelter in the free and extraordinary museum of Chester Beatty Library next to the Castle’s gardens.thanks. Mireille

  5. Carri Nash says:

    Beautiful photos and beautiful narrative, thanks for sharing. Dublin is definitely on my bucket list.

    1. Paul Steele says:

      Hi Carri, that is so nice of you to say 🙂 Yes a definite place to go

  6. Get pics, sounds like a fun trip!

    1. Paul Steele says:

      Most certainly is a great place to visit Bob. cheers

      1. awesome castle! love the photos…

        1. Paul Steele says:

          Hi Kyra 🙂 Thank you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *