St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Dublin, Ireland is one of the most visited cities in all of Europe and has many popular attractions for tourists to enjoy.

Perhaps one of the most famous of Dublin’s attractions is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It’s the largest church in Ireland. Be sure to put St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the top of your list of things to do in Dublin.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is also known as The National Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Patrick, Dublin.

The first church was built in 1191 to honor Ireland’s Patron Saint. Today, it’s a historical site that tourists flock to year after year. Visitors go into the chapel to pray for free, although there is a charge for sightseeing.

The Cathedral is open year round, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas, which is called St. Stephen’s Day.

For people who like to occupy themselves there are self guided tours and everyone is welcome to the services. The cathedral’s website lists all the available church services with times and days.

St.Patrick’s Cathedral includes a bookshop on site. There you can purchase books and CDs. It’s good to know that all proceeds go towards the maintenance of the cathedral.

You can find guide books that will offer an overview of the tours. They will point out what there is to see and the relevance of each attraction. St Patrick’s Cathedral is a spectacular site and along with the Baptistery offers a great day out.

The St. Patrick’s Cathedral is steeped in the rich history of Dublin. The Cathedral is truly a site to behold. Visitors can pray or just walk the grounds and take in the sights. A truly remarkable place to visit, St. Patrick’s Cathedral should be on every itinerary.

If you are lucky enough to visit Ireland and specifically Dublin, you are sure to experience the warm welcoming of Dublin hospitality and take home memories that will last a lifetime.

For more information, go to St.Patrick’s Cathedral

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to every one.  In celebration of this festive Irish day, let’s take a look at Ireland and the famous Blarney Castle and Blarney Stone.

Blarney Castle was originally a timber hunting lodge built in the 10th century, which was replaced by a stone castle in 1210.  The present day castle was completed by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster in 1446.

Following the epic Battle of the Boyne in 1690, all Irish chiefs were stripped of their powers and the McCarthys were again forced to leave Blarney Castle.  The Castle was then sold to Sir James Jefferyes, Governor of Cork in 1703.  The Castle is currently owned and managed by the Trustees of the Blarney Castle Estate.

The famous Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower, in the ancient Irish village of Blarney.  The walls of the castle are 18 feet thick.  The stone is believed to be half of the Stone of Scone which originally belonged to Scotland.

Scottish Kings were crowned over the stone, because it was believed to have special powers.   One of the stories says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning.  Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to talk sweetly.  He was able to talk anyone into doing things.

The stone was given to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in return for his support in a battle.  Queen Elizabeth I wanted the Irish chiefs to agree to hold their own lands under title from her.

Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled her every Royal wish with clever promises keeping loyalty to the Queen without “giving in”.  Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her “a lot of Blarney.”

This is how the story began that if you kiss the blarney stone you will also be able to make clever promises.