Dublin 2001

Chalk it up to custom I guess. The doors of Ireland are the most vibrantly colorful in the world.

Public art is prevalent in Dublin. Walking along one of the major streets, we discovered a huge mural in an adjacent courtyard. Highly abstract and colorful, it told a story of battle and victory. I don't know the artist, but it feels very Picasso.

St. Patrick's Cathedral is one of the main attractions in Dublin. Beautiful outside and in.

The cathedral is surrounded by a lush park. Along one wall is a series of tributes, shrines almost, to each of Ireland's famous authors.

The cathedral encloses a huge space which is well lit if the sun happens to be shining through the stained glass windows.

The interior of St. Patrick's is richly decorated. Here a Celtic cross. Click on the photo to the left, as usual, to expand it. The Celtic designs are most interesting.

The floors are richly inlaid. Attention all quilters. Here's a design for you to emulate.

The sweeping vaulted ceilings have very clean lines. They give the cathedral a peaceful atmosphere.

Modern Dublin is full of interesting eccentricities. Here is the Treasury Building. On the wall is a sculpture of person scaling it.

We visited Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Containing the four gospels, this is the most richly decorated of Ireland's illuminated manuscripts. The monks who created it fled to Kells, near New Grangee, in the 9th century to escape the Viking raids. It survived there until the 17th century when it was moved to Trinity college. No photos are allowed, which is why I am rambling on here. This photo is of a piece of sculpture at Trinity College which I liked very much.

Here's a close up of the sculpture.

And finally, another piece of "public art." This was in front of an apartment building. And like the sphere, I liked it a great deal.