Today my roommate and I went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, and the old Library. Then we ate lunch, and afterwards got yummy gelato. Then we went to the Christ Church Cathedral, and Dublinia which is a museum about the viking era and the medieval era in Dublin.
Pictures of the city I took while walking around
No man has a right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation. No man has a right to say his country thus far shalt thou go and no further. We have never attempted to fix the Ne-Plus ultra to the progress of Irelands nationhood and we never shall.
This is a bank and a post office
Trinity College I think, but it said Dublin University
Trinity College/Book of Kells/Old Library
This is a map that shows the change in land ownership between the years 1641 and 1679
"The big losers in 17th century Ireland were the Catholic landowners."
The blue represents the land owned by Catholics
The yellow represents the land owned by Protestants
The purple represents the land in common ownership
The grey represents the land not included in the survey
Taken in the years 1656-1658 the Down Survey of Ireland is the first ever detailed land survey on a national scale anywhere in the world. The survey measured all the land to be fortified by the Catholic Irish following their defeat by Oliver Cromwell in 1653. Copies of all these maps have survived dozens of libraries and archives throughout Ireland, Britain and France. This project by the School of Histories and Humanities has brought together for the first time in over 300 times all the surviving maps, digested them and made them available as a public online resource.
So we can't actually take pictures of The Book of Kells, I'm assuming its because its so old, and I know the flash of cameras can ruin older printings of things. But here are some facts that I remember. It's not a lot because there was a lot of information and so I can only remember a little bit. lol
The Book of Kells is a book of the four main gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that were written in original Latin.
In the year 800 the book was made and in the year 1661 the book was brought to Trinity College for safe keeping.
The Book was written by 4 main scribes. One scribe copied St. Johns Gospel, one scribe was conservative and was responsible for only finishing certain sections/pages, and the other two scribes copied the bulk of the other three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The book was written on Vellum, which is Calfskin. And the original state is estimated to have used 185 calves.
After the Book of Kells exhibit it lead to the library, which is basically full of super old books. And this library is huge. It's quite amazing. Especially since they still use the books for reference (I'm not sure who uses them, and what they're referencing, but that's what they do. lol).
The philosopher Socrates
Philosopher Francis Bacon. Read some of his stuff. Not too bad.
Early musical notation:
Musical notation began to develop in the 9th century as a means of communicating plainchant. the earliest notational systems used neumes- graphic signs which indicated the contours of melody and details of expression, but without precisely defining pitch. They could therefore have been useful to the singer only as a guide in recalling a chant already known to him. The use of horizontal lines to establish pitch (staff notation) was first standardized in the early 11th century by Guido of Arezzo.
Irish Folk Music And Song
Edward Buntings A General Collections of the Ancient Irish Dance (Dublin, 1796) has been described as the most influential publication in the history of Irish Music. Thomas Moore used Bunting as a source for many of his Irish melodies and later collectors followed Bunting's example in transcribing traditional tunes directly from folk musicians. George Petrie published his collection in 1855, including the tune generally known as the "Londonderry air" and James Goodman transcribed over 2000 tunes from a variety of sources. Such collectors made a vital contribution towards saving an essential element of Ireland's musical heritage for future generations.
I believe this is John Locke. I can't remember if he is a philosopher or a scientist.
Modern Irish Master
Trinity College Library has build up a rich body of material from some of the most prominent Irish composers of the 20th century, four composers are represented in this exhibition- Ina Boyle, Frederick May, Brian Boydell and Gerald Barry- and the archive also holds works by Arthur Duff, Gerard Victory, Edgar Deale, Colin Mawby, and James Wilson. These collections together constitute a major representation of Ireland's modern musical and cultural heritage.
This is a letter written by a slave:
Bristol July 11th 1759Master Charley these few [lines] I rote to you hoping you are well. Now I shall proceed to let you [know] of our Pachicet [packet i.e boat journey] [?Thursday]. About 8 o clock in the afternoon [we] landed att Pergate, then we hire shease [a chaise i.e. a chair] [and] went to Chester from thence to [?Bicester] from thence to Whitechurch from thence to [Shrewsbury] there went in a boat along a fine river as fine banks and as fine prospects as wee should wish to see. Wee went that day 40 miles be watter and had it not [been] for the day thurning out wet we [would have] gone sixty. Wee had a great deal of company and as harty as possible. The bote never stopped till she went to her journey's end for she is oblidge to goe like a stage coach. But me master did not choose to goe be night upon the count of the rain. We landed at a place called Brigenort, wee lay there that night. Next morning [we] took horses went to a very large town called Bugley, then hired shease and went from thence to another large town called Glocestershire and of the wonders I ever seen I never seen anny until I got there. There is a college church and they say it is 7 hundred years since it was bilt; it wood be a good day's work for [a] man to gett to the top. Me Master went there and when he came home he asked me why did I [?not] goe there for shuch another peece [of] work you will never see just as [?if] I knew where he was going. Well I was so angry that I went there and gave a boye sixpence that showed me every particular- all the kings and princes that ever reigned was there drawn in marble stone, you actually take them to be alive some of them. The boye told me that he wood not goe to the top of the tower with me if I gave him sixpence more but that if I [chose] myself I might goe up. I went I [believe] I reckoned very near 200 steps before I got to the top. When I got to the top I looked around me and I taught that every house and street round me was [a] gunshot down from me. I seen a bell there and it was bigger than the furnace in the brew house. Just as I came down prayers began...
(spellings and punctuation have been modified slightly)
Info on the letter:
Servant's letter
This letter was written by Bryan Rock, traveling in England with his employer Mr. Lyons, in 1759. It is probably written to his employer's son and daughter. This is a rare example of a letter written by a servant; although all families above poverty employed servants there are few servant- authored documents surviving for Ireland.
His cheerful and affectionate letter permits us to share in Rock's delight at what may have been his first foreign trip. He was astonished at Goucester Cathedral, clearly the largest building he had ever been in; he was impressed with the sculptures of 'all the kings and princes that ever reigned there drawn in marble stone' and he was captivated by the choir and the organ playing so much that he could not 'get the music out of my ears for three hours after.' Later in the letter Rock apologized to Miss Lyons that it was not in his power to describe the women's fashions that he has seen, but eloquently says he hopes to 'bring some of them [home] in my eyes.'
The survival of this letter was not accidental- it is obvious from its physical fragility, that it was constantly read and re-read over time; when it fell apart, it was carefully, if crudely, patched back together again. This item will go to the Library's Preservation and Conservation team for treatment for treatment to prolong its existence for another couple of centuries.
This is the actual letter
University of Dublin Chair of Music.
This exhibition celebrates the 250th anniversary of the University of Dublin's Chair of Music, first held in July 1764 by the Earl of Mornington.1764-1774 Garret Wesley, Earl of Mornington.
1774-1845 Vacant
1845-1862 John Smith
1862-1894 Robert Prescott Stewart
1894-1909 Ebenezer Prout
1919-1920 Percy Buck
1920-1935 Charles Kitson
1935-1962 George Hewson
1962-1982 Brian Boydell
1982-1995 Hormoz Farhat
The philosopher Cicero
After the Library we met with my friend Amber and we went to lunch. After we met up with her friends and went to the Christ Church Cathedral and the Dublinia.
Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral Dublin
The mother church of the diocese of Dublin & GlendaloughAnglican/Episcopal
"From wherever you are I bid you a warm welcome to Christ Church Cathedral here in Dublin. People have been coming to this place to worship God for nearly one thousand years. While the building has journeyed through many changes over the centuries, the constancy of its witness has remained uninterrupted. the mission of any cathedral is to reflect throught its beauty the transcendence of God. Every year thousands of visitors come through our doors to either visit a site of unique heritage or to celebrate with us in our liturgies. Irrespective of denomination, faith or non faith we welcome everyone as a pilgrim and it is our hope that as the pilgrim leaves, he or she will have been touched in some way by the love of God which shines in the beauty of this place, which is the spiritual heart of Dublin.
He was a brave experienced and successful officer and victorious whenever he had the command. He twice received the Thanks of Parliament for his services. The capture of Monte Video in South America and the Island of JAVA in the East Indies added both to his fame and his fortune.
The Baptistry: the gift of the 1870s architect of the rebuilt cathedral, George Edmund Street.
Nave Tombs:
Bishop Lindsay: This former dean of Christ Church was the last incumbent to hold the position of bishop of Kildare, a position held in commendam since 1681 when held by William Moreton. On Lindsay's death the deaneries of Christ Church and St. Patrick's were amalgamated and the property of Christ Church accrued to the bishopric of Kidare.
The cut-stone on display here was stored loosely in the crypt following this restoration campaign, the selection here is but a fraction of the stone collection but is among the most interesting. The vast majority of the cut- stone its in plain memory blocks of Dundry stone). Some pieces remain on display in the crypt.
This is more difficult to answer. There was a major collapse of the nave in 1562 and undoubtedly much cut stone was re-used in shoring up the south side of the nave- simply turned around with the carved surfaces facing inwards. Street (the architect) rebuilt the south arcade of the nave to match the surviving north arcade. some of the medieval stone was probably recovered from there, e.g. that foliaged capital and head in the display case (dating c. 1230).
Secondly, the plan of the east end of the cathedral was altered fairly radically by Street (the architect).
In essence the reconstructed choir followed the plan of the crypt below. The square- ended choir aisles, the partially blocked choir aisle arches and the transepts were possibly the original locations for much of the sculpture on display here. The cut-stone (except for the pieces mentioned above) can be dated to c. 1170- c. 1210, this fits in well with the date of the east end of the cathedral.
The doorway in the South transept was originally the elaborate entrance to the north transept (where this exhibit is located) it was moved to the south side in 1831. The north transept portal and a former doorway in the north nave aisle suggest that the north side in general was the most likely location for the more dramatic pieces of sculpture. The cloister and chapter house of this former Augustinian Cathedral Priory were on the South Side, with no major public entrances on that side. The water-leaf capital on display may conceivably be from late- Romanesque cloister arcade. Several loose pieces of stone provide clear evidence that there was also a late Gothic cloister arcade at Christ Church.
In addition to the pieces collected here (and some in the crypt) there are many fine pieces in-situ in the cathedral, in the choir arcade, choir and transept aisles and in the nave.
Engaged capital showing the transition from an acanthus leaf to stiff- leaf form, combining acanthus stalks, nail head ornament on the stalks with tightly curled- over leave and square-headed abacus. Suggests a location somewhere in the east end of the cathedral. This much damaged historiated capital was originally located near here. In the Street volume, mentioned in the introduction, it was recorded as located in the north transept, at the entrance into the nave aisle. At the entrance to the choir aisle is a very fine historiated capital pair (a capital populated with figures performing some task). These have been identified as a troupe of entertainers- some of their instruments can be identified. The figures convey movement with swirling gowns.
Unfinished 19th century capital carved from Caen Stone, possibly intended for the nave arcade.
Chevron decorated voussoir (part of an arch). Difference chevron motifs have been identified in the cathedral. In the choir aisle (outside this space) several forms of chevron can be seen decorating the aisle ribs and choir arcade orders.
Sir Henry Sidney, during his second term as Lord Deputy of Ireland (1575-78) contributed towards the building of the steeple and repair of the church, for which his coat of arms was erected in 1577, originally over the entrance to the north choir aisle.
The Lady Chapel, chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Weekday Eucharist's are celebrated here. Not the Virgin and Child (picture above) (1991), a wonderfully evocative bronze by the contemporary artist, Imogen Stuart.
Dublinia
The Dublinia is a museum about the Viking and medieval periods in Dublin.
Viking Period
In the 820s and 830s Vikings raided the Dublin area and built a settlement here in 841. Its first foreign king was Olaf the White, from Norway.
It is not certain where this word comes from, although it may connected with the Old Norse word for an inlet, creek or bay. The word for such places was oik and since sea-pirates sailed out of them to attack and steal from passing ships it may have formed the basis of oikingr.
An alternative view is that oikngr was originally ursed to describe tradesr from Viken (now Oslofijord) in southern Norway. If some of them occasionally engaged in raiding as well as trading then the name might well have gradually acquired a new meaning. Strictly speaking, the term 'Viking' should be applied to those who were sea-pirates and to their activities but it is now commonly used to describe all Scandinavian peoples of the Viking Age and their culture.
Some were traders exploring new commercial opportunities as north-western Europe developed; some were farmers in search of their own, or better quality, land; and some were raiders in search of instant wealth.
The increasing demand for Scandinavian raw materials, such as iron and soapstone, from areas outside the homelands brought Viking traders into contact with other lands. This led to a greater awareness of the opportunities that lay beyond their shores, both fertile farmland with more favorable weather for growing crops and unprotected monasteries full of treasure. Viking custom allowed only the eldest son to inherit and this may have encouraged many of the poor and landless younger brothers to seek their fortunes abroad.
All of these had human form and possessed different combination of the equalities that the Vikings admired, as well as some of their faults. The adventures of the gods and their problems were the basis of many myths and legends, which were really ways of showing how a Viking should, or should not, behave.
Odin was the chief of the gods and also the god of knowledge. He had two ravens called Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) that gathered information for him. Thor was Odin's son and the most popular god. He protected humans from all kinds of evil. His name means 'Thunder' and its rumbling noise was the sound of his chariot riding across the sky. Lightning bolts were the sparks that flew from Mjollnir, his hammer. Frey was the god of fertility. He helped to ensure good harvests as well as strong and healthy children. His sacred animals were the boar and the stallion, symbols of virility. Frey had a twin sister, the goddess Freyja, who was his female counterpart.
An Arab trader, Ahmad ibn Fadhlan, me Norse merchants in 921 and described them making offerings of food and drink to wooden poles, one carved wit ha face and other bearing the heads of sacrificed animals.
Vikings often sacrificed animals to their gods and, in order to prove their devotion and how much they could afford to spend, they displayed the skins outside their houses. The gods were usually worshipped at places such as springs and forest clearings that were dedicated to but, according to a later Icelandic writer, a temple existed at Lade in Norway where horses were sacrificed, cooked, and eaten, and the walls painted with their blood.
Vikings believed in a life after death, and things that might be useful in the next world buried with them. These included weapons, tools, horses, dogs and even slaves. The Valkyries, Odin's female attendants, took those who died a glorious death in battle to Valhalla to fight all day and feast all night with him, while those who died peacefully went to a cold, dismal place called Niflheim.
The Viking Age:
1066William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, invades England, after which the Viking draws gradually to a close.
1016
Knut the Dane becomes king of England, and later of Denmark and Norway
While suppressing a revolt by Leinster and Dublin, Brian Boru is killed at the battle of Clontarf
c. 1000
Leif Erickson reaches North American and explores Vinland.
980
The so-called second Viking Age begins with attacks on England after a long interval of relative peace.
c. 965
Harold Bluetooth king of Denmark is converted to Christianity
902
Vikings are said to have been expelled from Dublin returning in 917.
91 (but I feel like its supposed to be 901...)
The eastern part of Normandy is granted to Vikings led by Rollo
885-6
Paris is besieged by a large fleet of Viking ships, but manages to resist
c. 870
Scandinavians, mainly from Norway, begin to settle in Iceland.
865
The first part of the Danish great army lands in eastern England, leading to the capture of York.
841
A Viking fleet winters at Dublin, where a permanent settlement is established.
793
The Viking Age begins suddenly with attacks on Lindisfarne in north-eastern England and elsewhere.
I'm not going to lie, this timeline really confuses me because I'm not sure if this is supposed to be B.C or after. so I don't really know what any of the timeline refers to.
The Vikings came from three areas of the region now called Scandinavia.
Vikings from the area that became Sweden went eastwards into Russian and the Baltic countries.
Vikings from the area that became Denmark sailed across the North Sea to the eastern side of England and Normady.
They also lacked cooking facilities, toilets and beds. At night, crew members shared hudfats, two-man sleeping bags made from animal skin.
When crossing the open sea Vikings sailed non-stop and in good conditions 160-190 km could be covered in 24 hours. In 1893 a replica of a Viking ship, based upon the one found at Gokstad, crossed the Atlantic from Norway to Newfoundland in four weeks.
To scare the Vikings' opponents. The wooden figurehead was probably detachable and held in place by leather thongs. The Vikings could take the dragon head off when they did not want to be recognized as raiders, for example when they met a more powerful ship and wanted to avoid a sea battle.
The Vikings developed designs and construction techniques that produced ships which were not only fast, but which could be sailed in very shallow water and beached almost anywhere. Without the need for harbors, it was much easier to explore and settle new lands and to trade with small costal and rive settlements, as well as to raid them. Equipping their sailing ships with oars reduced the need for favorable winds. This was a major advantage when it cam to maneuvering in narrow rivers, in sea battles, and for leaving in a hurry.
The hulls of Viking ships were formed from overlapping planks, which were attached to each other. This resulted in a vessel with a strong, lightweight outer skin and reduced the need for a heavy frame. The stepped, overlapping plank construction of the hull also had a hydrofoil effect. The faster the hull moved through the water, the higher it rose out of it, which reduced drag and increased speed still further. Lighter ships were not only faster, they could be transported overland between rivers. This was a vital part of the trade routes that the Vikings established through Russia as far as the Black Sea and the Middle East.
When out of sight of land their basic technique was to sail east or west. The shadow cast by the pointer on a bearing dial, like the one here, may have helped Vikings to determine other compass directions and the length of the shadow would also have decreased as they travelled south (and vice versa).
Evidence for them using this knowledge as an aid to guidance is provided by a late tenth-century text from Iceland that gives the sun's height at midday for every week of the year. Cloud formation, birds, draftwood and ice-glare in the sky were all clues to the whereabouts of land, even when it lay beyond the horizon.
This allowed them to stay in Ireland over the winter rather than sailing back to Scandinavia.
Some time later, in the 9th or 10th century, Vikings commemorated the place where they had first landed by erecting a monument. Four meters high and known as the 'Long Stone' maps show that it survived until the 18th century.
In the Viking Age, people frequently entrusted their valuables to religious centers for safekeeping. This, together with the ecclesiastical treasures they contained and the fact that they were often poorly protected, made them attractive targets
Attacks on monasteries should be viewed in much the same context as modern bank raids and Vikings were not alone in recognizing them as sources of easy wealth. In Ireland, churches and church property were regularly pillaged as part of the many disputes between the various Irish kingdoms or local chieftains.
Tent frames similar to this were found on both the Oseberg and Gokstad ships. They may even have been erected on deck during voyages to provide some protection from the sun and rain, since Viking longships have very little shelter for their crew.
Vikings camped in Ireland during the winter of 840-1 rather than return to their homeland. After this, they increasingly made use of fortified encampments in the countries that they were raiding. Islands in estuaries or rivers and the neck of land between the joining of two rivers were favorite sites because they could be more easily and quickly defended. Some places with fortified campsites such as this were on Noirmoutier Island at the mouth of the Loire, the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames estuary and in and around Dublin perhaps at Usher's Island and where the River Poddle met the Liffey.
The ability to defend yourself, your family and your property was considered to be vitally important and every Viking was trained to use weapons from an early age. A few used their fighting skills to find employment as mercenaries and some even formed highly-trained professional units, such as the famous Varangian Guard who protected the emperors of Constantinople.
In contrast, most raiding expeditions were probably made from up ordinary farmers looking for the chance to improve their situation with some captured loot. These temporary forces possessed few battle tactics and relied instead largely upon the element of surprise. Their ships (and increasingly their horses they brought with them) gave them the ability to strike fast , when and where they were least expected and to disappear just as quickly. Pitched battles were avoided if at all possible since in these situations the Vikings were often outnumbered and regularly defeated.
Viking Burial
They believed in life after death and that they could take their belongings with them to the next world.Excavations west of Dublinia have uncovered skeletons of males buried with their swords, shields and knives, while females are buried with items suc has brooches and jeweler. The graves are not very deep and so originally they may have been covered by mounds of earth such as the one that existed until 1646 on Hoggen Green near Trinity College. The name Hoggen comes from haugr, the Old Norse word for 'grave mound'.
The Vikings had various ways for burying their dead. Some wealthy or important people were buried inside a ship with valued belongings such as horses, furniture, and even servants. Sometimes the ship containing the body was set on fire before it was covered with a mound of earth.
The largest burials of this type are in Scandinavia although smaller versions have been found in the Scottish Isles and the Isles of man.
Some were ransomed or put to work on the Vikings' own farms, but the majority were shipped to slave markets to be traded for silver or other goods. Some of these slave markets were located in Spain, or even as far away as southern Russia, but one of the most important slave markets in north-western Europe was here in Dublin.
Men, women and children were kidnapped from all over Europe, but so many were from the Slavic region that the word' slave' may be derived from this. The Vikings did not have a monopoly on slaving; it was widespread throughout the known world. Even Vikings themselves were sometimes captured and sold into slavery, which was the fate that befell many of them after Dublin was successfully attacked by the Irish in 944. Many stories about slaves are recorded including a nun rescued from slavery by St. Rimbert in Denmark (she sang psalms to prove who she was) and a fifteen- year- old girl bought for three marks of silver and who turned out to be an Irish Princess.
(random fact about slaves, St. Patrick was once a slave.)
Making a Viking Sword:
- Individual plates of high and low carbon steel are forge welded together.
- The plates are struck at high heat and fused together into long rods
- Two rods are twisted to make a pattern, joined together and a third rod is wrapped around the patterned rods to form the blade edge.
- The rods are welded and fused together into a solid sword blade.
- The sword is forged into shape.
- It is ground, polished and then heat treated to make it durable.
- Further polishing a etching bring out the pattern welding.
- A hilt and a carved wooden grip are attached. The finished sword is seen here with a matching scabbard.
Stolen treasure would have been taken elsewhere to be exchanged for goods and raw materials that were more useful for life back home on the farm. Trading gradually became more important to the Vikings than raiding, probably because it was more reliable and more profitable. Monastic treasure was a dwindling resource since after it was stolen it took monks and nuns many years to replace it. trading was also much safer, especially as the general population eventually became better organized and more able to defend themselves.
The success of the Viking as traders was based upon their mastery of the seas. In an age where overland travel was difficult their ships provided on of the most efficient means of transporting goods. Ultimately they traded over a far wider area than that which they terrorized. As indication of this is the fact that more than 85,000 Arabic coins dating from the ninth and tenth centuries have been found in Scandinavia and these must represent only a small percentage of the total number. Scandinavian wealth during the Viking Age was based more on profits made by enterprising traders than on treasures from looted monasteries.
Amber
Amber was used for jewelry and also valued for its magical properties. It was exported in its raw state or as beads from the Baltic and about 3,000 pieces have been found in Dublin.Cloth
Scandinavian woolen cloth was relatively coarse, but finer wools would have been imported from England and Flanders, and silks and exotic braids from the Far East.Feathers
Feathers were one of the main exports from the Viking homelands. The soft chest feathers of the eider duck (known as 'down') were particularly valued. These were used to fill the finest quilts and traces of them have been found in royal graves.Furs
There was an abundance of animals in the far north and the arctic regions that grew thick fur to protect them from the cold. These furs were highly- prized, both for warm clothing and as fashion items, by people who lived further south.Iron
Rich deposits of iron existed in Norway and Sweden and it was often exported in the form of rough 'blanks' to be finished in other countries. Unfinished axeheads similar to these were found o na Danish beach.Salt
This was important as a way of preserving meat and fish, as well as flavoring. It can be obtained from sea water evaporated by the sun but this is difficult in northern Europe. Deposits of rock salt in Cheshire (still mined today) were probably a major source of it in the Viking Age.
Since it was the weight of the silver that was important to them, they cut up the coins of other cultures (and even jewelry) into pieces of the value they required to make their purchases. The name given to these pieces of coins and jewelry is hacksilver.
No trader would have trusted the weights and scales of another, since there were no authorities to regulate them. Consequently each trader carried his own personal set of weights and scales with which to weigh the silver coins and hacksilver. Many of these survive because they were often buried with their own when they died. The fact that scales have been found in female graves may indicated that in certain circumstances women also acted as traders.
Female Dress in Viking Dublin
The lack of Viking female graves suggests that the settlers married local women who probably would have continued to dress in the Irish style.
Weaving was one of the most important crafts in the Viking world.
In almost every household wool from the family's sheep was woven into cloth for clothes, bedding, tents, tapestries, wagon covers, and even sails for ships. the Vikings wove their material on upright, warp-weighted looms that leant against the walls of their houses. They used mainly simple waving patterns such as tabby (a plain wave) and twill (a diagonal effect).
The warp (vertical threads) was held taut by weights attached to the lower ends. A beam towards the bottom divided the warp into two layers and created a space through which the weft (horizontal threads) was passed. Pulling out the horizontal rod called the heddle brought the rear warp threads to the front. By alternating which warp threads were in front and which were behind, and by passing the weft back and forth, the length of the cloth gradually increased on thread at a time. Although no Viking Age looms survive reconstructions can be based upon archeological finds such as the rows of weights that held the vertical threads taut and upon similar types of loom still used in other parts of the world.
What did a Viking house in Dublin look like?
This image shows the foundation of a house excavated in Temple Bar West, near Wood Quay.By the mid-eleventh century the population of Dublin would have been approximately 4,500 with about 900 houses within the defended center of the town. This foundation remains of about 200 houses have been excavated at Wood Quay which is the area between Christ Church Cathedral and the River Liffey.
Stave building (vertical planks) was common where wood was plentiful and one example of this type has been found in Dublin. The walls of most Viking houses in Ireland, however, were built using a double skin of post-and-wattle with a filling of vegetation for insulation. In more northerly regions, where timber was scared, walls were usually constructed from stone, earth and even turf.
The layout of the house was simple and often consisted of a singular rectangular room where the entire family lived, worked, ate and slept. It would have been quite crowded since children, parents, grandparents (as well as unmarried aunts and uncles) usually lived together as one family unit. The platforms against the longer sides of the room were used for seating during the day and to sleep on at night. In the center, well away from the inflammable walls, was an open fire for heating and cooking. The fire may have been a useful source of light since Viking houses were windowless.
Moss as Toilet Paper
In Viking Age Dublin local trade with the rural area around the town was important to obtain essential raw materials such as moss which was used as the Viking equivalent of toilet paper
Some were permanently employed by kings and chieftains, while others were more like travelling entertainers. The poetry that they created was full of enigmatic and elaborate descriptions such as 'cheek forest' for a heard of 'feeder of carrion beasts' for a dead warrior. It was also governed by an extremely complicated set of rules, which dictated everything from the length of a stanza to the number of syllable per line and the stress patterns on them, Skaldic verse demanded great skill and intelligence from both the poet and his audience.
A simple and more popular form of poetry existed, known as Eddaic, which used language, that was closer to everyday speech. It was not considered to be such a high art form as Skaldic variety, although skalds may have recited this type of poem as well. Its main distinguishing feature is alliteration. For example: 'To sit in solemn silence' Many Viking Age poems have survived because they are quoted in Icelandic sagas. These were stories passed down through the generations by word of mouth until they were finally written down later in the medieval period. They contain a significant amount of historical content (such as names of people and places, who killed whom, etc.) much of which is thought to be correct, but character and motivation are literary inventions.
They were put up as memorials, both to the living and to the dead; to commemorate expeditions; and to mark boundaries, bridges, causeways, and roads. It is possible that some of them even had a legal function such as documenting an inheritance. Many runestones were probably colored, although exposure to the weather has worn away all but the faintest races. The main colors used were red, brown, blue and black. The letters themselves were often red, but different colors were sometimes used to emphasize parts of the message.
Many of the later runestones clearly have a Christian significance and include Christian symbols such as the cross. Stones dedicated to the construction of a bridge often include phrases indicating that it was also a 'spiritual' bridge for the sponsors soul. A significant number of runestones were commissioned by women or commemorate them and this gives us an indication of their status in society, especially as the stones were nearly always erected in public places and would have been seen by many people. This also applies to those who carved the runestones themselves, since their names often feature prominently as part of the design. Runestones were not evenly distributed throughout the Viking world: Sweden has thousands while Norway has about forty. The runestone featured in this exhibit is an indication of a typical example rather than a replica of a particular stone.
Each rune was made up from vertical and slanting straight lines, because these were easier to carve. Horizontal lines were avoided because they mingled with the grain when carved on wood and could be difficult to read. Runes were not really suited to writing long works of literature. They were mostly used for short inscriptions or simply to mark an object, such as a comb, with the name its owner or maker. Sometimes makers stamped their names on spears and swords. These are amongst the earliest examples of trademarks, or what we might call 'designer' labels.
Each rune could represent a whole world. For example, 'f' is pronounced fay, the Norse word for money or property. Other examples are r = road, th = thorn, w = joy, I = ice, and s = sun. A rune commonly found on swords is 't', which stands for victory and also Tyr, one of the gods worshipped by warriors. The actual form of the letters and even the number of them in the futhark varied enormously. Scandinavian futharks mostly had only sixteen letters, but the Anglo-Saxon version shown below has runic equivalents for most of the letters in our alphabet.
All that information on runestones just for this one picture :p
It would have been cooler is this runestone was real.
Law and Order
They developed many of the legal ideas that we now take for granted, such as juries and majority verdicts. Even the world 'law' itself comes from an Old Norse Word.Their versions of our courts of law were called Things. They were held regularly and any free man with property could take part, although the judges were usually kings or local chieftains.
The Things Sometimes to0k place on specially-built mounds with stepped sides and flat tops. Dublin's was 13 meters high, 25 meters in diameter and was know later as the Thingmount. It was demolished in 1685, but a similar one still exists on the Isle of Man.
There were few prisons and those found guilty were often punished with a fine, even for crimes as serious as murder.
Other sentences included confiscation of land or to be outlawed for a period of time. Those outlawed usually fled the country because they were literally considered to be 'outside the law' and anyone could kill them without penalty. I was also an offence to feed or shelter them.
Do you know an Viking words?
You may know more Viking words than you think. English, and to a lesser extent Irish contain many everyday words derived from the language of the Vikings (Old Norse).Words included here: Rock, Wicker, Sky, Rope, Skip, Ice, Egg, Fish
Towns were scarce in many parts of northern Europe at the beginning of the Viking Age. France and England had a few, but some regions such as Ireland, Scotland and Wales had none at all. In order to trade more efficiently especially in those areas that lacked centers of population, the Vikings set up trading posts. Where towns already existed, Vikings sometimes took them over and developed them. Some of these trading posts and towns thrived and eventually became important places whose name are still familiar.
The Vikings believed that their world would end with an event they called Ragnarok. This was the final battle between the gods and their enemies in which almost everything would be destroyed.
In reality, the Viking Age simply faded away. Christianity gradually replace the Norseman's religion, their trading superiority may have declined owing to increased competition and local population absorbed Biking settle through intermarriage.
Ironically, descendants from one of these groups of settlers helped bring about the end of the Viking world. William the Conqueror who evaded England in 1066, and Strongbow, conqueror of Dublin, both had Viking ancestry. Some aspects of the Viking Age continued long after it merged into what is now often called the high medieval period, the subject of Dublinia's main exhibition. Scandinavian piracy was one of the reasons for the formation of the Hanseatic League by German merchants in 1241 and runes were still in use for certain purposes in places such as Labrador as late at the twentieth century.
Medieval Period
So some of this stuff is slightly out of order. It goes from the 1200s to the 1400s to the fair from end to beginning to the 1300s to the end of the medieval period. lol
In return he and his knights were rewarded with land in Ireland and a new Anglo- Norman way of life emerged. Strongbow died in 1176 and was buried in Christ Church Cathedral.
1215: King John's charter gives Dublin the right to hold an annual fair
1229: The introduction of the office of mayor of Dublin.
1240s: A water system is made available to the citizens of Dublin
A man's average life expectancy at birth was only 30 years, even before the Black Death arrived.
Almost a third of all Children died before the age of 10.
Death and Disease in medieval Dublin:
Famine, war and violent feuds were common event.s These together with dirty and overcrowded living conditions, poor hygiene and a lack of medical understand meant life expectancy was low even before the arrival of the plague known as the Black Death.Spread by fleas carried by black rats, the Black Death killed at least a third of Europe's population.
Violent Death
This was an ever-present danger to medieval Dubliners and this painting depicts an example that came to known as Black Monday.Thirteenth-century Dublin was an Anglo-Norman city with only limited control over the Irish in the surrounding countryside. On Easter Monday 1209 some citizens ventured outside the safety of the city's walls to a spot know and Collenswood (now Ranelagh), where a group of Irish warriors were later reported to have attacked and massacred a great number of them.
Even inside the city, men were particularly at risk from death or serious injury arising from casual violence linked to the universal carrying of knives.
Medieval CSI
Unexplained dead bodies were common in the Middle Ages and inquests conducted by coroners, who would appoint juries of twelve men, were frequent. There was no official system for investigation suspicious deaths. Soon after the Anglo- Normans arrived in Dublin, however, the office of coroner was established in England.English counties and many towns had one or more coroners by 1300 and Dublin had its own coroner in 1379. When eight Augustinian friars were suspected of murdering an English member of their order and temporarily concealing his body down a well before burying it at night they were accused both of murder and secret burial, 'without the body being seen by the coroners.'
Investigations of the most serious crimes were reserved to the crown (Latin corona) and the king's official who carried on those duties came to be known as a coroner (Latin coronator or cornoarius).
Spread by traders and possibly crusaders returning from the Near East, the symptoms included loss or disfigurement of fingers, toes, and parts of the face.
Although lepers were usually treated as outcasts and carried bells to warn away non-sufferers, charities cared for them in infirmaries built outside of city walls. In medieval Dublin the leper's infirmary was St. Stephens Hospital which stood to the west of St. Stephens Green. The hospital was financed by an endowment of land at Leperstown, now known as Leopardstown.
Touching a dead man's tooth was said to be a remedy for toothache. If this failed, dentistry was performed by barber-surgeons who extracted teeth, without anesthetic, using crude implements.
Toothbrushes were unknown in the Middle Ages and, if people cleaned their teeth, they did so with a cloth and abrasive powders made from ground-up sea shells or the ashes of burnt rosemary.
Cures for bad breath included honey with coriander or cumin seeds and the chewing of anise, fennel and cinnamon. These worked in much the same way that parsley, still served on our plate today, removes the smell of food from our breath.
Body Odour, bed bugs, and fleas.
In an age without plumbing or bathrooms, people washed themselves and their clothes far less frequently than we do today.Heating large volumes of water was difficult and the washing of both clothes and the body was mostly done using cold water. Since this was not nearly as effective in removing bacteria and insects, people of all classes smelled strongly of body odour as well as suffering from lice and flas.
In addition, fur trimmings that were fashionable on garments throughout the period and rushes used for floor covering provided attractive habitats for many blood-sucking insects. People wore flea-traps and placed herbs around their beds in attempt to reduce the problem, but they were probably of little use.
The main cause of illness was thought to be an imbalance in the body's four main fluids or 'humours' -blood, bile, phlegm, and melancholia. Medieval physicians believed that herbal medicines could restore the balance of those humours.
A plant's color was thought to indicate its usefulness: for example, yellow dandelions as a cure for jaundice. How and when a plant was picked, as in facing south at sunrise, was also thought to increase its potency. Despite these beliefs, some remedies were probably quite effective since many plants contain natural chemicals whose benefits were well-known to folk healers. These were often 'wise' women whose knowledge had been passed down through many generations.
Buttercups worn in a bag around the neck would cure insanity. A bracelet of senna, mint, and rue averted evil, if picked on 1st May and twined into wreaths.
Woodbine cut on the waxing moon was made into hoops which where preserved until the following March. When children were ill they passed through a hoop three times to cure them.
Dandelion
Dandelion was used to treat jaundice, colds, boils, ulcers, dental problems, itching, jaundice (why they included that twice I'll never know) and gallstones.
Garlic:
Recommended as a treatment for infections, wounds, cancer, leprosy, colds, and epilepsy as far back as Roman times.In the middle ages the upper classes avoided the use of garlic, but the peasantry viewed it as both a preventive medicine and general cure-all.
Gerard claimed that garlic 'yeeldeth to the body no nourishment at all,' although he prescribed it for a variety of ailments including sore throats, coughs, and flatulence. He added that garlic 'killeth wormes in teh belly, and driveth them forth,' and 'taketh away the morphew, tettars, or ring-worms, scabbed heads in children, dandraffe, and scurfe, tempered with honey, and the parts anointed therewith.'
Cinnamon:
Hildegard of Bingen recommended cinnamon to treat colds, influenza, cancer and 'inner decay and slime."
Religious cures
During the medieval period it was believed that the remains, or 'relics' of saints and martyers possessed miraculous healing properities.To touch or see a relic, pilgrims often traveled long distances, and even holy water collected from the site was regarded as a powerful medicine.
Many religious institutions had relics of saints associated with them or acquired suitable ones. In Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral's relics included a fragment of cloth used to wrap the baby Jesus, a thorn from the crown of thorns, and the Staff of Jesus. In 1538, at the beginning of the Reformation, many of these were publicly burnt on Skinners' Row, but a relic of Lawrence O'Toole, Dublin's archbishop 1162 to 1180 still survives.
Death, Disease and the Church:
Lack of medical knowledge in the medieval period meant that there were many aspects of death, disease and illness that appeared to be mysterious. The Church's explanation was that these things ere God's punishments for a person's sins- or for the sins of society in the case of more general disasters such as famine and plague.Despite holding the view that leprosy, plague and even toothache were all signs of divine retribution, monks and nuns were among the best-informed medical practitioners in Europe throughout the medieval period.
Caring for the sick and the healing of illnesses were seen as appropriate Christian responses and consequently infirmaries and leper hospitals were commonly built as charitable institutions with a strong religious element.
That's it for disease and sickness! I hope you weren't eating reading that... I sure couldn't eat while going through that... some of it is just a little too gross for me. lol
Anyways here's general information about things about the Medieval period:
The Building of Dublin Castle:
The first castle was probably built hastily of earth and timber. In 1204, King John commissioned a stronger, stone castle surrounded by a deep moat.
The archbishop of Dublin was one of the most powerful men in Ireland and supervised the building of the castle. Buildings such as this weer a major engineering achievement since instead of plans they used only rough drawings and simple models.
Thirteenth- century Dublin was, in effect, an English city populated by English merchants, craftsmen, and officials. They needed a strong castle and secure walls to protect them from the Irish.
The Stonemason:
Stonework or masonry was relatively expensive in the Middle Ages because of the cost of quarrying, transporting and cutting such heavy and resistant material, Dublin's local stone was calp, a dark grey limestone that was difficult to use in a refined way; accordingly a certain amount of stone was imported from England and France for the doorways and windows of major buildings. The skills deployed and the scale of building gave to stonemasons a higher status than that enjoyed by most craftsmen.The durability of stone as compared with that of timber, means that we have a completely unbalanced view above ground of the built environment of the medieval city. Very large stone structures such as castles and cathedrals normally took many years to build. St. Patrick's Cathedral, for example, needed about a quarter of a century to completely. Their biblical equivalent was the Tower of Babel. Medieval scaffolding was made from heavy timbers, as you can see in the small reconstruction, with the result that a building site would have been doubly impressive. Winches were used to raise stone and other materials to the required level.
Highly skilled stonemasons often moved from place to place with their tools. Profession masons were responsible for drawing molding profiles, designing doorways and windows, determining the thickness of walls and other technical matters. The of individual masons are sometimes found on medieval stonework; their purpose is uncertain, but they enable architectural historians to race the movements of some of these craftworkers. Occasionally their names are known as well: for example, we learn from a charter that a Master Walter was permanently employed as a mason of St. Mary's Abbey in the middle of the thirteenth century.
Crime and Punishment:
In many parts of Europe by the late twelfth century there were four main types of jurisdiction- royal, ecclesiastical, seigneurial, and municipal. A charted town or city of the kind that Dublin became in 1192 had control over most legal matters involving lay men and women, but serious crimes such as arson and rape were dealt with in the King's court. Dublin's area of jurisidictionincluded parts of the surrounding countryside, where corn stealing or even highway robbery might occur.Fully enfranchised citizens would normally have been fined if found guilty of breaking the law, though inability to pay a fine or to repay a debt might result in a spell in the city prision. In the thirteenth century a jail stood near the city wall between Werburgh Street and the castle, but in the late Middle Ages the south tower of Newgate served for this purpose. Jailers were appointed by the city authorities and wer paid in relation to the number of prisioners held in custody. Prisoners were chained by the legs and by the neck, smaller equipment being used for children.
Minor offences, including moral lapses, were punished by exposure to public absue and ridule in the pillory, which stood at the crossroads south-east of Christ Church Catherdral. Here the offender's had and hands were locked in a wooden framework, which allowed unkind or vengeful citizens to pelt him or her with eggs, rotten vegetation and the like. Even today we talk figuratively about a person being pilloried. Other forms of punishment were to be locked up in a confined psace and to be drawn through the streets in a hurdle.
Here is some information on the fair. Which the welcome sign is somewhere in the middle, because I didn't realize until halfway through the exhibit that I had started at the end. lol
The Scribe's Stall:
Scribes are always in great demand at fairs since few people can read or write.For a small fee they will compose or copy private charters, buisness contracts and wills in Latin or other languages. Many scribes are priests, and some, known as pardoners, are even licensed to sell papal indulgences known as pardons. These grant forgiveness for your sins, but do try to behave because they are very expensive.
Welcome to the Dublin Fair!
Merchants from different lands gather here annually for fifteen days in July to trade their goods. The fair is traditionally held just outside the western city wall on Fair Green.The right to hold a fair is a valuable privilage. It was granted to the city in 1215 by King John and renewed by Henry III in 1252. The fair begins on the eve of a religious festival and the revenue from the first two days of the trade is given to the archbishop of Dublin.
The symbol of the fair is the glove which represents the lord who bestowed the grant.
The Cloth and Clothing Stall:
One of the most important commodities traded at fairs is cloth. In fact many fairs began with a market selling only cloth. Fine wool is imported from England, while silks and damasks are brought in from the east by merchants from Italy.Cloth is measured out by the ell, or more usually by the yard, using a stick of a standard length sometimes known as a yardstick. The Irish love to wear clothes made from colorful textiles, especially robes dyed yellow with saffron. The garments are fastened using pins, brooches, and buckles made from bone or metal.
The Spicer's Stall
Exotic spices are imported from foreign lands, especially by Italian and Flemish merchants. They are valued for their use in preserving food and for the strong and aromatic flavours they give to elegant dishes.Ready mixed spices called poudre douce (mild) or poudre fort (strong) are very popular. Sugar is imported in small quantities from north Africa and is used sparingly. The word 'spice' has come to be used to describe anything exotic and luxurious, from almonds and figs to perfumes and pigments.
The Medicine Tent:
Medicine at this time combines classical knowledge with alchemy, astrology, fortune telling and traditional herbal cures.Illnesses are caused by imbalances in the body's four main fluids or humours. If you have too much blood it can be balanced by bloodletting. If you need teeth pulled, or surgery, but cannot afford to pay a real doctor you can always visit the barber surgeon. These amateur surgeons are usually barbers or even butchers. A white pole with a red rag wrapped around it represents the blood and bandage sto their trade. The worst illness of all is leprosy for which there is no cure. Lepers must carry a clapper or bell to announce their presence. Some doctors wear special hoods stuffed with herbs to protect themselves from pestilence.
More information about the Medieval period. But I believe this is the time period between the fair information and the disease information. I could be mistaken though.
Life at Sea:
Despite the hazards, including piracy, travel by sea and by navigable waterways was generally easier than journeying overland in the Middle Ages. Traders relied on ships for the carriage of bulky goods, which were very expensive to convey in carts and on pack animals. Though ships got bigger, they were very small by modern standards and at the beginning of this period the steering oar (on the starboard side) was still in use.By the thirteenth century the standard type of cargo ship in northern Europe was the cog(from the Flemish kaag), a sturdy, deep-hulled vessel with one central mast and a sternpost rudder. Some cogs had a 'castle' fore and aft, forming fighting platforms for crossbowmen. These ships were steadily increasing in size; the main reason why land was reclaimed from the River Liffey was to provide a deeper berthage for these bigger ships.
Though canvas awnings offered some protection, most of the ship was open to the elements and life on board would have been harsh. The captain was often the owner or part-owner of bot the ship and some of freight. He was responsible for the ship when in port, for ensuring that there was enough food and drink on board, and for the hire and discipline of the crew. Crewmen such as Walter the steersman who features on the Guild Merchant roll were recruited from many different nationalities and had to take an oath of loyalty to the captain. Punishment usually took the form of fines, but physical methods were used as well.
Town Houses:
A typical merchant's or crafts-workers house occupied a long, narrow burgage plot. As Speed's map suggest, houses in medieval Dublin usually presented a gable end to the street frontage, though special arrangements had to be made on corner sites. The garden area behind each house was used for many different purposes: for latrines and rubbish pits, for storage, for keeping animals and for growing vegetables and fruit.
The internal layout of the bigger houses were very varied, but a standard pattern would be a shop at the front of the ground floor, and sleeping and servants' quarters on the upper floor or floors, or in the roof space. Access to the garden or yard was gained either fro ma back lane or by means of narrow passag ways leading at intervals from the street and built over at first floor level and above. The maximum width of a burgage plot in Dublin was 64 feet (19.5 meters)
The Cordwainer (shoemaker):
Leather-working in the Middle Ages was divided into a number of different crafts: the saddler made and repaired saddles, the glover made gloves, and the cordwainer made shoes.The corwainer made shoes to order in, the downstairs shop or shop window of his house. Shoes were valuable and repaired many times, but if you were rich the latest fashion in shoes in 1300 was the Poulaine. Named after Poland (its country of origin) it had a very long narrow tow stuffed with moss and straw. Sometimes this was so long that it had to be connected by a small chain to a band at the knew to help the person walk.
The following information starts to come later in the period and continues on until the end of the medieval period.
A Dublin Merchant:
Merchants were powerful and influential members of Dublin society, as was the case in most medieval towns of its size. We know that Dublin Merchants often owned property, including farmland, outside the city itself.Peter Higley, was a merchant of St. Michael the Archangel's parish and his will is dated 29 October 1476. Our reconstruction shows him upstairs in his substantial two-story house counting his fortune while his servant wakes up from a nap in the kitchen below.
We know from Peter Higley's will that he lived near here with his wife Millany and his four children, Patrick, Thomas, John and Agnes. He was a landowner, landlord, and hardware merchant. He owned property in nearby New Street and Patrick Street, as well as 40 acres of land at Killeigh, Co Westmeath. His son John was a canon of the church of the Holy Trinity (Christ Church Cathedral).
A register of Dublin wills for the period 1457-83 is now kept in the library of Trinity College. This document made use of new material, paper, rather than parchment and it tells us a lot about merchants of Dublin at the time.
The picture is of his will, which I am not typing out because as you can see there is a lot of stuff on it. But it basically leaves all his stuff (which is a lot, and includes money, land and livestock) to his family.
Irish Unrest:
Despite Strongbow's Anglo- Norman invasion, much of Ireland continued to be a wild and dangerous land until the end of the medieval period.English kings made repeated attempts to impose their control over Ireland but with only limited success. By the end of the fourteenth century, four o the Irish kings including Art Mor Mac Murchadha, had become so powerful that Richard II felt it necessary to lead an army into Ireland in order to enforce his authority over them.
Although it is believed that the Irish Kings were made to swear allegiance to Richard II in Christ Church Cathedral, the threat of Irish unrest remained and challenges to the English government, to the English occupation of Ireland, and to Dublin itself continued.
From King to Kitchen Boy:
In 1487 a 10-year0 old boy called Lambert Simnel was lifted up and paraded through the streets of Dublin after having been crowned king of England in Christ Church Cathedral.By suggesting that Lambert's claim to the English throne was stronger than that of Henry VII his supporters, which included Dublin's archbishop, its mayor, and the Fitzgerald of Kildare, used him as part of a plot against the new Tudor King.
Lamber and an army sailed to England in an attempt to dispose Henry VII but less than a month after his coronation in Dublin he was captured during a disastrous battle at East Stoke in Nottinghamshire. Instead of becoming king he became a scullery boy in Henry's kitchen.
Rebellion:
Acting on a rumour that his father have been excited by King Henry VIII, Lord Thomas Fitzgerald, known as Silken Thomas because of his fancy clothes, raised an army and rode into Dublin on 11 June 1534.Smashing down the great sword of state upon the table in the chapter-house of St. Mary's Abbey, he broke up a meeting of the king's council and publicly resigned as the deputy governor of Anglo-Ireland, declaring himself a sworn enemy of the king, his forces then besieged Dublin Castle and Newgate in an attempt to expel or Kill Henry VIII's men.
The rebellion lasted fifteen months but was finally crushed when Maynooth Castle, Thomas's stronghold, was capture in his absence and its defenders slaughtered. Thomas and five of his uncles were captured, taken to London and publicly executed as traitors at Tyburn in 1537.
The end of the medieval world:
The murder of Dublin's archbishop in 1534 by supporters of Silken Thomas led King Henry VIII to appoint a more militant successor. Archbishop George Browne brought the English Reformation to this city in a particularly dramatic way.
As well as confiscating the jewels and precious metals that adorned statues and shrines, he orders the destruction of all sacred relics. Those belonging to Christ Church's Cathedral and its adjoining priory were piled up and burnt in Skinners Bow, not far from here, in 1538.
The Reformation imposed on Dublin by Henry VIII meant that by the end of 1540 all of the city's religious houses and hospitals had been closed down and most of the churches demolished. Since this marked a decisive stage in the destruction of the medieval city and its way of life, it is an appropriate point at which to end this exhibition of medieval Dublin.
So after that my roommate and I went back the hostel for a couple of hours, then went and got pizza for dinner, and then went to bed!
I love all the pictures, facts and interesting history. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to these posting. I would love to know "your" thoughts and feelings too. Your comparisons of places, people, food and etc.
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