A Day in Dublin

Last Saturday Sarah and her parents dropped me off at the bus station at 5:15am so that I could meet up with Michelle and the two of us could catch our bus to Dublin. The day was filled will many exciting adventures! First stop Dublin Castle.

Dublin Castle In the 930's, a Danish Viking Fortress stood on this site and part of the town defences is on view at the Undercroft, where the facing stone revetments offered protection against the River Poddle. Their settlement of Dyflinn (a corruption of Dubhlinn) quickly became the main Viking military base and trading centre of slaves and silver, in Ireland. The Norwegian and sometimes Danish rulers had control of the Irish Sea and forayed deep into the centre of Ireland, where monasteries, with their precious ornaments and vessels, were easy targets. Eventually their power was broken, when they and their allies were heavily defeated by an Irish army under the command of King Brian Boru, at the Battle of Clontarft, 1014. Neither the Irish nor the Vikings could withstand the Norman invasion of 1169. The Vikings were ejected and the Normans became the next occupiers of Dublin. They strengthened and expanded the existing town walls. It is assumed that their first fortification was an earth and wooden, motte and bailey, on the site of present day Dublin Castle. There is archaeological evidence of a wooden and stone castle there in the 1170's. In August 1204, King John of England commanded the erection of a (larger) strong castle, with strong walls and good ditches, for the defence of the city, administration of justice and safe custody of treasure. It was completed by 1230 and the Great Courtyard (Upper Castle Yard) of today corresponds closely with the fortification.








City Hall



Christ Church Cathedral
Viking Dublin’s cathedral was built on this site c. 1030 and briefly became a cathedral priory under the Benedictines at the end of the eleventh century. In 1162, the archbishop of Dublin, Laurence O’Toole introduced the canons regular of St. Augustine to the cathedral where they remained until the Reformation. The cathedral’s present shape dates from the 1180s rebuilding under John Cumin, the first Anglo-Norman archbishop. Reform of the monastic cathedral came in the 1530s, when Henry VIII broke from Rome and the Irish Church, however reluctantly, had to follow suit – and a majority of the bishops, for whatever reason, did. At Christ Church the last Augustinian prior, Robert Castle, became the first dean, and the chapter likewise changed from regular to secular canons. The liturgy followed English usage and language. The Church of Ireland maintains that, having passed through the Reformation, faith reformed but succession unbroken, it is directly descended from both Celtic and medieval Christianity and is today a continuing part of Christ’s one holy catholic and apostolic Church in this land.







Kilmainham Gaol
A continuous procession of patriots were incarcerated in Kilmainham Gaol from its foundation in 1796 until its final closure in 1924. Kilmainham Jail opened in 1796, four years before the Act of Union abolished the Irish Parliament in Dublin and thus making Ireland a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. It closed in 1924, two years after the signing of a Treaty that restored a measure of independence to the south of Ireland, a step that led ultimately to the declaration of a Republic in 1949. The building of Kilmainham Gaol was inspired by the fear of French revolutionary ideals spreading to these shores. This was a perfectly reasonable fear which ultimately found expression in the Rising of 1798. The leaders of the United Irishmen and the participants in the insurrection soon filled the dank solitary confinement and punishment cells. They were followed in quick succession by the losers in the revolts of 1803, 1848 and 1867. The repression of the prison was brought into sharper focus during the events of the early part of this century. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad in the stone breaking yard and this single act did more than anything else to swing the population against the continuance of British rule. The War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War kept the jailers and executioners busy until the release of the final prisoner, Eamon deValera, future President of Ireland, on 16th July 1924.
The jail was abandoned and fell into decay. A voluntary group began the Herculean task of restoration in 1960, only completed in the 1980s by the Office of Public Works. The result is the faithful preservation of the largest decommissioned but still intact 18th-19th century prison in Europe.




Jameson
Jameson is sold all over the world today but has its roots in this small distillery in Bow Street founded in 1780 by John Jameson. His family motto was “Sine Metu’, meaning “Without Fear’, which appears today on every bottle of Jameson. He truly was a pioneer and never afraid to embrace change in his quest to produce the world’s greatest whiskey. From the very beginning, John Jameson concentrated on the quality of his whiskey, demanding the best of everything. His philosophy was to buy the finest quality ingredients, use the best processes available, and, above all, take your time. Jameson was produced on this Dublin site for nearly 200 years, until 1971.

Stage 1: Grainstore – Although Jameson takes many years to make and mature, there are actually only three main ingredients: pure Irish water, malted barley and unmalted barley. The distillery purchased all their barley at harvest time and the farmers would deliver it by horse and cart. Before the time of pulleys or levers, the men had to carry the sacks of grain on their backs, some were as heavy as 224lbs!

Stage 2: Malting – The malted barley used in Jameson was dried in closed kilns to ensure an unsmoked smooth taste. In Scotland, they like a different kind of whiskey and blow peat smoke through the malt, giving Scotch whisky a smoky, peaty taste you won’t find in Jameson.

Stage 3: Milling – The malted barley and unmalted barley was then milled into coarse flour called grist. The water wheel was the main power source – turning a network of cogs and wheels which provided the power to turn the millstone.

State 4: Mashing – The grist was then mixed with hot water at a temperature of 63 degrees C in an enormous vessel called the ‘Mash Tun”. The mixture was stirred by large rakes and the starches from the grains were converted into fermentable sugars. After 4 hours of mashing, the rakes stopped, and sweet liquid called ‘wort’ was drawn and sent on to the next stage in the whiskey making process.

State 5: Fermentation – The ‘wort’ was then pumped to the ‘washback’, liquid yeast was added and fermentation began. After 80 hours, all sugar was converted into alcohol. The liquid, now called ‘wash’, contained just 8% alcohol by volume. The ‘wash’ was then ready for the next stage of the whiskey making process, distillation.

State 6: Distillation – The Still House is the heart of the distillery where distilling occurs. Distilling is the art of separating alcohol from water. The wash was heated and alcohol condensed in traditional large copper pot stills. Jameson is obtained only after three separate distillations whilst in America, bourbon is normally distilled only once and most Scotch whisky is distilled twice. Each stage results in smoother superior quality, so that is why triple distillation is the key to Jameson’s smoothness.

Stage 7: Maturation – The spirit was filled into oak casks and stored in vast, dark, aromatic warehouses to mature. The barrels were imported from Spain, Portugal and America, where they were previously used to mature sherry, port or bourbon. This added to the flavor of the maturing Jameson and the tannin in the wood also gave a rich golden color to the Irish whiskey. The casks were assembled and maintained by the cooper. The cooper was a very skilled worker who had to serve a seven-year apprenticeship under the Master Cooper.

Stage 8: Marrying and Vatting – Before bottling, the mature whiskey was emptied into a huge vat and allowed to marry for a few days. The cask strength was reduced to 40% ( 80 proof), ready to be enjoyed. So ends the journey from grain to glass.

“The Perfect Serve” (Jameson & Ginger)
1. Fill a glass with ice
2. Pour in a measure of Jameson
3. Pour in ginger ale to fill to the top
4. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the drink and then place into the glass

www.jamesonwhiskey.com





The National Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St. Patrick
St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts to Christianity at a well that once existed in the aprtk alongside the Cathedral. Because of this association with Saint Patrick, a church has stood here since the fifth century. The Normans built a church in stone on this site in 1191. This was rebuilt in the early thirteenth century and is the building we see today. Archbishop Minot rebuilt the west tower in 1370 after a fire and the spire was added in 1749.
www.stpatrickscathedral.ie



Guinness
Arthur Guinness was born in Celbridge, County Kildare in 1725. It seems that Arthur first learnt the art of brewing from his father Richard, whose job as a land steward included brewing beer for workers on the estate of Dr. Arthur Price, later Archbishop of Cashel. In 1759, at the age of 34, Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease for the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin, at an annual rent of £45. The brewery was only 4 acres in size, disused, and had little brewing equipment. But in only 10 years, despite competition from imported English beers, Arthur began to export his beer to England. Arthur began by brewing ale, and in the 1770s started brewing 'porter', a new type of dark English beer. Arthur's porter was so successful that in 1799 he stopped brewing ale. By the time Arthur died in 1803, he had built a successful brewing business, with a promising export trade. Arthur married Olivia Whitmore, and had 21 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood. When he died, his son Arthur Guinness II took over the brewery. In all, 6 generations of the Guinness family were directly involved in the brewery management. Arthur Guinness II developed the business, expanding the export trade, and brewing a new beer 'Extra Superior Porter'. By the 1830s, St. James's Gate Brewery was the largest brewery in Ireland. In 1855 Arthur II's son, Benjamin Lee Guinness, took over. Under Benjamin, the first trade mark label for GUINNESS® stout was introduced in 1862. When Benjamin died in 1868, his son Edward Cecil took over. Under Edward's leadership the brewery became the largest in the world. In 1886 the business was floated on the London Stock Exchange and Edward became Chairman. By the end of the 19th century the brewery had grown to 60 acres, sales of GUINNESS® Stout were over 1.2 million barrels a year, and GUINNESS® Stout was available across the world. In the 20th century the Guinness family continued to lead the business. Edward Guinness died in 1927, and his son Rupert became Chairman. Rupert's grandson Benjamin became Chairman in 1962, and was the last member of the Guinness family to hold this position, which he resigned in 1986. In 1929, the first advertising campaign for GUINNESS® was launched. More product innovations took place including the launch of GUINNESS® Draught in 1959. GUINNESS® Draught in Can was launched in 1988 thanks to the 'widget' – a groundbreaking invention in beer packaging technology. From the 1940s to 1980s a major overhaul of brewing machinery took place, making the brewery one of the most technologically advanced in the world. In 1936 the first overseas GUINNESS® Brewery was opened. It proved successful and was followed by four more in Nigeria (1962), Malaysia (1965), Cameroon (1970), and Ghana (1971). Licences were also issued to brewers in other countries so that GUINNESS® could be brewed locally. By the end of the 20th century, GUINNESS® was brewed in over 40 countries, and sold in over 150. In 1997 Guinness Plc merged with Grand Metropolitan Plc in a £24 billion merger. A new company was formed called 'Diageo' Plc. Today, 10 million glasses of GUINNESS® are enjoyed daily around the world.





At the top of the storehouse was a 360degree view from the bar where we were given a voucher for either a free pint of guinness or a soda. Since I'm not a huge guinness fan I opted for the soda.