The #1 Visited Cathedral in Ireland!

Liz Hough on

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

In just a few short months I will be taking a group of people through the Irish Countryside visiting castles, libraries, museums, ruins, and of course distilleries. Many times when people call me about putting together a trip to Ireland they want me to include Blarney Castle but one of the most iconic churches is never on the list. Is it forgotten or just off the beaten path? 

 St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the largest church in all of Ireland. This majestic cathedral has been witness to nearly 800 years of Irish history. Is St. Patrick’s Cathedral related to St. Patrick? Not so much a relation but it is believed that the church was founded on the site where St. Patrick baptized converts.  If you visit the church you can not only feel the presence of what happened on this spot, but enjoy exquisite stained-glass windows, marble statues, and medieval tiling.

 Besides this spot being a spot for literary pilgrims, the author of “Gulliver’s Travels,” Jonathan Swift once served as dean here and is now buried within its gray stone walls. If you decide to visit the castle and do an independent tour a guided tour, make sure to stop by to see all this amazing cathedral has to offer. You might want to make sure you opt in for the skip-the-line access to get into the cathedral. 

 

Things to Know Before You Go

  • Travelers can explore independently or take part in guided tours, which take place several times daily from Monday to Saturday.
  • The cathedral is wheelchair accessible.
  • The Dublin Pass includes cathedral entry.
  • Take time to stroll through the adjacent St. Patrick’s Park, a grassy square with perfectly framed views of the cathedral.

 How to Get There

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is located in the heart of Dublin city center, within easy strolling distance of several other big-name attractions, including Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin Castle. Ride the Luas Green Line tram to the terminus, St. Stephen’s Green; St. Patrick’s is about a 10-minute walk from there. Dublin Bus run several routes (49, 54a, 56a, 77a, and 151) to the cathedral.

Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:30am-5pm. Mar-Oct: open Saturday from 9am-6pm, Sunday 9am-10:30am, 12:30pm-2:30pm, 4:30pm-6pm. Nov-Feb: open Saturday from 9am-5pm, Sunday 9am-10:30am, 12:30pm-2:30pm

Admission: Adults: €6.50

 Some information provided by Viator.com

As always, Life is Better Traveling!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Druids and St. Patrick, oh my!

Liz Hough on

Every year on March 17th we celebrate St. Patrick’s day, but do most of us know the history behind St. Patrick’s Day?  We probably did at some point, but it has slipped from our memory.  Well, the Irish have been celebrating this day for over a 1,000 years!   It is the religious feast day and anniversary of the death of St. Patrick dating back to the fifth century.  St. Patrick was a key influencer in converting the pagan Irish into Christians, supposedly converting several thousands.  With the conversion of so many people, St. Patrick had many legends around him and became one of Ireland’s most well-known saints.  Even though Ireland is where St. Patrick did all of his work, the day is observed by many religions all around the world. 

 

Here are some fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day

 

1.  Wearing Green – It is customary to wear green and shamrock related paraphernalia.  The green is not because it is in the Irish flag or because the countryside is so lush in green color.  The shamrock is green and it is believed that St. Patrick used this three-leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity.  Many times when you see St. Patrick portrayed in pictures you will see a cross in one hand and a shamrock in the other.

 

2.  Parades – this is a newer tradition upon which the Irish themselves did not do until the 20th century.  The parades are really a way for everyone to come together as most parades have a variety of organizations in them. 

 

3.  The food and drink! – Let’s be honest, who doesn’t enjoy a good pint of stout.  Ireland is known for their amazing ability to brew Guinness and when people think of Ireland they either think Guinness or Waterford.  Meat pies are also a well-known staple in the Irish diet.  So if you head out this St. Patrick’s day for an authentic Irish meal, make sure to try one of these delicious dishes. 

 

 

 

Enjoy yourself this St. Patrick’s Day or St. Patty’s Day and now you know why we celebrate this day every year!

 

Photos by our clients: James and Christine Sterganos on their Best of Ireland 14 Day tour. 

 

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Have you KISSED this?

Mary Yohannan on

Kissing this might bring you luck…

Photo by James Sterganos

Everyone wants the gift of eloquence and the luck of the Irish.  Some say the Irish are gifted with this by kissing a stone, the Blarney Stone to be exact.  It’s all down to the Blarney Stone, not Leprechauns. For over two centuries people have been coming to Blarney Castle in the south of Ireland to kiss this stone set into the battlements in the hope of gaining a silver tongue. It used to be that you were hung over the battlements from above by your ankles, and I guess it was luck if you made it back up alive.  These days there’s less risk involved in leaning backwards from the parapet walkway while holding securely to a metal railing.

The origins of this magic stone are still debated. Was it Jacob’s pillow, St Columba’s deathbed pillow, or the stone that gushed water for Moses? Was it brought to Ireland after the Crusades or given to the Irish by Scot Robert the Bruce in gratitude for helping him defeat the English in 1314? We’ll probably never know. But after you kiss it, tour the ruined castle, visit elegant 19th century Blarney House, and wander around the lake, you sure will have some good stories to tell back home.

If you’re thinking of a trip to Ireland, make sure to visit this magic stone in the South of Ireland near Cork.  You can easily get there as a day trip from Dublin, or if you are feeling a bit more adventurous, try a self-drive itinerary.  You don’t want to miss out on the luck of the Irish, after all, when in Ireland!

Call us today to book your Ireland trip.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect Ireland vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

Phone:  919-606-4604

Email: mary@lifeisbettertraveling.com

About Mary Yohannan, CTA

Travel is a passion of mine and it is something I absolutely love to do.  When I personally travel, I get feelings of excitement, relaxation, interest, curiosity, and a bit of anxiety.  When it all comes together I have created a memory that reminds me of all of these emotions.  I have traveled to 17 European countries, and in each country, I experienced what I just described.  I felt excitement when we were roaming the canals of Venice and thinking this is nothing like Italy in Epcot Center.  I felt relaxation in Scotland when my husband and I enjoyed an anniversary dinner on Rose Street in Edinburgh drinking Scottish beer.  I was interested in touching a 1000-year-old entrance to a library while in Ephesus in Turkey.  I was curious what smoked lard and Palinka tasted like in a small café in Bucharest, Romania.   I was anxious going up the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch in Switzerland while my head was pounding from altitude changes.  The best part of travel is that when I am not traveling and I think of those places I instantly get a smile on my face regardless of the emotion that I felt.

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