DALKEY

Towards the end of our stay in Dublin, David and I decided to hop the DART train and visit a couple of the villages south of Dublin.  The first village was Dalkey, which has been designated as a “Heritage Town of Ireland”.  Towns are given this honor in recognition of the way they have preserved and combined the various architectural styles over the centuries.

There are a couple of harbors in Dalkey.  In the 17th century, Coliemore Harbor was the port used by the Vikings.

Today, it is still a used as a harbor but also as a place to cool off on a hot, summer day!

Off of Coliemore Harbor are three islands, Maiden Rock, Lamb Island and Dalkey Island.  This is a photo of Dalkey Island as a sailboat pass in front of it.  To the right of the sailboat is Martello Tower that was built in 1804 for defense against a Napoleonic invasion which never happened.  To the left of the boat, is the remains of St Begnet’s Church from the 7th century and nearby is the “holy well” believed to cure rheumatism.  For a small fee, the local fishermen will take tourist out to the island where there are also wild goats and rabbits.  David and I saw a porpoise swimming in the water while we were sitting there taking in the view. 

During the Norman rule, seven castles were built.  

This is a view of Castle Street in downtown Dalkey.  The castle in the background is Dalkey Castle built in the 1400s and is also known as Goat Castle.  Today it is used as the town hall and houses the Heritage Center that offers a Living History Tour by actors in Tudor costumes.

Across the street from the Goat Castle, is Archbold’s Castle dating from the 15th or 16th century.  It is closed to the public.  

About a 15 minute walk, takes you to Bullock Castle and Harbor.  The castle was built by the monks of St Mary’s to protect their fishing industry.  Today, there is a nursing home built nearby.

I have to share this photo of the dog we met while sitting near Bullock Harbor.  He was a playful fellow and would “drop” a leaf he had.  We would toss it…obviously, it didn’t go too far but he would gently pick it up in his mouth, bring it to us and drop it on the bench.  After a few times of “throwing” the leaf, I went and found a rock for him to play fetch with.  He would have nothing to do with the rock and continued to play with the leaf until we left!

I thought that these might be crab traps as they are much smaller than our lobster traps.  However, when I asked a fisherman what they were used for, he said lobster!

We walked along the street that followed the ocean.  This is Loreto Abbey founded in 1843. They have a lovely ocean view.

I love how this house incorporated the old ruins with the new!

Another “claim to fame” for the village of Dalkey is Bono of the rock group, U2, has a home here.  He and Michelle Obama had lunch at Finnegan’s Pub when Mrs Obama was on her official visit to Ireland in 2013.

Also, Dalkey is the hometown of one of my favorite authors, Maeve Binchy!

BRAY

South of Dalkey is the seaside resort of Bray.  After wandering around Dalkey, David and I hopped the DART to Bray for an early dinner before heading back to Dublin.  We didn’t spend much time in the “longest established seaside town of Ireland” according to the guild book.  Just long enough to walk along the promenade and find a restaurant.