…So Explorer Beastie and I could hardly wait to get outside and enjoy some unexpected sun yesterday afternoon! And with St Patrick’s Day coming up next week, where better to hang out than in St Patrick’s Park? The park is right beside St Patrick’s Cathedral, so you really can’t miss it… The Cathedral’s tall spire dominates the skyline for miles around!
And once you get up close, it’s really striking.
The site of the Cathedral was chosen because St Patrick is said to have baptised people into Christianity here, back in 450AD. There has been a church dedicated to him in this area for more than a thousand years – its first documented mention was in 890! Although it has grown and changed a lot since then, most of what you see here today was built between 1220-60. The exterior is covered in interesting little details, for anyone with the time to take a closer look…
…Although only one of us was small enough to be able to sneak in for a full investigation!
Once I’d managed to persuade Explorer Beastie to rejoin me on the right side of the fence, he had a great time tearing around the park. There were trees to climb…
… Steps to scale…
…And of course, he had to take a look at the fountain in the centre of the park!
They’ve also been busy filling the flowerbeds with brightly-coloured plants for Spring, as you can see.
“Check these out – they’re the same colours as me!”
All this left him pretty tuckered out, so we sat on one of the benches for a while and watched the world go by…
…Before heading off into the sunset!
If you should find yourself in Dublin, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Park are open year-round (although the park does close earlier in the winter). A visit to the Cathedral will set you back €6 (€5 for OAPs and students)… but access to the park is totally free! Although it’s a popular tourist spot, many locals also use the park as a place to relax, walk their dogs or enjoy a bit of greenery on their way to work.
And once you’re there, you’re well on your way to exploring the lesser-travelled paths of Dublin 8… But we’ll save that for another day!
Do any of you have a favourite local park? Let us know in the comments!
Hi there…. you are lucky, here in Southern Italy it’s raining cats and beasties!
😦
Oh no… We must have got your weather by mistake! I suppose you’ll just have to come and pay us a visit 😀
PS the photo in the sunset is really fantastic
Thank you! I actually took that one on my phone because my camera battery ran out… I’m amazed it turned out so well 😃
Beautiful! It looks like spring has come early to eastern NC as well. We have been having weather in the seventies and low eighties already. I drove to work this morning with my windows down.
btw, explorer beastie is my favorite! I love adventures myself so I feel he is kin to my heart. 🙂
Heehee, I’m not supposed to have favourites but Explorer Beastie comes close… I think it’s because I started knitting him during (rare) quiet moments of my first ever market, so he reminds me of two very important days in Beastie History! Hope you’re enjoying what sounds like the most beautiful springtime weather, have a super weekend 😀
That’s lovely! It’s special to have memories like that! You enjoy your weekend as well! Thank you 🙂
Good to know that, even after all the treats he eats, Explorer Beastie can still fit through those bars!
Favorite park here in Portland is (the not so cleverly named) Forest Park. It’s the biggest park within a city in the US and has loads of hiking trails – one extends for 26 miles. To stay balanced, we also have the US’s smallest park. No hiking trails there :))
Hahaha, I know… I wonder how much longer he’ll be able to manage that! And how awesome to have such a massive park within your city limits – when you’re in Dublin you should check out the Phoenix Park and see how they compare. I also had to look up Mill Ends Park… What a great story! I reckon the Beasties would love it there 😀
I think even the Beasties might feel cramped at mill end park. 😜
Hahaha! Plus there’s the risk of a turf war with the resident leprechauns…
Looks like it was a lovely day for a jaunt. I love the photo of the Beastie on the steps.
Yes, it was nice to be able to take the time to really look at everything for a change… Normally I’m galloping up those steps two at a time because I’m running late for work! Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend 😀
Explorer Beastie is so cute. The photo of hi peeking from behind the tree is splendid. St Patrick’s Cathedral is beautiful. Love that sundown photo of him walking away from it all, too. Cuteness.
Thank you… It was a fun afternoon out! After all, how could we resist that sunshine? Next time we’ll have to go around the corner and see St Patrick’s Close – a quiet winding street that’s a real oasis of calm in an otherwise bustling part of the city. Have a monster weekend 😀
Love all these photos, but that last one especially is superb 🙂
Thank you! I wasn’t expecting my phone photos to turn out so well… Makes me almost glad my camera battery died 😀 Enjoy your weekend!
So was St Patrick sent to Dublin by Henry VIII ?? 🙂
Heehee, nope… A little earlier than that! I had to go back to the post just there and make sure I hadn’t put an extra “1” somewhere it didn’t belong! Apparently we actually stole him… I think he was originally from Wales, but he was kidnapped by Irish pirates as a teenager and sold into slavery over here. He escaped, made it home, became a priest and came back to Ireland to teach us all a lesson, chase off our snakes and give people an excuse to drink green-dyed beer every March 17th 😆
That’s a brilliant photo of Explorer Beastie heading off into the sunset! Thanks for showing us around the park, you certainly had a lovely day for it 🙂
Thanks! When you see weather like that in Ireland you have to just drop everything and head outside… Who knows when it will be back?