Past POIs - Glasnevin Cemetery [Dublin, Ireland]

Glasnevin Cemetery was built in 1828 in Dublin and has some of the famous players from the 1916 uprising which was an important event in Ireland's history. The rising lead to the independence of Ireland from the British.

When you visit, try to sign up for a tour since the tour will guide you around the major sights and you learn a bit about the history behind what happened. Unfortunately for us, we signed up for the wrong tour and it was a bit more history-heavy than we would have preferred. Instead, we were hoping that we would have signed up for a tour that was more about the history of the cemetery itself.

Either way, I think the cemetery is a must see just due to the size and the variety of headstones that are present. Make sure to stop at the Gravediggers pub (or look for John Kavanagh) for a bit to eat since you are here anyways which has been here since 1833!

For more information about the site, visit their official site at http://www.glasnevintrust.ie/

Come back next Friday for another Past Point of Interest!

Past POIs - Slea Head Drive [Dingle, Ireland]

Dingle was initially off our list due to the distance from where we were planning on going while in Ireland but I'm glad that we fixed that route and made it there. Dingle is a nice small town by the coast with lots of fresh seafood and great scenery. One of the must dos while here is the Slea Head Drive which drives along the coast of the Dingle Peninsula and is well worth it. Make sure to drive clockwise though, the roads in Ireland tend to be small if you are not on big roads and this means that you should try to follow the flow of the tour bus traffic otherwise you will be stopping to let them pass a lot.

Slea Head Drive forms part of the Wild Atlantic Way and it starts and ends at Dingle and is very easy to follow the roads (no map required). There are plenty of places to stop and take pictures and take in the scenery, make sure to stop at the local tourist office in Dingle for a map which outlines some popular stops. But, if you don't have that, fear not! Since it is quite popular, just stop where you see other stopped cars because you are bound to run into a few.

Well worth the drive if you are in the area and if you do happen to go to Ireland, try to make it here since it is quite nice and peaceful and they have really fresh and good seafood here. Coming from someone who normally doesn't eat seafood, that says a lot!

Come back next Friday for another Past Point of Interest!

Past POIs - Kingston City Hall [Kingston, Ontario, Canada]

Built in 1844, Kingston City Hall was actually going to be the capital of Canada. The plan fell through when Canadians began to worry about their relationship with USA. With that bad news, it was rented out to banks, saloons, church groups, theatre productions, and even a jail.

Kingston City Hall (tour guide on the right)

Nowadays it is the City Hall of Kingston and well worth a visit if you are there. I'm actually surprised by how interesting the building itself is. When we went during summer, there were free guided tours available and it added a lot to our experience although you are able to do a self guided tour yourself. Our free guided tour was just with the guide and two other people and it was pretty intimate and it was good since we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted and it was more or less at our pace. The tour went through a majority of the building and talks about the history behind it, how it was made, who visited, how it became what it is and more.

Kingston City Hall

Find out more on the official website at https://www.cityofkingston.ca/explore/culture-history/history/city-hall

Kingston City Hall

Come back next Friday for another Past Point of Interest!