Trinity College, in the middle of downtown Dublin, was founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I. In 1661 it became home to The Book of Kells, a lavishly illustrated Gospel manuscript and one of the oldest books in the world. The book was produced in the 9th century at the Iona Abbey in southwest Scotland, that we visited in August of this year.

In 1759, a century after The Book of Kells arrived at Trinity College, Arthur Guinness founded the brewery that eventually grew to 5,000 workers in the 1930s and encompasses 50 acres in downtown Dublin. We spent a great day visiting these two iconic Dublin sites, and taking in more of the city’s beautiful buildings and excellent restaurants.

Below are trip highlights from November 16th in Dublin, Ireland. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps

The Workshop Position: -6 15.28, 53 20.85 We started an afternoon trip to Dublin with an excellent lunch at The Workshop Gastropub along the River Liffey.

Westin Dublin Position: -6 15.49, 53 20.72 The Westin Dublin opened a decade ago in the beautifully restored 19th-century Allied Irish Bank and Pearl buildings.

Trinity College Position: -6 15.47, 53 20.66 Trinity College, in the middle of downtown Dublin, was founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I. Most of the buildings date from the 18th and 19th century. This is the chapel, completed in 1798.

Campanile Position: -6 15.44, 53 20.64 The iconic Campanile (bell tower) at Trinity College was completed in 1853.

Book of Kells Exhibit Position: -6 15.40, 53 20.63 The Book of Kells is a lavishly illustrated Gospel manuscript and one of the oldest books in the world. It was produced in the 9th century at the Iona Abbey in southwest Scotland, that we visited in August of this year. The book was transferred sometime before the 12th-century to Kells, Ireland for safekeeping from Viking raiders and later to Trinity College in 1661 where it has been on permanent display since the 19th century.

Book of Kells Position: -6 15.40, 53 20.63 Photography isn’t allowed in the Book of Kells Exhibit, but here’s a picture we took in August of this year of the manuscript copy on display at the Iona Abbey where it was produced over a thousand years ago.

Library Position: -6 15.42, 53 20.64 The Long Room in the Old Library Building contains 200,000 of the library’s oldest books and manuscripts. The computer-generated Jedi Archive in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was based on this room. It’s quite spectacular.

Sphere Within a Sphere Position: -6 15.35, 53 20.63 In the striking Sphere Within a Sphere sculpture at Trinity College, the inner ball represents humanity and the outer Christianity. Versions of the sphere also are in Rome, New York and Tehran.

Science Gallery Position: -6 15.04, 53 20.66 The Science Gallery at Trinity College is a combination art and science gallery that encourages young people to tackle scientific challenges through experimentation and interaction with the public. The program’s success has inspired Science Gallery International, with locations in Detroit, London, Melbourne, Bengaluru and Venice.

Parliament House Position: -6 15.51, 53 20.71 Impressive Parliament House was built in 1729 for the Kingdom of Ireland parliament. The Act of Union joining Ireland and Great Britain abolished that parliament in 1800, and the build ling has housed the Bank of Ireland since 1808.

City Hall Position: -6 16.06, 53 20.64 Dublin’s City Hall was built between 1769 and 1779, originally as the Royal Exchange.

Christ Church Cathedral Position: -6 16.25, 53 20.58 Christ Church Cathedral was founded in 1030 and rebuilt or renovated many times over the centuries. It is the most impressive structure to survive from medieval Dublin.

John’s Lane Church Position: -6 16.68, 53 20.56 The Church of St. Augustine and St. John the Baptist was founded in1874 and is popularly called John’s Lane Church from its location at the corner of John’s Lane.

Guinness Brewery Position: -6 17.03, 53 20.53 At the Guinness Brewery before our tour of the Guinness Storehouse. In 1759 Arthur Guinness founded the brewery that eventually grew to 5,000 workers in the 1930s and encompasses 50 acres in downtown Dublin. The brewery currently produces 2.5 million pints of stout daily. Its proper name is St. James’s Gate Brewery, after their huge gate that once crossed St. James’s St.

Waterfall Position: -6 17.24, 53 20.53 The Guinness Storehouse is a former grain storehouse that has been converted to a multi-media exhibit describing the iconic brewery’s history and production. This is an indoor waterfall, part of the section describing how water is used in the brewing process.

Copper Position: -6 17.25, 53 20.51 A 172,800-pint copper dating from 1878 from Brewhouse 2 at the Guinness Brewery. Wort, the sugary substance used to make beer, was boiled in coppers heated from below by huge peat-fired, and later coal-fired, furnaces.

Gravity Bar Position: -6 17.21, 53 20.51 The tour includes a pint of Guinness in Gravity Bar atop the Guinness Storehouse, with panoramic views of the city.

Cafe Topolis Position: -6 16.04, 53 20.67 We finished the day with a delicious pizza at a window seat in Cafe Topolis Italian restaurant on Parliament St.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps.