The Huguenot Cemetery

On your way from St. Stephen's Green to Merrion Square you will find this secluded cemetery, usually locked, with views from the outside.

Enjoy!

The Guinness Toucan

You have probably seen the Toucan bird associated to the Guinness logo everywhere and in all type of Guinness merchandise.

You may wonder what has a Toucan to do with the most international Irish beer? It doesn't look like there are toucans flying in Ireland, right?

The Guinness toucan began as a pelican in 1935. The artist responsible for the early Guinness ads put together some initial sketches for a Guinness campaign featuring animals - since Dublin zoo was probably the most popular attraction in Dublin at the time - and mainly a pelican balancing seven pints of Guinness on its beak, together with this slogan: "A wonderful bird the pelican, its bill can hold more than its belly can. It can hold in its beak enough for a week: I simply don't know how the hell he can." 

This slogan was rejected and then the bird was replaced by a toucan, with the following slogan:
"If a Guinness a day is good for you, imagine what Toucan do!" (Toucan pronounced as 'two can')

The ad became highly successful and since then the toucan has become an icon for Guinness. 

The Vikings

The Vikings came from three countries of Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The name 'Viking' comes from a language called 'Old Norse' and means 'a pirate raid'. 

The Viking age in European history was about AD 700 to 1100. During this period many Vikings left Scandinavia and travelled to other countries, such as Britain and Ireland. Some went to fight and steal treasures, while others settled in new lands as farmers and craftsmen.

Some Viking ships brought families to Britain looking for land to farm. Good farmland was scarce in the Vikings' own countries. The parts of Britain where most Vikings settled were northern Scotland and eastern England. For 500 years, the Vikings ruled the north of Scotland, the Orkney and Shetland isles and the Hebrides islands off the west coast. In Ireland, the Vikings founded the city of Dublin.

Some Vikings went to France and founded Normandy ('Land of the North-men'). Some Vikings also sailed south around Spain, and into the Mediterranean Sea. Other Vikings roamed along rivers into Russia. 

Vikings used to rob Christian churches and monasteries because they were easy to attach, as monks had no weapons, and because churches and monasteries kept valuable treasures, such as gold, jewels and books. There were food, drink, cattle, clothes and tools too - tempting for greedy Vikings.

Did Vikings really wear horned helmets?

The popular image of the Viking in a horned helmet dates back to the 1800s, when Scandinavian painters included horned helmets in their portrayals of the Vikings. 

It is likely that horned helmets were only used for ceremonial purposes by Norse and Germanic priests. However, there is no evidence that horned helmets were ever worn in battle at any point during the Viking Age.

The Celts

The Celts were a tribe of people from the Iron Age who lived all over Europe about two thousand years ago. The first tribes of Celts were located in Spain, France, northern Italy, and as far as Russia.

Around 500 BCE, the ancient Celts migrated and settled in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.

They lived in small farming communities and never built cities. That's why they never managed to create an empire like the Romans. 

The Celts were proud and honorable, they loved music and it is believed that they invented soap. They also loved to make up stories, especially stories about fairies, elves, and leprechauns. They wore gold and loved to fight and drink wine. 

The Celts often fought naked - and it's believed that women would fight as well. Their main weapons were the sword and spear.

Living among the Celts were the druids.  They were the Celts' priests, responsible for all sorts of religious ceremonies. They were educated and powerful members of the tribe and were well respected by the other Celts. They sacrificed food, precious objects, and even people to their gods and goddesses. 

Even though the Celts were proud, brave and skilled fighters, they were rather undisciplined. They really had little chance against the Romans' order and power. And in the end they were defeated by the Romans.

The Romans came to Britain looking for riches - land, slaves, metals and gold. They took over the Celts' land and built towns. They built strong forts linked to a good road system. Ports and harbours were also important places for the Romans to bring in food and materials. 

After 400 years the Romans left Britain as their empire was coming to an end. In Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany, Celtic peoples survived.

Their culture lives on today in music, dance and traditional stories.

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is the largest theatre in Ireland, officially opened on March 2010 with a performance of Swan Lake by the Russian State Ballet, and it can host up to 2,111-visitors.

It is located in the Grand Canal Dock area and it was created as a touring theatre for Ballet, Opera, Musicals and Concerts. 

The theatre complements the larger 14,000-capacity concert venue the 3Arena, which is located across the River Liffey to the north.

The building was opened as the Grand Canal Theatre, but was renamed during March 2012 as part of a naming rights agreement with Bord Gáis Energy and it will have this name until 2018 at least. 

The modern structure complements the Grand Canal area, where several corporations and IT companies are located. The red and green bars on front of the theatre symbolise a forest of trees and grass which lit up at night and make the area shine in the dark.