Ireland

I've been extra busy recently so I haven't had much time for my blog and sending postcards, but there's still a pile of cards that I received weeks ago to be posted... And I finally found some time to do it :)

After two mapcards that I had been looking for a very long time, here comes a map of Ireland, sent by Anna. I love this kind of mapcards, with numerous colorful pictures showing the most-knows sites of a country. Just a quick note: Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth.

Ireland

My favourite of the week, I have to admit, is this lovely card of Newgrange. A friend of mine and I did a small archaeological research last year about a local site called Maklavun that is also known as "Istrian Newgrange" so this card is even more special for me. Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in the eastern Ireland, just about a kilometre away of the River Boyne. It was built during Neolithic, more precisely, about 3200 BC. Newgrange is in fact a large circular mound with a stone passageway and chambers inside. There is no agreement about what the site was used for, but it has been speculated that it had religious significance – it is aligned with the rising sun and its light floods the chamber on the winter solstice (same happens with "Istrian Newgrange" I did the research about).

Various examples of abstract Neolithic rock art have been found at the site, one of which can also be seen on the postcard above. The meaning of the decoration has been speculated - some archaeologists believed them to be purely decorative, whilst others believed them to have some sort of symbolic purpose, because some of the carvings had been in places that would not have been visible. Many many many thanks to Anna!

Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland

And the last card for today's update comes from Ireland! It shows Powerscourt Waterfall, a waterfall on the river Dargle near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, located in a valley surrounded by Djouce Mountain and the Great Sugar Loaf. It attracts thousands of visitors each year, as it's located only 18 kilometers south of Dublin. At a height of 121 metres, it is the highest waterfall on the island. Thanks, Chris!

Ireland

And the second snowy view for today! This time it comes from Dublin, Ireland, showing Trinity College. 

Trinity College is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin in Ireland. The college was founded in 1592 as the "mother" of a new university, modelled after the collegiate universities of Oxford and of Cambridge, but, unlike these, only one college was ever established; as such, the designations "Trinity College" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes. It is one of the seven ancient universities of Britain and Ireland, as well as Ireland's oldest university.

Trinity College is now surrounded by Dublin and is located on College Green, opposite the former Irish Houses of Parliament. The college proper occupies 190,000 m², with many of its buildings ranged around large quadrangles (known as 'squares') and two playing fields. Academically, it is divided into three faculties comprising 24 schools. In 2011, it was ranked by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings as the 110th best university in the world and by the QS World University Rankings as the 65th best.

The Library of Trinity College is a legal deposit library for Ireland and the United Kingdom, containing over 4.5 million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts, maps and music. Amongst the graduates are included notable people in the fields of arts and sciences like Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde...

Thanks to Christen for the postcard and nice stamp. It represents Raft Spider. 

Ireland

My dear postcard-pal, Wendy, sent me this beautiful card from Cork, Ireland. I am really looking forward to more cards from her. This is also my very first written and stamped postcard from Ireland!

Cork City is the second largest city in Ireland and the third most populous city on the island of Ireland. Cork was originally a monastic settlement founded by Saint Finbarr in the 6th century. The medieval population of Cork was only about 2,100 people, while today it counts app. 120,000 inhabitants. It suffered a severe blow in 1349 when almost half the townspeople died of plague .

The city is a major Irish seaport as well; there are quays and docks along the banks of the Lee on the city's east side. Also located on the river bank, Saint Finbarr's Cathedral, named after the founder of the city, is one of the most famous landmarks of Cork. But the cathedral was built quiet recently and it was the first major work of the Victorian arhitect William Burges. Cork is also known as the "City of the Spires".