Skip to main content

Trinity College Library, Dublin


My blog has been left idle for quite a while as I took time off for a short vacation to Dublin, Ireland and a short stop over in Aberdeen, Scotland.   So, for a change, I'd like to share with you some pictures of my recent trip and food tasted along the way.  The first stopover is ~ Dublin.





Bell Tower of Trinity College built in 1842

Trinity College Dublin is internationally recognised as Ireland's premier university and is one of the world's leading research-intensive universities.  Founded in 1592 it is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the older universities in Western Europe.
The Library in Trinity College is the largest single chamber library in the world.  The 65 metre long main chamber of the Old Libary, the Long Room was built between 1712 and 1732 and houses 200,000 of the Library's oldest books.
When built, it had a flat plaster ceiling, with shelves for books on the lower level only, and an open gallery.  By the 1850's these shelves were completely full and so in 1960, the roof was raised to allow the construction of the present barrel-vaulted ceiling and gallery bookcases.  Marble busts of famous philosophers and writers are placed down either side of the room, created by sculptor Peter Schemakers beginning in 1743.
Each year, the Library employs a number of student shelvers who work 10-12 hours per week at the Libraries on Campus and in the Trinity Centre at St James Hospital.  Their job is to sort  books and return them to the shelves each morning before the Library opens.








Sculptor of  William Shakespeare




Comments

  1. Nice pictures. I'm sure you had an enjoyable holidays during this trip, Cheah!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for dropping by. Please click on 'Anonymous' if you do not have a blog but do leave your name after the comment because I would like to know who you are.

Popular posts from this blog

Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕

  Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees.  It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and  the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected.  Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest.  One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert  ~   天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least...

Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam) ~ 亚参五花肉

A very appetising dish with tangy and robust flavour of tamarind juice, red and green chillies added more oomph to the dish.  This dish will surely whet your appetite and you'll go for second helping of rice to soak up the tangy gravy.  This is a Peranakan dish but as always, there are many varieties to this delicacy.  I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit what I have in my pantry and the end result is a very yummy dish that I will not hesitate to whip up again and again. Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam)  ~   亚参 五花肉 Ingredients 450 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 shallots, finely chopped 30 gm tamarind pulp (Assam paste)  + 250 ml water 3 green chillies 2 red chillies 2 tsp tau cheong (preserved bean paste) 2 tsp dark soya sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fish sauce 1 onion, sliced Method Mix the tamarind pulp with a cup of...

Steamed Chicken with Cordycep Flowers

  This dish of steamed chicken with slightly chewy and crunchy cordycep flowers (scientific name Cordyceps Militaris), also known as   虫草花   is delicious with added aroma from the Shaoxing wine and sesame oil.  This dish can also be served as confinement food and I have posted a Cordycep flower chicken soup quite a while back.  You can check it out 'here' . Steamed Chicken with Cordycep Flowers Ingredients 450 gm chicken, cut into bite sizes 8 gm Cordycep flowers 3 thin slices of ginger, cut into strips 10 red dates, deseeded 15 wolfberries (to sprinkle after chicken is cooked) 1.1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1.1/2 Tbsp sesame oil 1.1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp cornflour 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp water Method Marinate the chicken with wine, light soya sauce, sesame oil, cornflour and oyster sauce for a few hours or overnight. Wash and rinse the cordycep flowers and red dates. Mix into the marinated chicken, add in water and steam chicken on hight heat f...