Ernst Mach (1838-1916) is possibly best known for his one of his contributions to physics, the Mach Number, a dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of speed of an object moving through a fluid and the local speed of sound. At standard sea level conditions, the speed of sound is about 340 metres per second (or 1225 km/h).
Mach,who was also a philosopher of science, was born in Brno, Moravia, in the Austrian Empire.
Stage 1
The Moravian Church, Kevin Street: built in 1760, so impressed were the people of Dublin with evangelist John Cennick's mission to Dublin in 1746. The church's emblem is the Lamb of God with the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription: Vicit agus noster, eum sequamur, which translates as "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him". Look up at the impressive stonework and the unusually textured glass.
Of course, as a logical positivist, who followed strictly empirical principles, (striving to rid science of all metaphysical and religious assumptions), Ernst Mach would have had little interest in following this or any lamb ...
At this location please answer the following:
How many spikes in total? Call this A
There is a metal manhole cover here with two 3-digit numbers. Take the first, and call this BCD.
Stage 2
The Cabbage Gardens. This secluded patch of green was rented from landowner Philip Fernley in 1649 by a group of Cromwellian soldiers to grow cabbages, and the name stuck. It was subsequently used as a cemetery, firstly by local parishoners, then by the Huguenots, and more recently as a public park. Dublin City Council's guide cites the park as having the following attributes: 5-a-side all weather soccer pitch, historical, floral schemes & leisure walks. I have seen evidence of the former two, but not so much the of the latter. You can read more about the history of the Cabbage Gardens here
Access: There are 3 gates to the park but the recommended access for this cache is from Kevin Street (closest to Waypoint).
Opening times are posted as:
December-January 10:00 to 17:00
February 10:00 to 17:30
March 10:00 to 18:30/19:30
April 10:00 to 20:30
May !0:00 to 21:30
June/July 10:00 to 22:00
August 10:00 to 21:30
September 10:00 to 20:30
October 10:00 to 19:30/18:30
November 10:00 to 17:30
At this location you will notice a sign.
Count the number of letters in the last word of the title, call this E.
After the grounds were granted to the parish of Saint Nicholas Without in 1666, what type of 'merchants' are said to have been buried here? Count the letters of the answer and call it F.
What are the four numbers in the bottom right of the sign, call these GHIJ.
The final location is at:
N53 20. ([A*(D+F)]-B)*C
W006 16. (E*F*I)+G+J
The cache can be reached without "entering", but it may be a little too long a reach for wheelchair users, hence the rating. It contains logbook and pencil and some small items for exchange, including the ignition key to a supersonic jet.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.