The Sights and Sounds of Dublin

As I have just got back from the capital of Ireland I thought I’d share a few thoughts and recommendations to give you a head start if you’re planning your own trip to Dublin’s fair city.

Getting there

Unless you have lots of time, or you live very much closer to Holyhead than I do, the flight is perhaps the only option. With the usual caveats of it being something of a game you are playing with the airline to keep your costs as low as possible, the budget carriers were our best option. We ended up with Ryanair, and for me the huge plus was the amount of legroom. To be able to actually stretch your legs out on a plane was a real surprise and an element that made the flight far more comfortable than expected. As more experienced travel blogs would tell you, exhaustive internet research is the key so head to the usual suspects and do your comparisons.

Accommodation

We went across as a family for my wife’s birthday so with ourselves, children and partners there were eight of us. This meant that we could look at the self catering options provided by Yugo, whose term time student accommodation is available for the summer months. Now, if you are used to hotels, the accommodation can seem a little basic, but if you are used to hostels it’s pretty good. The kitchen has fridge, freezer, oven, toaster, microwave and hob. It doubles as the lounge and there is a flat screen on the wall which has the terrestrial channels plus Netflix access. All cups, plates and utensils are present and correct, and all in all it’s perfect for breakfasts and your evening meal if you are cooking for yourself at any point as we were. There was a dishwasher but no tablets so if you want to use it you have to buy your own. The rooms are basic in nature, but comfortable, although the beds were three quarter sized doubles which may be rather cosy for two! All in all it was pretty good and a perfect base for 3 nights.

Getting around

From the airport, the best option by far, to my mind, is the Dublin Express Bus, which takes you into the centre of the city within an hour for 5 euros. Once you are in the city itself, most things were in walking distance for us, but there are buses that cover most of the city as well. As someone who never takes taxis I’m afraid I can’t comment on those!

Eating and Drinking

As with any city there are a huge number of options, but as with any city the meals are not especially cheap. However, I want to suggest a couple of pubs and a small but excellent café. The pub that we went to for a couple of meals was O’ Shea’s, and even as a non pub goer I was bowled over by the atmosphere there and the quality of the food and drink. Between the eight of us we tried most of what was on the menu over two visits and all the meals were of the highest quality. On the Sunday night the live music was superb and not at the level where you couldn’t hear each other speak. The pub is situated near Merchant’s Quay and is definitely worth a visit. The other bar, Dillon’s Bar, is a great place for lunch with an excellent sandwich menu and an excellent atmosphere. It is just down the road from Phoenix Park, so it makes a handy stopping off point on your way back in to the city. Finally, for breakfast on my wife’s birthday we went to a little place called The Cheeky Piglet which had a fantastic breakfast menu which was tasty and perfect to set us up for our day of sightseeing.

Places to see in Dublin

I don’t want to make this an exhaustive list, so I will just pick three places that I really enjoyed. The main reason for our visit was to take my wife to the Guinness Storehouse. Across five floors and a rooftop bar, you are introduced to the story of Guinness and then invited to sample your own pint. We upgraded our visit to the Stoutly which gives you the rather intriguing option of your picture on the head of a pint of Guinness. It’s definitely worth the extra money in my opinion, because it’s a real talking point and you won’t get it anywhere else! We ended up spending 4 hours there, but you can probably see and do most things in 3.

Dublinia is a fascinating introduction to the Viking and Medieval history of Dublin. The idea is similar to Jorvik in York although there is no ride through a Viking village. It’s a good place to while away 90 minutes, particularly when waiting for the rain to stop!

On our final afternoon, we visited the Irish Whiskey Museum, because we had an hour or so to kill before the end of our visit, and we were so glad we did! You get a tour from a knowledgeable guide. Donal was our guide and he was by common consent absolutely brilliant. His genuinely hilarious asides were cheeky, quick witted and entirely good natured even, or especially, when he skirted the edge of insulting very skilfully. In our final couple of hours in Dublin we saw, heard and tasted the essence of the Irish experience.

Final thoughts

The weather when we went was pretty bad, in common with most of the rest of Britain and Ireland.

Tip Number One – Never go out without a jacket thinking it looks OK! The weather changes insanely quickly and the next belt of rain could be far closer than you think.

Tip Number Two – Layer up so you don’t end up perspiring profusely if you don’t get rained upon.

Tip Number Three – The atmosphere of Dublin is best experienced on a summer’s evening by simply walking around. We went to Grafton Street one evening and Temple Bar area on another, and had a fantastic time. It is a European City in every respect and the café and pub culture comes into its own on a walk around the areas where the locals congregate.

Tip Number Four – It’s expensive but so is any city, and with careful budgeting you can spend a small amount and get a huge amount of value from it.

Tip Number Five – Slow down and let Dublin seep into your soul. My family say I am incapable of slowing down (!) but by my standards I was more relaxed here than on pretty much any other short break I’ve ever taken.

Thank you Dublin, I will be back.