We had a short amount of time to spend in Dublin. We were using Dublin as a stopover on our way home from Nice, and that meant we had a full day and an additional evening to soak up everything we could. Our friends, Bill and Theresa were on this trip with us, where we participated in the UTMB Nice Côte d’Azur ultramarathons. The result of our races meant that both Bill and I were injured and hobbling around town.
Normally, I’m the trip planner, suggesting bars, restaurants, museums, and activities, but this time I deferred to Jenn. She had been to Dublin for three days on a girls’ trip earlier in the year, and she was in a much better position to guide our visit.
As soon as we had checked into our hotel, we were hungry and needed to go get a bite to eat. Jenn was excited about taking us to a couple of old taverns in Dublin, so we went to the Brazen Head, a classic Irish pub, founded in 1198.
There was a line stretching out into the street, but the service was efficient, and the line moved quickly. It didn’t take too long before sitting at an old wooden table in a crowded bar, ordering our first real Irish ales. A few minutes later, I was enjoying a properly poured Guinness while Jenn and Bill were both drinking Smithwick’s red ales. It was great to have a beer with a little malt backbone after spending the last few days in France drinking light Italian and French pilsners. It wasn’t too long before they delivered me a plate of fish and chips, which really hit the spot.
After our trip to the Brazen Head, we walked down to the Temple Bar District. For it being fairly early in the evening, we certainly ran across enough people who were already overserved. That is the general reputation of the Temple Bar District, a place for overindulging. After wandering around the district for a while, we tucked into the Old Storehouse to grab a drink and listen to a little music.
The bar was packed, standing room only, and not much room for standing either. The bar itself is another classic Irish pub with a long wood bar, tons of wainscoting, and every inch of the wall above the wainscoting covered in framed pictures. We grabbed some pints of ale and then walked outside to enjoy our beer. The weather was cool but comfortable, and outside we were able to enjoy the music at a reasonable volume.
We enjoyed our drinks, then headed back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep so we could get ready for the day ahead.
The next morning, we woke up and grabbed a light breakfast and a cappuccino from a little coffee shop called Two Pups, less than a block away from the Hyatt Centric, where we were staying. It was a quaint cafe with warm hosts and delicious food. The Irish are much friendlier than the French, and after several days in Nice, being treated so well by the staff felt like a warm hug.
Following breakfast, we headed over to the Jameson Distillery to do a tour of the facility. It was 10 AM, which seemed a little early for a distillery tour, but hey, we’re on vacation, right? The tour was wonderful, very informative, and came with samples of various Jameson products. I really enjoyed the tour, probably more than I should have, because Jenn was sliding me her samples too.
Following the distillery tour, we started walking toward Trinity College. However, after a kilometer, we were feeling like we needed to stop for another drink, so we ended up stopping for a pint at Trinity Bar and Venue, where I had a nice glass of Murphy’s Stout. I know, we had just left the distillery, but in our defense, Bill and I were limping pretty bad, so it did take a while to get there.
After the pint, we walked into Trinity College. It would have been nice to see the Long Room at the Old Library, but Jenn had been there just been there a few months earlier, and ongoing maintenance on the Library had affected the experience. They had removed a lot of the books as part of the project so I think I’ll try to return when the shelves are full again.
Trinity College itself is a beautiful campus with ancient stone buildings, cobblestone plazas, and copper statues. It’s a calm and beautiful place to visit, and I can only imagine what a privilege it is for the students to study there.
After Trinity College, we walked down to Grafton Street, where we walked around looking at shops. The area was packed, which surprised me for a Tuesday afternoon. There were buskers playing music and singing, spread out strategically to not interfere with each other. It is a very nice area; however, for the most part, it was the most modern of the areas that we had visited so far, and I was enjoying the old buildings throughout Dublin.
We found a pub and stopped in for lunch, where I had another pint and some bangers and mash. After lunch, we left Grafton Street and headed back towards the hotel.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral was on the way back to the hotel, and we decided to stop in. I’m always in awe of the amazing churches and cathedrals in Europe. St. Patrick’s Cathedral did not disappoint. It was founded in 1191, and like most cathedrals of the era, took more than a generation to complete. It was completed in 1270.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a classic Gothic cathedral, characterized by its pointed arches and ribbed vaults. It features some amazing stained glass windows and statues, as well as ancient flags hanging from the walls. Many important people were buried here as well, including Jonathan Swift, most famous for being the author of many great works, including Gulliver’s Travels.
Of course, we couldn’t attend an Irish cathedral without following that up with a trip to another distillery, so following St. Patrick’s, we walked over to Teeling Distillery. The Teeling Distillery is a beautiful and modern-looking distillery with a really nice bar. We sat down and had a couple drinks, some of us drinking whiskey and others mixed drinks. I went for the cheaper whiskeys on the menu and was a little disappointed, but everyone else was happy with their drinks.
After our drinks, we finished the evening at Darkey Kelly’s, a traditional Irish tavern with live music. It was suggested by the clerk at our hotel. The food was good, but it was so busy that we had to sit outside, where it was raining a little. We were under an awning, but the air was cold and moist, which did make things a little uncomfortable. We had dinner and a couple of red ales, enjoying our last night on vacation before the long flight home.
We were only in Dublin for a day and a half, and what is amazing is just how much we were able to enjoy in a short amount of time. Dublin is full of history, old buildings, and especially distilleries and pubs. It’s also quite dense, meaning we were able to see quite a bit, even though we weren’t able to walk very well. We had a great time in Dublin, and I can’t wait to go back – only next time I will spend a little more time there.
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