Wednesday 29 February 2012

One week in Ireland - Dublin

So a few people have asked me to suggest an itinerary for a week in Ireland. Everyone has different tastes obviously, but these few posts should give you a starting point at least, and if you're looking for something different, let me know!

Dublin: 1-3 days
There are tonnes of historical buildings and museums to see in Dublin, and it's a completely walkable city. A great way to get your bearings and a quick history lesson is to take a DUKW tour. Only one or two sites are a more than 30mins walk out, and you can get the Luas tram to those.
  • Trinity College
  • Christchurch Cathedral
  • St Patrick's Cathedral
  • Dublin Castle and gardens
  • National Museum, Kildare St
  • Natural History Museum (Dead Zoo)
  • National Library
  • National Gallery (all of the above four are really close to each other)
  • St Michan's Mummies - check the opening hours first
  • GPO - at the centre of the 1916 rebellion
  • Kilmainham Gaol
  • Stephen's Green, Merrion Square - two green areas in the middle of the city
  • Collins Barracks - part of the National Museum
  • Guinness Storehouse - worth it just for the views at the top
  • Jameson Distillery


Christchurch

There are also several great pubs, depending on what you're looking for. A lot of the below are what you might call 'old man pubs', but ones like the Foggy Dew and O'Donoghue's would have music playing.
  • Brazen Head, Lower Bridge St - oldest site of a pub in Ireland
  • The Cobblestone, King St North - great for a music session
  • Mulligan's, Poolbeg St
  • Long Stone, Townsend St
  • Messrs Maguire, Burgh Quay - micro-brewery
  • Doyle's, College Green - student bar, great on a Thursday night
  • Foggy Dew, Dame St
  • Stag's Head, Dame Court
  • Long Hall, George's St
  • McDaids - off Grafton St
  • Davy Byrne's - off Grafton St
  • O'Donoghue's, Suffolk St - the lesser known O'Donoghue's, but my regular spot
  • The Church, Mary St - not my favourite spot, but worth it for the architecture
  • Bankers, Dame St - again, not a regular pub, but worth a look-see
  • Whelan's, Camden St - great late night venue


365 | Day 5

If you have a car and fancy a trip out of the city, destinations to the south in the Dublin Hills include the Hell Fire Club (below, it's got an amazing view of the city on a good day), or to Johnnie Fox's pub, which is a little touristy, but good craic when it's busy.



Further afield is Glendalough (below), a gorgeous valley of two lakes, a monastery, an old mining site, and hours of marked walks. Many of which you can do without hiking boots.

Glendalough

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