Dublin
Famed for hospitality and good times - the Guinness
Brewery remains a favourite icon - Dublin is the Irish
Republic's premier city, being home to nearly
a quarter of its citizens. While not a city of ostentatious
beauty, Dublin does boast a rich historical legacy
that manifests itself in impressive public buildings
such as Trinity College (pictured) and the cobble-stoned
precincts of Temple Bar and Grafton Street.
Unashamedly a tourist highlight, the Guinness
Brewery is an excellent sound and light show that
gives you a taste (literally) of the Guinness magic.
With its innovative use of an old brewing warehouse,
the exhibition features fascinating audiovisual highlights
of those iconic Guinness adverts, the lost craft of
coopering (barrel-making), and of course the all-important
brewing process itself. Ending with a cool pint of
the drink branded as 'Black Gold', the top floor
bar at the brewery affords magnificent views over
Dublin - the perfect backdrop for a relaxing drink
before you hit the well-stocked Brewery Shop. Not
to be missed.
The River Liffey bisects Dublin from east to west,
and the tourist heart of the capital lies south of
the river. It is here that Trinity College dominates
the bustling confluence of Westmoreland and College
Streets, counterbalanced by the Georgian Bank of Ireland
across the thoroughfare.
Trinity College has been the centre of academic
endeavour in Dublin since its founding in 1592,
but is firmly on the tourist trail principally due
to the presence of the celebrated Book of Kells.
Housed in the Treasury along with a number of other
priceless manuscripts, this eighth century masterpiece
of illumination is brought to life by an interesting
exhibition featuring back-lit enlargements of some
of the Book's more impressive images and text, as
well as video demonstrations of this lost monastic
art. The exhibition ends in the magnificent Old
Library, a galleried hall holding over 200,000 antiquarian
books and prints, and even the oldest surviving harp
in Ireland.
Within a short stroll of Trinity College are two
oases of reflective calm - the National Museum
and the National Gallery. Each houses impressive
collections and provide a rich background to the national
history and the art of this unique island.
Back on the bustling streets, most tourists and
a fair few locals can be found in or around Grafton
Street. Considered to be the spine of Dublin's
most popular shopping precinct, Grafton Street itself
has succumbed somewhat to chain store infiltration,
but visitors can still make interesting discoveries
if they explore the side streets, perhaps stopping
to rest while sampling a pint of Guinness in one of
the numerous pubs in this area.
At the southern end of Grafton Street is the leafy
St. Stephen's Green, a spot popular with strolling
Dubliners and worn-out tourists over the centuries.
Overlooking the Green is the interesting glass house-like
St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.
Further west, the narrow lanes of Temple Bar are
an interesting jumble of restaurants, bars, 'alternative'
stores, and night spots. Somewhat maligned as
'touristy' and a magnet for drunken yobs, Temple Bar
is nevertheless as good a place as any to get the
buzz of youthful Dublin. An interesting gourmet
food market operates on Saturdays, and is well
worth a visit in its own right
Of course, no visit to Dublin would be complete
without a visit or three to some of the city's historic
inns. The Stag's Head (in Dames Court, off Dames
Lane) is an intimate bar of stained glass and dark
wood, and has been serving up Irish hospitality for
over two hundred years. Not too far away - and a perfect
spot to escape the Grafton Street madness - is Davy
Byrne's (Duke Street), featured in James Joyce's "Ulysses".
The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl is another option, visiting
six pubs that were favourite haunts of Ireland's
great playwrights and authors.
Getting There
Ireland's national airline - Aer
Lingus - has several flights from London every
day, as does budget carrier Ryanair
and British
Airways. Passengers on flights from London typically
have few formalities to endure on arrival. Airport
buses run every twenty minutes or so to central Dublin,
a trip of approximately 30 minutes.
Ferry services are operated by
Irish Ferries and Stena
Sealink from Holyhead on the British Mainland,
with a journey time of 3.5 hours. A more expensive
high speed service shaves nearly two hours off the
travel time.
PP Travel operate awesome St. Patrick's Day trips
to Dublin - find
out more.
More Information
The excellent Eyewitness Travel Guide to Ireland
or the Rough Guide to Dublin can be bought through
Amazon - click on the banner at the top of the page
to access the site.
The Ireland tourism website can be visited at www.ireland.travel.ie.
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