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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