More on Dublin and Beyond

According to Conde Nast Traveler, Dublin is one of the top ten friendliest cities in the world, and we certainly found that to be true during our time there. It is also filled with interesting historical monuments, a vibrant music scene and is a great place for foodies as well. My previous posts have shared some of Dublin’s truly interesting sites; here are the links:

Guinness Storehouse

More on Dublin, Ireland

After visiting Trinity College Library, we were wandering through the Temple Bar area looking for something interesting to catch our attention, when we passed a very lively bar.

It was only 11am, but people were coming and going, the Guinness was flowing and the music was fabulous. We were lucky to find one of the last available tables with a view of the musicians, so we sat back and enjoyed the moment.

I was surprised to see so many servers passing our table with trays full of glasses of Guinness, cocktails and other libations at that time of day. The patrons seemed to take advantage of the concept of it’s 5:00 somewhere!

We enjoyed other pubs as well including The Brazen Head which is the oldest pub in Dublin, established in 1189; wow! We enjoyed lunch here after touring the Guinness Storehouse. Click here to read more about its history.

We also enjoyed a delicious lunch at Jamie Olivers’s Chequer Lane located at 27 Exchequer Street in the heart of Dublin. The food and service were perfect.

No visit to Dublin is complete without seeing Ha’penny Bridge. Before the bridge was built in 1816, residents had to take a ferry across the River Liffey, operated by William Walsh. Apparently his ferries were in rough condition, so local authorities gave him the option of repairing his boats or building a bridge. He chose to build the bridge which came with the opportunity of collecting a ha’penny (half-penny) from anyone who crossed his bridge.

After several days in Dublin, we wanted to get out of the city and explore the countryside, so we booked a tour through Irish Day Tours. Our all-day tour took us to Glendalough Monastery, Hollywood Village and a working sheep farm where we saw the dogs hard at work keeping the sheep in line.

The ruins and remains of the 11th century monastery, cemetery and buildings are very interesting to wander through.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour, which was basically a ride from one location to the next, in a small bus driven by a man who was very knowledgeable about Irish history. As we enjoyed the beautiful Irish countryside, he kept us entertained with stories, interesting historical facts and folklore. Once we arrived at a destination, we were free to explore on our own. They offer a wide variety of tours; ours was just €65 per person.

Back in Dublin after our tour, we wandered the streets enjoying the imaginative and colorful street art, pubs and more music.

We had a fabulous time in Ireland and would easily visit again given the opportunity. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on Dublin and beyond.

Ireland was a place for the renewal of hope and I still see it like that. Daniel Day-Lewis

When I die Dublin will be written in my heart. James Joyce

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia