Our first week in Dublin was just filled. Here are some highlights:
Air B&B in Ireland: With our prior Air B&B experiences elsewhere in Europe, we had come to expect a whole apartment, small perhaps, but with our own kitchen and bathroom. Not so in Ireland. In Dublin we stayed in two “Air B&B” accommodations. Unless you spent a lot more money or stayed in a hotel, your choice was usually for one bedroom in someone’s home, often with only a shared bathroom. This was a different experience for us. Our hosts were very friendly and helpful and we really enjoyed our stays with them.
St. Stephen’s Green, just blocks away from our first B&B, was one of our first stops in Dublin. It’s a beautiful park with walks, trees, gardens, and a lake with ducks and swans. Walking around Stephen’s Green you see monuments to Ireland’s heroes, such as Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmet, Constance Markievicz, Sir Arthur Guinness, James Joyce and Lord Ardilaun who donated the land to the city. Joyce’s fictional counterpart, Stephen Dedalus, claimed ownership, “Stephen’s, that is My Green.” Placards around the park explained how fighting took place here in 1916 between the Republicans (those fighting for independence) and the English rulers. Thus our first foray into Dublin led us into a beautiful park and into the complex history of Ireland.
Music in the Pubs: There are 751 Pubs in Dublin. In normal times, many pubs feature live music. But these are not normal times, and Ireland has outlawed pub music for now, with an exception only for music in a “Beergarden” or open-air setting. We’re disappointed, of course, but we appreciate the Irish for taking this pandemic seriously. When drinking or eating indoors, we were also asked for our vaccine documents and a phone number to facilitate contact tracing. I wish Americans would take such common-sense tactics. Although we did find music a few times, it was mostly buskers on the streets of Dublin and Galway. And very little of that music was truly traditional.
Pubs in Dublin: Although we drank Guinness (Evan) and whiskey (Sara) in spots too numerous to mention, our three favorites were:
- The Brazen Head: Around the corner from Christ Church Cathedral, down close to the river, the Brazen Head certainly looks like an ancient pub. Some say it’s the oldest pub in Dublin, or even in Ireland. [But the documentation of this building as a pub only goes back to the 1660’s, far short of Sean’s Bar in Athlone. See our post on Athlone.] Like all Irish pubs, the Brazen Head serves good pub food, great beer and whiskey, and it is so photogenic.
- Davy Byrnes: One of our first pub meals in Dublin, and again on our last night there. We even ordered the same both times: Fish & Chips for Sara and Beef & Guinness Pie for Evan. It’s a lovely pub and full of James Joyce memorabilia. Davy Byrnes is prominently mentioned in Joyce’s Ulysses. The pub features images of Joyce on the walls, quotes from Ulysses, and in the back, behind a glass protector, a bust of the author and an original copy of the first edition of Ulysses.
- The Bank on College Green: Three times. Sara so enjoyed her Fish & Chips here, not to mention whiskey tasting with a genial bartender, that we returned again the next night. It’ a lovely restaurant in what used to be the building of the Bank of Ireland, hence its name. It’ a beautiful building and the food was delicious too. Memorabilia in The Bank is focused on the 1916 insurrection.
Jameson Distillery, Bow Street: From 1780 to 1971, this was the original Jameson Distillery in Dublin. Although Jameson is now distilled in Midleton, County Cork, the Bow Street complex in Dublin is a lovely visitor’s center offering guided tours, whiskey tastings, a bar and a gift shop. Our tour guide was charming and informative, and we liked the way he handled whiskey tasting, letting us compare three well-known whiskeys representing different styles: Johnny Walker Black (a Scotch Whiskey), Jack Daniel (a American whiskey), and Jameson (an Irish Whiskey).
A Day trip to Howth: The seaside village of Howth is one of Dublin’s oldest working harbors and still ranks as one of Ireland’s busiest fishing ports. Howth sits on a peninsula stretching to the east from north of the city. We reached it easily by train and met Gus who, along with his two dogs, would be our guide for a hike around the peninsula. When sizing us up, Gus said he was glad to see us wearing good hiking boots: on occasion he’s had folks show up in high heels or flip-flops for this walk. We climbed and trudged through gorse and some heather to higher viewpoints showing us 360 degrees over Dublin and the sea. We really enjoyed Gus’s stories and some country walking to contrast with our city hikes in Dublin. And we enjoyed a great dinner of fresh seafood before catching our train back.
