By: MJ + PJ
If you can read this post with an Irish accent, that’d be great. Ok now. Where to begin?
It was a brief flight from Bristol to Dublin, where we were greeted by probably the most friendly customs officer to date. Being a customs officer must be a pretty dry and intense profession, but Ireland appears to be having none of that! This set the tone nicely for the rest of our visit.
We had considered buying a tourist Leap Card for public transport for the seven days we were in Dublin, but figured we were so close to the city centre (about 15-20min walk) that we could just as easily get about without one. This turned out to be a good decision given what panned out over the week. The transport modes we did use (airport bus, light rail, tour bus, train) were easy to use and quite clean and reliable.
On day one we got fully educated and entertained on the Sandemann’s Free Walking Tour. This city tour is tip only, on the premise that the guide will earn based on performance. They provide tours in many European cities. Our tour guide was a comedian, literally, and so we were glad the tour we had aimed for an hour earlier had been cancelled. We walked to see the castle, town hall, Trinity University entrance, and the streets of Temple Bar. We happily endorse this format of tour, but if you are looking for a specialized tour (e.g. Harry Potter film locations), then you will likely need to book/pay ahead of time. Special tour costs are due to gaining entry to buildings and locations specific to the theme.
On the following few days we saw quite a bit. Trinity College was top of the list and we saw the Book of Kells and the fantastic Old Library, both of these being well worth visiting. We did circle around for some time contemplating the cost of entry for three of us, but took the plunge. We are glad we did as the library was beautiful! While in the library the book restoration team did a talk about how they protect, store and maintain the collection.
There were some interesting local playgrounds for AJ to get his wiggles out, and the interesting Museum of Ireland – Anthropology to see. This museum had quite the collection of bog related artifacts, and treasures and artifacts that linked the complex history of the region nicely. We did not get to see the other museums nearby.
When in Dublin you are almost obliged to visit the Guinness Storehouse, which competes with the Cliffs of Moher as the number one Irish tourist attraction, and so we did! The Storehouse is huge, and has a history intertwined with that of both Dublin and Ireland. 900 year lease…………..We also took a bus day trip across the country to the cliffs on the Atlantic coast, and had a meal at a traditional Irish pub (O’Neills) in Dublin.
Howth is about a half hour train ride out of Dublin and was recommended by a few people, so we did a half day trip there. It is a traditional fishing village with a small market, some castle ruins, and several walks (if you have the time). If you are unable to see much of the costal areas or inland regions, you should at least go to see Howth.
Having some Irish heritage, MJ was able to contact and visit with family who live locally in the Wicklow direction from Dublin. We caught up with family for a few meals and to explore two of the working family farms. This was a treat for animal-loving AJ who got to hold a few lambs, pat some cattle and tromp around in Wellington boots! It is great to have these opportunities as you can experience the true character of the country and people that you are visiting.
It feels like we only scratched the surface of what we could see in Ireland, but we learned quite a lot in a short space of time. It’s certainly a country with plenty of variety and is a fun and honest place to spend time in. If we ever write our memoirs or similar, we may just have to book a several month Airbnb somewhere in a village on the coast!
See our PHOTOS: Ireland post, and Month Eight Bucket List to see what else we got up to on the Emerald Isle!
