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Dublin Journals

Dublin, Ireland - Slainte!

Best of IgoUgo

An October 2002 trip to Dublin by Carmen

St. Patricks Cathedral Photo - St. Patricks Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland More Photos
Quote: On days four and five of our self-drive trip through Ireland, we took advantage of all that Ireland's city life had to offer. We topped off the trip in the capital city, and braved the weather to enjoy the sights.
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Dublin, Ireland - Slainte! Best of IgoUgo

Overview

Dublin Photo - Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Where can I start? Dublin is full of things to see. Some of my favorite sites were: 1. St. Patrick's Cathedral - an architecture buff's dream. A religious experience, even if you're not religious. 2. Guiness Storehouse - free pint, must I say more? 3. Knight's Bridge Inn Pub - Irish music and Irish Dancing. Very "Lord-of-the_Dance" 4. Gogarty's Pub - more Irish music, can't get enough! I also enjoyed seeing the city on the Dublin Bus tour. Less walking, less getting wet in the rain, more information from the bus driver, etc. The Dublin Bus tour will take you to all the top spots, let you get on and off as you please, and keep you dry if the weather's a bit drip...Read More

Seefin B&B￿ Best of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Seefin B&B"

Quote:
Since we purchased the trip as a package, I'm not sure of the exact cost of the B&B, but I've made an educated guess. One of the challenges we faced when planning our trip was finding a B&B with availability in or around the Dublin area, and this was at least a month in advance. We found a room at this particular B&B pretty much sight unseen. All we had was a listing in a B&B book and an email. (mcgreal_28@yahoo.co.uk) The proprieter was nice enough, the breakfast was good (it was the first time we'd seen American cereal - Cocoa Puffs! We were getting pretty tired of eggs after 5 days). However, the B&B was pretty small. No sitting room available, and the room itself was so ...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Seefin B&B￿
20 Rossmore Grove
Dublin, Ireland
01-4907286

Jurys Inn Custom House Best of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Jury's Custom House"

Quote:
Since we booked the tour through a tour company (Sceptre tours) they arranged for us to have one night in a castle, and one night in a hotel in Dublin. After staying in the Castle the first night of our trip(see my entry for Drumoland), I guess I expected the hotel in Dublin to be a big deal. That's what happens when you assume, I guess. Jury's Custom House is pretty centrally located in the new financial district near O'Connell Street It's listed as a three-star hotel. Each room had a television, hair dryer and a coffee tray , and our room had two double...Read More

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Jurys Inn Custom House
CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY
Dublin, Ireland
353 1 6075000

Shack Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "The Shack Restaurant"

The Shack Photo - Shack, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
On our first day in Dublin, we stumbled through the rain to the Temple Bar area, where we found The Shack Restaurant. It was one of our favorite places, and was the only place that we had chicken in the whole country of Ireland. And it was really good chicken too! The ambiance would have been terribly romantic had I been there with a sweetie, but my friend and I enjoyed it despite our singleness. The lighting was low, the fireplace at the front was roaring (which was good since we were cold and damp), and the walls were decorated with modern, colorful paintings. I had Cajun chicken, which had a spicy brown sauce over it, served with boiled potatoes and veggies. (You'd never expect bo...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Shack
24 Essex Street East
Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 679 0043

St. Patrick's Cathedral Photo - St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
No trip to Dublin would be complete unless you made a stop into St. Patrick's Cathedral. As a one-time architecture major, I am always fascinated by the actual building components - the flying buttresses, the knave, etc. - and St. Patrick's didn't disappoint. There's a bit of emotion that poured over me as I stepped onto the grounds. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. St. Patrick's is open from 9-6 (at least when we were there. I'm told the hours change at different times of the year. And it's not open at certain times on Sundays unless you're worshipping.) I didn't mind the $3.50 euro charge for admission - I just hoped it went towards upkeep of the church, or towar...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

St. Patrick's Cathedral
Saint Patrick's Close
Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 453-9472

Gogarty's Pub Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Gogarty's Pub Photo - Gogarty's Pub, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
It was our last night in Dublin before flying home the next morning, and we didn't think we could top the pub of the night before. Knight's Bridge Inn -- with its Irish music AND Irish dancing. So, we asked our hotel clerk, who didn't seem to even know that she was in Dublin, and unsatisfied with her answer, we just asked our cab driver. At his suggestion, we think we visited the second best pub in Ireland -- Gogarty's. It's divided into several levels, with two pubs (larger one downstairs and a smaller one upstairs), a restaurant and a B&B on the upper floors. The smaller pub plays host to Irish music each night arou...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Gogarty's Pub
Temple Bar
Dublin, Ireland

Book of Kells Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Trinity College and the Book of Kells"

Trinity College Photo - Book of Kells, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Trinity College was founded by charter of Queen Elizabeth in 1592. The main chamber of the old library, the earliest surviving building, houses around 200,000 of the library's oldest books. As you look down the Long Room, you can smell the odor of old books, knowledge and learning, and see the busts of important people in the history of the library. Downstairs is where you'll find on display the Irish medieval gospel manuscripts, most importantly, the Book of Kells. This is a manuscript of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Created over 1000 years ago by Irish monks, the book is lavishly decorated in Latin, with many Christian symbolic drawings - from animals to the Celtic cross. ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Book of Kells
Long Library
Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 677 2941

Ha'penny Bridge-Liffey Bridge Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "The Ha' Penny Bridge"

Ha Penny Bridge Photo - Ha'penny Bridge-Liffey Bridge, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
I had read about, and seen pictures of, the Ha' Penny Bridge before going to Ireland. I don't know why -- maybe my architectural background, maybe my desire to be super touristy -- I really wanted to see the bridge. I was so happy on our first day in Dublin when the waiter where we had dinner (The Shack Restaurant)told us that to get to the pub he recommended (Knight's Bridge Inn we'd have to take a short 10 minute walk -- accross the bridge! The only problem with our visit to the Ha' Penny Bridge was that 1. It was night and dark and 2. It was pouring r...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Ha'penny Bridge-Liffey Bridge
Over the Liffey River
Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 605 7700

Hop On Hop Off Dublin Bus Tour Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Dublin City Tour"

Dublin Bus Tour  Photo - Hop On Hop Off Dublin Bus Tour, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
We were so excited after day one in Dublin -- having walked all that day in the rain and getting soaked through -- that there was a bus tour that let us on and off at over 16 stops, and that all of our "touristy" spots were among those stops. The other guests at our B&B had done it the day before, and highly recommended it. So, on day two, we gathered some coupons and headed to O'Connell Street - stop one on the ride. We were a little confused, because there are two companies that run the bus tours. Our coupons ended up being for the competitor, but the bus driver gave us a discount anyway. How nice of him. We had been blessed with two whole hours without rain, and really wanted to ride ato...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Hop On Hop Off Dublin Bus Tour
59 O'connell Street
Dublin

Guinness Storehouse Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Guiness Storehouse"

Guiness Storehouse Photo - Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Everyone knows that Dublin and Guiness are synonymous with each other, so the Guiness Storehouse is, not surprisingly, quite a popular destination with the tourists. My friend and I included! We took the Dublin Bus Tour and hopped off at the Guiness stop - along with most everyone else on the bus, and began our tour of the brewery. Arthur Guiness was an original man, who took a failing brewery and made it work. With quite an original lease on the building, good for 9000 years, he went from making just ale, to making both ale and stout, to turning his buisiness into focusing on just the stout business - his black gold. The tour takes you up the 7 floors of the storehouse, throught the...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Guinness Storehouse
St James's Gate
Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 408 4800

Temple Bar Square Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Temple Bar area"

Temple Bar Photo - Temple Bar Square, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Dublin's Temple Bar area has in recent years undergone a transformation, becoming the cultural center of Dublin. Not only will you find a variety of pubs there, but a host of art galleries (like the Original Print Gallery), music facilities (like the Temple Bar Music Facility) and theatre locales (like Project) -- though we made it to nothing but restaurants and pubs. In addition, Temple Bar boasts a long history, ie: it was also the home of the first performance of Handel's "Messaiah" in 1742. We ended up in Temple Bar on our first visit by mere coincidence (seems we found a lot of our Dublin activities that way), as it's where the Number 50 bus dropped us off. It's also a hop, skip and a ju...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Temple Bar Square
27 Eustace St
Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 677 2397

Knights Bridge Inn Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Knights Bridge Inn Photo - Knights Bridge Inn, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
This was probably the best time we had in a pub in Ireland. It was recommended to us by a waiter where we had dinner (see my entry for The Shack restaurant, this journal.) Knights Bridge Inn is the bar inside of the Arlington Hotel, and it features traditional Irish music and Irish dancing each and every night. The Irish dancers were fabulous. The first group was made up of kids, and the second group of teenagers/young adults. Everyone clapped and cheered, and crowded around the stage to see. If you couldn't see, there were tv screens around the bar to help you enjoy the performance. In addition to the dancing, there...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 27, 2002

Knights Bridge Inn
23-25 Bachelor's Walk
Dublin, Ireland

About the Writer

Carmen

Carmen
Cary, North Carolina

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