Three nights in Dublin

Even if you have no money, it can be fun being here. In the Temple Bar area and other parts of the city centre there are beautiful people and beautiful buildings. There is lots of music and other art going on in the streets. I was amazed by six year old boys singing their lungs out (beautifully) in Grafton Street, with a bucket in front of them for your change.

Shopping is good in broad streets and restaured market places; stroll along the Liffey; have a pint of Guinness in the beer garden of an old pub; enjoy traditional music sessions in another old pub.

Quick Tips:

A must see is the U2-owned Clarence Hotel, 6-8 Wellington Quay. Just walk along the Liffey from the Temple Bar area and you'll pass it.

Best Way To Get Around:

Dublin is very compact. There's no reason to use any transportation. Just walk! (That is if your feet and legs are in good working order!)

The Dergvale is close enough to walk to most of the sights. It is situated on the North side of the Liffey in a quiet and safe street. We were not bothered by noise from traffic or bars. The rooms are clean, quiet, nicely furnished and decorated (I saw two of them) with ensuite bathrooms and comfortable beds. About half of the some thirty rooms have no other rooms below or above them, which no doubt adds to the quietness at night and in the mornings.

We had an absolutely stunning 'a la carte' full breakfast (included) every morning. You may choose from three different kinds and we tried all of them.

Staff were wonderfully friendly and very helpful. We came back pretty late every night and were allowed to have drinks at that hour in the comfortable basement bar (guests only).

There is a wide range of food on the menu, from gourmet burgers and chickenwings to salmon and huge salads. We were there with five of us and nobody was disappointed with the food or the service. My salad with avocado and Stilton cheese could have done with a little more than three slices of avocado, though. There's no draught beer so we had bottled stout instead which was also nice!

The place has a smoking and a non-smoking section; the interior is modern and spacious with lots of wood in its natural colours. Perhaps our meals were a little over-priced, but hey, even fast food (which this was NOT!) is expensive in Dublin!

Spotless, modern two-floor eat-in or take out fish'n chip shop with great views of the city life on each floor.

Various choices of battered fish and seafood (all is fried in vegetable oil) served with fresh lemon and crispy chips.

If you come from the Temple Bar area it is a two-minute walk: just across O'Connell Bridge on your right.

The Book of Kells is among the oldest books in the world, produced by monks in the year 800. It's been in Dublin's Trinity College since 1645. I wanted to see it, but Sunday morning around 10am, the line of other interested people was so long (I could not see the end of it), so I decided to leave it for what it is.

A wonderful Victorian music hall. The kind that makes you feel like you travelled back in time to the year 1900 -- heavily sculptured balconies and lots of red curtains and draperies. It looks narrow from the outside, but it is quite spacious once you're in. There are many narrow corridors with steps to take you to the various sections of the theatre, and it has two bars in the back of the ground floor that differ in atmosphere very much.

I think that nobody was further away from the stage than, say, 100m. But we didn't actually see a play here. We came to Dublin to see Radiohead in this venue for two nights in a row. They were great and we felt privileged to see them play in such a small venue! One of the downstairs bars was used as an after-party room for the band and the press.

Well worth the walk: just keep walking along the South side of the Liffey, leaving the Temple Bar area behind on your left side. You will see The Brazen Head at a corner just after Fr. Mathew Bridge. The building looks old and authentic and appearently it is the oldest pub in Dublin (1668).

We were there on a Friday evening and the crowd was a nice blend of local 20- and 30-somethings having a drink after work, some tourists and barflies, too! We had a quiet drink in the back of the courtyard and went inside when a traditional music session began. We enjoyed it a lot but if you don't like crowds: stay in the courtyard!

We tried to have a bar meal at The Brazen Head on Sunday around 5pm, but the place was packed again for a traditional music session. We had our meal at a pub across the street instead (forgot its name), a place where we found lots of local families having their Sunday meal. Our dinner there was fine!

Off the main shopping street (that's Grafton Street), we went in here around noon on a Sunday to shelter from the rain. About 12 men were behind pints of Guinness and another was easily strumming an acoustic guitar. We both ordered half pints (what can you do?) and, as we drank them, the guitar guy was joined by a young boy (about 12 or 13 years old) playing a flute. Their music turned up tempo and lively. Not five minutes later, someone with a fiddle joined in. We were amazed and very pleased by this unexpected event. We left after one drink when the sun was shining again.

Oh, the bar itself -- it is very old and smaller than it appears from the outside. There is some beautifully-carved (authentic?) shelving behind the bar. Apparently, there are two more floors that serve as a theatre for stand-up comedy and jazz'n blues music, but we didn't go there (unfortunately).

We wandered around the castle grounds and took the guided tour. That was well worth its price. The guide was well informed and introduced us to ancient and recent Irish history with great sense of humour. We saw mirrors placed in a room to look under skirts, we learned why queen Victoria did not like the table she was given and walked where Nelson Mandela and president Clinton had walked.

But the best part was the part where you go underground to see the old Viking walls of the original building. Did you know the stones are still in place because the Vikings used a mixture of ox blood and horse hair? I didn't. Also, the underground tour illustrates very well what the castle looked like in those Viking days. The remains are still there.

No analyses of the reason, but Dublin weather is never boring. Within 10 minutes, it changes from a clear blue sunny sky into dark grey-blackish with powerful wind and heavy rain and back again.

Dubliners don't seem bothered by it, they just shelter until the worst is over and continue where they were going. I must say, I got tired of getting my umbrella out and putting it back again after three minutes of service, when I had done so five times on our first day. The rain and the sheltering just became part of the fun!