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County Dublin Journals

Co. Dublin

Best of IgoUgo

A June 2004 trip to County Dublin by atherts

Avoca House Photo - Avoca House, Dublin, Ireland More Photos
Quote: We started our excursion in Dublin on 6/12/04, with our 23-year-old son. June 16, 2004, is the 100th anniversary of Joyce's
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Co. Dublin Best of IgoUgo

Overview

Molly Malone Statue Photo - Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
During a visit to Dublin, there are several must-see places. We went during the week of the Bloomsday Centennial to catch the festivities and show our 23-year-old son the city. By and large, the experience was great, marred only by the effects of the high pollen count and dust and dirt of the city, which wreaked havoc with allergies. We spent a good part of the time sneezing and wiping runny noses and red eyes. We didn’t have this experience in a prior visit, so I can only assume it was the time of year (early June, as opposed to September).Trinity College and the Book of Kells, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ’s Church, Guinness Storehouse, Jameson’s Distillery, Brazen Head pub, Kilmainham G...Read More

Avoca House Best of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Avoca House B&B"

Avoca House Photo - Avoca House, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
This is the perfect place to stay in Dublin! Don't hesitate, look around or view other offers, go for this one if you intend to stay in the Dublin area! Located between the airport and city center in Drumcondra it is easy to get anywhere and you won't suffer lack of sleep from the downtown noise. This is a very nice, multi-story, brick townhouse-style bed-and-breakfast. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms (for you spoiled Americans). The rooms are clean and neat — a bit small for more than three adult people, but you'll manage, what do you expect in Dublin? This is an old city, people were smaller in the good old days, and you're in Ireland on holiday, so no sniveling! Beside, you should only be in y...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 13, 2005

Avoca House
110 Hollybank Road
Dublin, Ireland Dublin 9
353 1-8302014

Hop On Hop Off Dublin Bus Tour Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "City Bus Tours"

Buses in Dublin Photo - Hop On Hop Off Dublin Bus Tour, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Dublin has many city bus tours with a daily rate. All are worth the ticket price if you're traveling around the city for a day. You get a good running commentary on the sites as well as a map. Some drivers are better than others, but all have the gift of craic and will make the trip seem shorter. All the major sites are included as stops or are within easy walking distance of a stop. The driver can tell you where to get off along with how his mother is doing, his uncles health and the latest sports news. Dublin isn't a big city, but you can waste a lot of time walking. Liberal sampling of the black stuff or the Jameson's distillery samples will also necessitate the use of the bus system. J...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 28, 2006

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

Trinity College Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Bell Tower at Trinity College Photo - Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Trinity College is easily reached just across the river following O’Connell Street. Cross the bridge and follow the buses. It is very close to Grafton Street, the main shopping area. If you see the Tart with the Cart (Molly Malone statue) you’ve passed it. Entry is through large wooden doors, making you feel like you are entering a fortress, not a college. The grounds are large inside with a large courtyard and buildings all around. Signage is only fair, but you can opt for a walking tour. Times are posted just inside the entrance along with a lot of other interesting items. The tour includes the history of Trinity and stories about famous graduates and activities. The tours run about every 40 minu...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 16, 2007

Trinity College
College Green
Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 608 1000

General Post Office Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "GPO - General Post Office"

GPO - General Post Office Dublin Photo - General Post Office, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
The General Post Office was built between 1814 and 1818. A significant landmark in the Easter Uprising of 1916, it was taken over by members of the Irish Freedom and Citizens army and held for a week until the British forced them out, destroying the GPO in the process. The bullet marks can still be seen on the columns in front. The GPO was rebuilt and reopened in July of 1929. Patrick Pearse read the proclamation for the new and short lived Irish Republic from the steps of the GPO. Days later the British guns had pounded it to rubble and the rebels surrendered and several were executed. Inside is a working and often crowded post office with fine paintings of the Uprising and other artwork. ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 17, 2007

General Post Office
O' Connell St
Dublin 1, Ireland
+353 1 705 7000

St. Patrick's Cathedral Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Saint Patrick's Cathedral Dublin"

Entrance of St. Patrick's Cathedral Photo - St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, originally known as "The National Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Patrick, Dublin and in Irish as Árd Eaglais Naomh Pádraig" is a must see site in Dublin. It is a stop on every bus tour route and well worth the negligible 5 euros entry fee. In 1191, under the leadership of John Comyn, the first archbishop of Dublin, Saint Patrick's given the status of a cathedral. Erected between 1200 and 1270. Over time the cathedral deteriorated, despite many attempts to restore it. After the Reformation in England, St Patrick's became a Protestant Cathedral, although most of the population remained Roman Catholic. From 1783 until 1871 the cathedral serv...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 18, 2007

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

Brazen Head Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "The Brazen Head"

Entrance to The Brazen Head Photo - Brazen Head, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
The Brazen Head is Dublin's oldest pub with a history going back eight centuries around 1198. Located on Bridge Street by the River Liffey on the Southside of the city. The Guinness Storehouse and Christchurch Cathedral are just blocks away. There has been a bar on this site since the 12th century when it was located in the medieval city with the original tavern being replaced by a coach inn in the late 17th century. As you enter the The Brazen Head the first thing you see is a fine stone face looking a little like a castle with flowers in bloom should it be the season. Through the archway is an old cobblestone courtyard. In good weather you can take advantage of the tables amongst the keg...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

Brazen Head
20 Bridge Street
Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 677-9549

Old Jameson Distillery Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "The Old Jameson Distillery"

Copper Kettle outside The Old Jameson Distillery Photo - Old Jameson Distillery, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Jameson's Distillery can be a bit hard to find, a map helps. It is across the Liffey from the Guinness Storehouse and down some side streets. The hardest part is carting your loot back to a bus stop after a good jolt of uisce beatha. Jameson's dates back to around 1780, but we didn't see any bottles that old. Just as well, we couldn't have afforded a taste anyway. We'd been here last Dublin go round, but this was Josh's first shot. We purchased tour tickets and killed some time wandering around and looking at the displays in the lobby area. We coached Josh to raise his hand quickly when they asked for volunteers, and we picked central seating at eye level with the tour guide in the small theater. ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

Old Jameson Distillery
Bow Street Smithfield Village
Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 807 2355

Fagans Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Front of Fagans Photo - Fagans, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
This pub is famous for being Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's local watering hole. Evidently the Clinton's stopped here for a pint on the way to the airport. Maybe Airforce One was still refueling. Busy for food service during the day and sporting events in the evening, big screen TVs are located throughout the area. It can be a bit loud during an well attended sports event and the higher ceilings create a bit of echo. The menu is decent, ranging from steak to curry with some oddities in the middle. The food is good and the pints excellent. There is a full bar if you want something stronger. Wood and brick type decor with some greenery isn't traditional Irish pub, but comfortable. Quite a f...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

Fagans
146 Lower Drumcondra Road
Dublin, Ireland

Guinness Storehouse Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Door at Guinness Brewery Photo - Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
We rejoined a passing tour bus from Kilmainham Gaol and we're off to the home of Guinness. The bus drops you off right at the door. There was an old gent with a wagon and horse in front of the entrance. Posing and asking for the price of a pint no doubt. The wagon didn't look like something one would want to ride. We slipped in the main entrance and assessed our options. We opted for the self-guided tour, it is quite expensive, and they try to placate you with a "free" pint in the Gravity Bar at the conclusion. Very high tech tour, didn't explain the process very well. Lots of electronic images and froofy floff, but no meat or substance to it. The Jameson's tour was much more charming and d...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

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

Grafton Street Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Grafton Street Photo - Grafton Street, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Grafton Street stretches between Trinity College at the bottom and St. Stephen's Green at the top. The street was named after the first Duke of Grafton, who owned land in the area. The street was developed from a then existing country lane by the Dawson family in 1708, after whom the parallel Dawson Street is named. It is the shopping focus for all of Dublin. O'Connell Street has stores and shops, but Grafton Street is the real star. Along the way are a number of shops and sides streets with interesting shops, pubs, and markets. Especially interesting are the book shops and music stores for any kind of taste. Buskers and other performers abound and add to the ambience of a global town cente...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

Grafton Street

Dublin, Ireland

Temple Bar Pub Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Temple Bar"

Temple Bar Photo - Temple Bar Pub, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:

We were not overly impressed by the Temple Bar area. Either we're not average tourists, or we hadn't had nearly enough to drink. We tried it with no Guinness and once had a pint in the area. We still found it noisy, crowded, smelly (think of a damp crowded urinal and you might be close).

I think the charm ensues from a lot of Guinness, quasi-traditional music and low lighting. Evenings would be the best time to visit. There are a number of shops that have interesting products. We poked around in several music shops, but found that the prices were higher and selection worse than smaller shops in local areas. For shopping, Grafton Street was a better option.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

Temple Bar Pub
48 Temple Bar
Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 672 5287

Malahide Castle Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Malahide Castle Photo - Malahide Castle, Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Malahide Castle is located about 9 miles North of Dublin. Located on extensive grounds (around 250 acres) the castle is large and in very good repair. The oldest parts of the castle date back to the 12th century. It was home to the Talbot family for 791 years, from 1185 until 1976, the only exception being the period from 1649-1660, when Oliver Cromwell gave it to Miles Corbet after his bloody conquest of Ireland. Corbet was hung following the demise of Cromwell, and the castle was given back to the Talbots. It was inherited by the seventh Baron Talbot and on his death in 1973, passed to his sister, Rose. In 1975, Rose sold the castle to the Irish State partly to fund inheritance taxes. The...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 19, 2007

Malahide Castle
Malahide
Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 846-2184

Quote:
So the evening started something like this: we'd been out all day in Dublin, sampling Guinness, viewing the sites, breathing the dust, pollen, and general dirt. Dublin is a dirty city. It is small, busy, and old, but like an old Irish farmer, rises every morning and shakes the dust off and gets back to work. We arrived back at the B&B tired, dirty, and thirsty. All that sampling makes you thirsty for more. We asked Audrey, our hostess, where another good pub might be found. We'd been to Fagan's (highly recommended) several times already and once to the ...Read More
Gravedigger at Glasnevin Photo - Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Glasnevin is a very large cemetery between the airport and Dublin city center. It is easily accessible from several entrances, although we found the main entrance easy to find with plenty of parking. Be aware that this is still an active cemetery, and at any point during the day, funerals may be occurring, so talk quietly and watch where you walk. There were two separate funerals going on the time we were there. Orientation can be difficult in the cemetery, as it covers many acres. The best way I found was to orient to the tall round tower (O’Connell Tower) by the main entrance. You can pretty much see it from anywhere in the cemetery. There are also guided tours of the grounds. The...Read More
Bath balls and more Photo - Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
Now, this may be a wonderful place to go for some people, but as a male, I found this to be a nice place to hang out in front of rather than inside. Lush is a shop dedicated to fresh soaps, bath items, and other substances applied to the body in various places and times. The smell hits you as you walk in the door, and the riot of colors and shapes is overwhelming. The odors are floral and fruit, primarily, and pretty much punch you in the nose, drag you around by said appendage, and then hold you down and rub it raw. I found a headache developing after the first few minutes. My wife wandered oblivious through the piles of product, occasionally holding something out to me and saying, "Doesn’t...Read More

Kilmainham Gaol Best of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Kilmainham Gaol Entrance Photo - Dublin, Ireland
Quote:
We hopped a City Tour Bus and headed off for Kilmainham Gaol. I don't know if I'd recommend this tour for people with weak stomachs, vivid imaginations, or young children. The front of the building is foreboding enough before you find out the history. Kilmainham Gaol is a grim reminder of what Ireland went through under British rule. As you enter through the stone doorway and metal gates, you feel like you are entering a serious prison. The large, studded wooden doors emphasize the fortress-like feel. The entry hall is small and cramped. This is a Duchas Heritage site and we used our cards to get in (we hoped they'd let us out). Otherwise it is about €5 a person. There is a small, ...Read More

About the Writer

atherts

atherts
Portland, Oregon

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