St.Patrick's Day in Dublin

A March 2000 travel journal

Last Updated: February 14, 2001

: Journal Usefulness Rating

13: Reviews

21: Photos

We went to Dublin, Kilkenny and Cork in 1997, and enjoyed it so much. The people in Ireland are so friendly so we decided it would be really fun to to for St.Patrick's Day. The parade was the highlight of the trip and by reading this journal it would seem that all we did was drink. Well yes I guess that is correct, but we had fun and there are also other things to see and do. We took a day trip to Newgrange and toured the Jameson Whiskey distillery (Oh yes that involves drinking) We didn't do the Guinness tour because we did that before but I did go there because they have a very good gift shop. There are also quite a few churches to see.

St.Patrick's Day in Dublin

Overview

Well since it was the year 2000, I think they had a bigger celebration than normal. I have been to cities in the USA like Chicago for St. Patricks but Dublin was spectacular. Friday was St. Patrick's Day so they had the parade that day. Saturday they had lots of carnaval type things and music set up and Sunday they had a fireworks display over the River Liffey.

Quick Tips:

If you are going to the parade, get there early, and dress warmly.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxi from airport and walking and they have a hop on hop off tour bus that is good for getting to know your way around.

Kilronan House

Hotel

This is a charming Bed and Breakfast. I think they have about 15 rooms. The rate includes a wonderful cooked breakfast. Most rooms have toilet and shower. (I think 3 share). We stayed here twice and last year we had a room with a skylite.

The owner, Terry, is very helpful in arranging tours and all the staff is very friendly. The location is about 10 minute walk from St. Stephen''s Green and about 20 minute walk to Temple Bar area. There are a number of pubs and restaurants in the immediate area.

by Kathy on February 14, 2001

Kilronan House
70 Adelaide Road Dublin, Ireland
+353 (1) 4755266

Gallagher's

Restaurant

You may or may not need a reservation. If you there is a waiting list give them your name and go across the street and have a beer and them come as there is no bar there.

The food is Irish and the specialty is the Irish boxty. This is a potato pancake stuffed with either meat or fish and veggies, which are very good washed down with a Guinness.

by Kathy on February 9, 2001

Gallagher's Boxty House
20-21 Temple Bar Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 677 2762

Fitzer's

Restaurant

Again another restaurant in Temple bar. I don't have all the addresses, but Temple Bar is a small area of pubs and restaurants and easy to find anything if you have the name of the place. We ate here twice the first time we had burgers and the 2nd we had a Guinness stew that was out of this world. They have smoking and non-smoking sections which is unusual in Ireland.

by Kathy on February 9, 2001

Fitzer's
50 Dawson Street Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 677 1155

Guinness brewery tour

Activity

This is a fun tour and if you take the hop on hop off bus, it stops here. They give you a very nice self guided tour with a pint sample at the end of the tour.

The gift shop is one of the best I have seen they have shirts, hats, sweaters and a lot more. If you just want to go to the shop you can do that.

I took the Heineken tour in Amsterdam so it's interesting to see the different tours.

When you are getting close to the brewery the smell will get you it almost has a chocolate smell. GREAT!!!

You will find Guinness at almost any pub in Dublin. If you like stout but Guinness is too strong for you try Kilkenny. It's kind of hard to find in USA and London but most pubs in Dublin will have it.

by Kathy on January 7, 2001

Guiness Brewery Museum
Dublin Centre Dublin, Ireland

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Activity

I have been to St. Patricks Day in Cleveland and Chicago but this was really great. We got there early and got a spot where we could see. Now the problem is waiting and the fact that kids and families came later and the mothers gave us the old sob story about letting the kids in from so they could see. "Hey I got here an hour early so I could get a good view." Oh Well it was still a lot of fun. There were quite a few marching bands from the USA.

Since it was 2000, and St. Pat's fell on a Friday this was a whole weekend event with Fireworks over the River Liffey Sunday night. This was the best St. Patricks Day ever and I have no idea what I am going to do this year.

by Kathy on February 9, 2001

St. Patrick's Day Parade
O'Connell Street Dublin, Ireland

Jameson Whiskey Corner

Activity

This small museum is located in part of the old Jameson Distillery. Tours start with a video that traces the history of Irish Whiskey distillation from 6th century monasteries to the current production. Next comes the tasting bar. They asked for 4 volunteers to taste 3 different Irish Whiskies and 1 scotch and give their rating. I volunteered.

The 3 Irish whiskies were:
Paddy's
Jameson
Bushmill's.
I liked the Paddy's best.
For those who didn't volunteer they still got 1 sample.
They also have a nice gift shop that sells glasses souvenirs etc.

by Kathy on February 14, 2001

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

Dublin Castle

Activity

For 7 centuries Dublin Castle was a symbol of English rule, ever since the Anglo-Normans built a fortress here in the 13th century. Features are:
Throne room: Built in 1740, this room contains a throne said to have been presented to William of Orange after the Battle of the Boyne. There are also a number of state rooms that are quite spectacular.

by Kathy on February 14, 2001

Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle Dublin, Ireland
+353 1 677 7129

Newgrange

Activity

See info on Bus. That is how we got here for this day tour. The origins of Newgrange, one of the most important passage graves in Europe, are steeped in mystery. According to Celtic lore, the legendare kings of Tara were buried here, but Newgrange predates them. Built in 3200BC, the grave was left untouched and was excavated in the 1960's.

The most interesting thing that Archaeologists discovered that one the winter soltice. (December 21) rays of sun enter the tomb and light up the buriel chamber, making it the oldest solar observatory in the world. That was from my guide book. The rest is from me.

The tour was great although it could have been a little longer. We got the bus and they stopped 2-3 times on the way to see different things and to have lunch. By the time we got to Newgrange we really didn't have enough time to see all the interesting things in the visitor center.

by Kathy on February 14, 2001

Newgrange
Slane Co. Meath, Ireland
+353 41 24488

Bus Eireann

Experience

This is the bus company of Ireland. They have organized tours to Newgrange and Glendologh and also just the regular busses if you are going to another city. Please look at the website. They have schedules on it. The driver we had to Newgrange was John Bolton and we really enjoyed the drive because he gave us lots of information along the way. www.buseirann.ie

Temple Bar

Experience

Some of Dublin's best night spots and restaurants are located in this cobblestone street area between the Bank of Ireland and Christ Church. U2 also has their hotel in this area. There are a lot of bookshops and artists set up here.

St. Stephen's Green

Experience

St. Stephens Green is one of the original commons in the old city and it was enclosed in 1664.

There is a lake in the center of the park. I like just walking thru the park. Staying at Kilronan House we walked thru the park quite a lot. It is open daylight hours only and they close the gate at night.