escape to - dublin

tlm ! the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Winter 2011/12014

014TLMwinter 16/1/12 10:33 Page 1

In Dublin you have to expect the unexpected, andthat’s exactly what happened when I went on theDublin Literary Pub Crawl. Professional actorswere taking us from pub to pub where Ireland’s lit-erary greats spent a lot of their time, pausing out-side each one to give a reading from Yeats, Bernard

Shaw, Beckett, Behan or Joyce. One was dressed as a

tramp, but as time went by I realised he wasn’t an actorbut a genuine man of the streets. He knew his stuff, too– and went away full of the black stuff and with coinsjingling in his pocket.

Being able to combine a love of literature with a loveof traditional pubs is one of many reasons drawing meback to Dublin, as here famous writers were and are part

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DiscoveringDublin on a pubcrawl puncturedby readings fromits literary greatsis one of thedelights thatmakes the citysuch a uniqueplace to visit. But,as DaveRichardsonexplains, youshouldn’t just goby the book

escape to ! dublin

A novel experience! The Literary Pub Crawl leadersoutside the Duke Pub, Duke Street

! Halfpenny Bridge

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of everyday life rather than an elite living in ivorytowers. You can even visit the real tower in the openingof James Joyce’s Ulysses – without doubt the mostlauded but least read novel of all time.

Dublin is a place which you feel, as much as see –and many people’s fondest memories are of a particularmoment when the atmosphere seeps through, rather thanof a particular sight. You could certainly spend a weeksightseeing here, yet it doesn’t have one stand-out attrac-tion to compete with Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower or theEmpire State Building.

walkingIt’s a great city for walking, with most of theatmosphere and major sights within a one-mile radius ofO’Connell Bridge. Look north towards the General PostOffice, which still has bullet holes from Ireland’s libera-tion struggle, and the Parnell Monument (bothO’Connell and Parnell were heroes of the independencemovement). To the south are the genteel Georgiandistricts around St Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square,and Grafton Street, the main shopping hub.

To the west are the quays where riverside trade onceflourished on the “Whiffy Liffey”. The river doesn’tsmell bad any longer, but some of the streets of theTemple Bar district certainly do, as this is where youngpeople flock for a night out. To the east is Docklands,where some of the many modern buildings that went upduring Ireland’s financial boom now lie empty in theteeth of the economic crisis.

Don’t let the crisis put you off. Visitors are welcomedall the more, and prices in pubs, restaurants and shopsare more competitive than a few years ago. But as theIrish Republic is part of the Eurozone, British visitorswill find the pound doesn’t go as far as they might wish.The choice of dining is now very eclectic, but look forset menus to save money.

So what do visitors most enjoy in Dublin? Accordingto the Dublin Pass, a pint and a prayer. The most popularattractions are the Guinness Storehouse, Old JamesonDistillery, Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick’sCathedral, with 43% of pass users visiting both a brew-ery and a cathedral.

The Guinness Storehouse (www.guinness-store-house.com) is where you can learn about and sampleIreland’s most famous export. Whiskey is no longermade at the Old Jameson Distillery(www.tours.jamesonwhiskey.com), but you cansample it before a “Shindig Evening” with a tour, tast-ing, four-course meal and traditional music and dancing.

fun elementSt Patrick’s (www.stpatrickscathedral.ie) honoursIreland’s national saint, with Christ Church(www.cccdub.ie) reminding us that Ireland has Protes-tant as well as Roman Catholic traditions. Dublin’s mainattractions might be historical and cultural (with a rangeof national museums including archaeology, naturalhistory and art), but the fun element is never far away.

If you’re travelling with children, then there are lots offamily-friendly things to do, including Viking-themed

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escape to ! dublin

on the write trackFirst step in discovering Dublin’s richliterary tradition is to visit the WritersMuseum (www.writersmuseum.com)where Swift, Sheridan, Shaw, Wilde,Yeats, Beckett and Joyce line upalongside more recent authors such asChristy Brown.

Then take a DART train toSandycove for the James Joyce Museum,in a Martello Tower built to withstandNapoleon. End the day with the DublinLiterary Pub Crawl(www.dublinpubcrawl.com), which

departs from the Duke pub off GraftonStreet (nightly year-round, Thursdays toSundays from December to March).

If you’re feeling up to it the next day,head for the George Bernard ShawBirthplace (www.visitdublin.com)and the James Joyce Centre in the city(www.jamesjoyce.ie). Time a visit toinclude June 16 and you can re-enactUlysses on the annual Bloomsdaycelebrations.

There are lots more wordy ideas onDublin Tourism’s website.

! Trinity College

! Visitors dress upfor a reading at theJoyce Museum

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Dublinia (www.dublinia.ie) and Dublin Zoo(www.dublinzoo.ie), situated in Phoenix Park, the city’shistoric piece of greenery. I can never visit the park with-out thinking of the raucous Dubliners song, ZoologicalGardens, telling of the antics of a honeymoon couple.

Dublin has a fine musical heritage, and you can findtraditional music all over the city. The Traditional IrishMusical Pub Crawl (www.gogartys.ie) could be a goodway to start, but to find your own way round see thewebsite www.dublinsessions.ie that lists all types of

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escape to ! dublin

10 things to doin dublin" Take the hop-on, hop-off bus around

Dublin to get your bearings(www.loveireland.com).

" See the ancient Book of Kells inTrinity College(www.bookofkells.ie).

" Brush up on the saint at St Patrick’sCathedral(www.stpatrickscathedral.ie).

" Take the DART to Howth for aseafood lunch by the sea.

" Walk off your lunch in Phoenix Park(www.phoenixpark.ie).

" Hear about the Vikings at Dublinia(www.dublinia.ie).

" Visit the Guinness Storehouse(www.guinness-storehouse.com).

" Enjoy afternoon tea at historicBewleys Coffee Shop(www.bewleys.com).

" See a show at Abbey Theatre(www.abbeytheatre.ie).

" Take a day trip by train to Cork,Galway or Kilkenny.

! St Patrick’s Day Festival

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! St Patrick’s Cathedral

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contemporary music. Dublin has produced some greatnames in rock and pop too, and the Rock’n’Stroll walk-ing trail highlights places where U2, Bob Geldof, SineadO’Connor and The Corrs made their names.

Dublin’s love of a party extends to many specialevents, but remember to book travel and accommodationwell in advance, especially when rugby internationals areplayed at the Aviva Stadium (the old Lansdowne Road).

The Jameson International Film Festival is fromFebruary 16-26 this year, and St Patrick’s Festival fromMarch 16-19. A gay festival takes to the streets fromJune 16-26, and the Tall Ships are in town on August 23.

beyond dublinThere’s more than enough to keep you within the citylimits, but Dublin is also close to some lovely coastlineand countryside. The DART suburban rail networkreaches seaside towns including Howth and Bray, andthe Wicklow Mountains make an easy day trip by road.

I’ll finish where I started, with a few more wordsabout Dublin’s pubs. The Irish pub has been exportedworldwide complete with off-the-shelf artefacts, but inDublin you will enjoy the real thing.

I won’t be giving away any secrets by namingMcDaid’s, Mulligan’s and the Palace Bar as among myfavourites, so if the barman asks, do say I sent you…

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escape to ! dublin

dublin facts

when to goAny time is good, but spring and autumn arenot as crowded as in summer.

getting thereYou can fly to Dublin from mostairports in Britain with scheduledroutes. The main carriers are Ryanair(www.ryanair.com) and Aer Lingus(www.aerlingus.com), with Aer Arann(www.aerarann.com) operating someregional services. Ferry services to Dublin Port areoperated by Stena Line (www.stenaline.co.uk) and Irish Ferries(www.irishferries.com) from Holyhead, and by P&O Ferries(www.poferries.com) from Liverpool. Stena Line also operates theHSS fast ferry from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, seven miles from thecity centre.

tour operatorsDublin is a mainly tailor-made destination these days, with a vast choiceof airlines and hotels. Thomas Cook (www.thomascook.com) has alead-in price for three nights in March from £129 per person twin-shareat the Croke Park Hotel, including Aer Lingus flights from Gatwick. Up-market Kirker Holidays (www.kirkerholidays.com) quotes from £628for three nights at the deluxe Merrion Hotel, including private cartransfers.

getting aroundIn addition to bus routes, Dublin has the DART coastal rail system andLUAS tramway, which has two lines. The three-day Freedom Ticketcovers regular and airport bus routes, and the hop-on, hop-offsightseeing service (26 euros).

dublin passCovering over 30 attractions and 20

special offers, it costs 35 euros for oneday, 55 euros for two days, 65 eurosfor three days and 95 euros for sixdays (www.dublinpass.ie).

tourist informationDublin Tourism: www.visitdublin.com

! Posing with a statueof Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott

! The DARTskirts Dublin Bay

! Thestatue of

JamesJoyce

! SweetMolly Malone

! Doheny & Nesbitts

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Ever since he became a travel journalist more than 30 yearsago, Dave Richardson has called Dublin and its pubs asecond home.


Winter 2011/12 tlm ! the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk190

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral has contributed much to Irish life throughout its long history (it wasfounded in 1191). Jonathan Swift was Dean of Saint Patrick’s from 1713-1745, during which time heexpressed his “savage indignation” at the appalling social conditions in Ireland, and wrote hismasterpiece Gulliver’s travels. He also was Dean when Handel’s Messiah received its firstperformance in 1742 sung by the combined choirs of Saint Patrick’s and Christ Church cathedrals.A permanent exhibition interprets and compliments this unique 13th century gothic building, whichserves both as a fascinating place to visit and a dynamic place of worship.Check www.stpatrickscathedral.ie for more information

Opening Times for VisitorsDaily 9.00-17.00, Sunday 9.00-10.30, 12.30-14.30

(16.30-18.00 March-October)Admission Rates: €5.50 Adult, €4.50 Concession €15

family (two adults, two children)OPEN DAILY FOR VISITING

For information call (0)1 453 9472 officeor (0)1 475 4817 • Fax: (0)1 454 6374Email: [email protected]

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escape to - dublin