Charles in Ireland

You may have noticed I recently took a little trip away to Dublin with my uni gals. It’s been a yearly tradition ever since we graduated to pick a new city and go exploring for a few days. Unfortunately, we were a member short this year but she has just bought a house and doing grown up things so all is forgiven. We missed her though!

It’s been my own tradition since starting my blog to tell you a bit about my travels too so here’s a bit of a low down on Dublin.

First things first, where to stay? Now, I’m no expert as I’ve only stayed in one hotel but it was lovely and a great location. Normally we opt for an Airbnb but as there were only three of us this year it worked out more cost effective to stay in a hotel. This way we got breakfast included. We stayed at the Ballsbridge Hotel around a 30 minute walk from the city centre. Our room was very spacious and comfortable; just what we needed for a base. Breakfast was a help yourself buffet with cereals and fruit to a traditional Irish breakfast; they also had a gluten free section. Safe to say I took full advantage of this each morning, stocking myself up for a busy day ahead.
Top tip: have a big breakfast then you won’t always need lunch, just a light snack to keep you going until dinner.

Once we checked in and unpacked, we headed out to explore. It was rather wet and windy so had hoped to get the bus into town but after being pointed in several wrong directions for bus tickets we ended up walking. Not such a bad thing after being sat for several hours, at least we got to stretch our legs and see a bit of the city. We found the tourist information centre to find out what was the best way to get around. Turns out, you can buy a weekend pass for all buses and trams. It’s called a Leap card, the Irish equivalent to an Oyster Card, and only 20 euros for 72 hours.

Now I know you’re wondering what we actually got up to. Here’s the fun part.

Pubs, Bars and Live Music

By this time we were famished and gasping for a drink, we headed for Temple Bar and came across The PorterHouse, which had been recommended to us and popped in to see what it was all about. It did not disappoint, beer by the pitcher and the most epic lunch! We all opted for the Roast Lunch Flat Bread. Yes that’s right, roast chicken, crispy potatoes, stuffing and fried cabbage all on a flat bread with lashings of gravy! I could have eaten it twice over. I’ve never had anything like it but will definitely be trying to recreate it.

Next stop was The Temple Bar, did you even go to Dublin if you didn’t have a drink here? It was probably one of the busiest places I’ve been in a long time but once you find a little spot to camp out you’ll likely spend quite some time here. We did anyway. Pretty much every pub in Dublin has live music playing every day of the week. It was one of my favourite things from the trip. Catching up with friends, listening to very talented artists in cosy pubs, nursing a pint. I mean what more do you need?

We visited several other pubs during our stay but a few of my favourites were:
The Merchants Arch, great calamari and live music
The Bank on College Green, open fires and a good gin selection
The Quays, more live music and lively atmosphere
If you’re after a local lager too, I was rather fond of Hops House 13 made by Guinness.

The final place I’m going to tell you about is The Vintage Cocktail Club, a speakeasy tucked away down a side street, behind a dark doorway. Don’t let that put you off, if you like a cocktail this is a must. I’d highly recommend that you book a table in advance as it’s no standing and very popular. We tried one night and couldn’t get in but were lucky enough to book for our last night. It was the perfect way to end our trip; dim lighting, soft music and armchairs. It was lovely to spend it with the girls but would be the ideal romantic night out too. I’ve never seen a cocktail menu quite so extensive but finally decided on the ‘Condor & Curly Sue’ (gin based) followed by a ‘Weathered Storm’, a VCC signature with Irish liqueur. Both delicious!

Food

My all time favourite thing to talk about. There are so many places to eat and every possible cuisine to choose from. You could eat your way around the city. We had the opportunity to try a few different places out. After a few too many drinks on the Friday night we where in search of all the carbs! Lucky for us we stumbled (quite literally) into La Gondola, a pizza and pasta restaurant. It’s a small restaurant with a family feel to it. We all had a pasta dish and couldn’t fault it. Great flavours, I even finished my friends off!

Another tradition of ours is to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in every place we visit so Saturday night led us there. It never fails for good cocktails, giant sized nachos and juicy burgers!

On our last night we decided on something a little more traditional and went to Boxty, where the humble spud is made beautiful. Their passion and ethos really comes through with the delicious home cooked food. We all had the Beef and Stout Stew which just melted in your mouth. I’m not the biggest beef lover but this was a game changer and cooked to perfection. I didn’t think I’d be able to manage dessert, as the portions where very generous, but after seeing homemade Baileys cheesecake on the menu I managed to squeeze it in!

Tourist Things

Aside from all the eating and drinking we also did a bit of site seeing. First stop was the Guinness Storehouse. Another one I’d recommend booking online before you go. The cost of the tickets are cheaper and it means you don’t have to queue up when you arrive. We expected to be in and out within an hour or so but didn’t realise how big the place is. We spent the whole afternoon there, learning all about the history of Guinness from the brewing process to the advertising. Who knew Guinness could be so interesting?
You also have the option to pour your own pint and head up to the observatory to see the sites of Dublin from up top. Unfortunately, it was a little cloudy and we were unable to see much so decided to head down to one of the other bars to enjoy our first Guinness. We timed it just right to take part in the last tasting session of the day. After a a quick demonstration on how to taste beer we were treated with some Irish dancing. Much to our surprise several of the bar staff jumped on to the tables to give us a show!

On Sunday afternoon, we visited the Kilmainham Gaol Museum. What’s this I hear you say? It’s one of the oldest jails in Europe that has been restored and now stands as National Heritage. The only entry is by a guided tour so it’s best to pre-book this one as well as entry is limited. Our tour guide, Donald, was brilliant and kept things interesting, entertaining and easily digestible (history isn’t my strong point but I managed to keep up). There’s so much history in Ireland and Britain I had no idea about, it was fascinating to hear so much about the rebellions and the civil war. After the tour there’s a museum you can muse too.

So there you have it my top tips and recommendations for Dublin. By no means is this an exhaustive list, we just managed to scratch the surface. I’d love to go back see more of the city and venture out into other areas of Ireland too. Until next time…