How to spend a weekend in Dublin
We recently returned from a weekend trip to Dublin, Ireland.
This was one of those “tag along” trips where my husband had business and Emmy and I were on our own to explore, something we’ve become quite good at.
From as early as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with Ireland. As a child, I declared to everyone in my family that someday I would live on a farm, own my own sheep, and make a living off of writing books. I think the most puzzling part of that dream is that I wanted to own sheep, but I digress.
Needless to say, I was uber pumped to finally visit the Emerald Isle. I left the weekend being perfectly satisfied. We had delicious food (which I was not expecting; more on that below), decent weather and tons of local exploration. I would say if you’re traveling to Dublin, you really don’t need to spend any more than 3-4 days, as it’s quite small, unless you’re looking to take a few day trips.
I hope to return to Ireland someday and see more of the countryside I fell in love with as a child. My obsession began one Christmas when I got a calendar with pictures from all over the country. Each month, I remember being so excited to see what would be on the next page. I have vivid memories of seeing the Cliffs of Moher and being totally enchanted. To be able to see the cliffs someday would be a dream come true.
Alas! Back to Dublin.
Here’s a snapshot of how we spent our weekend, with food recommendations included:
Grafton street and surrounding area (pubs and shopping)
Guinness Factory Tour at St. James Gate
National Gallery of Ireland
Trinity College; Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells
St. Stephens Green (garden walk)
Temple Bar
Jameson Distillery Tour
Little Museum of Dublin
Dinner Recommendations:
Brunch Recommendations:
Friday
The first travel day began as many do for the MacBrides with getting Emerson settled and a supermarket run to ensure she has snacks. Now that she’s almost exclusively on “big girl food”, traveling has become a bit more challenging, but that’s for another post.
After coffee for mom, and sugar soup for Emerson (yogurt; she lives the high life on holiday), we grabbed a taxi and ventured to Grafton Street. If you know Ed Sheeran’s lyrics from Galway Girl, “I met her on Grafton Street right outside of the bar…” then you’re already partially familiar!
Grafton Street is one of Dublins main shopping and entertainment landmarks. It has long been the center of Dublins social scene, even dating back to the early 1900’s. After a couple hours walking all around Grafton, we jumped in another cab towards the famous St. James Gate where my first-ever pint of Guinness awaited. Read more about the Guinness Tour here.
Saturday
Saturday morning started with brunch at the Dean hotel. Another great spot for 360 degree views of the city.
After brunch, we ventured to the National Gallery Ireland where we checked out some art. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with this suggestion as I would have rather spent the time doing something more local to Dublin, or Ireland. Although the art experience was cool, and something I did enjoy, I may recommend doing something else if you’re limited on time.
Once we got our culture fix we headed back to Grafton street for a pint, and then over to nearby Trinity College. The Trinity College campus is gorgeous, as is the “long room” which is part of the Trinity College library (and the only section open to the public).
The library, houses the Book of Kells, which is a 9th century manuscript containing the four gospels of the life of Jesus Christ (and the New Testament). In addition to viewing the book, you also gain access to the exhibition. Seeing the Book of Kells up close and personal was actually a little mind blowing. For starters, I had no idea how thick “paper” was back then. The illustrations and use of color were also incredibly beautiful. I thought seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre was pretty extraordinary, but this knocked Mona right out of the water. Also, I’m sure this is slightly offensive, but all I could picture while checking out the Book of Kells, was this famous book of spells. I mean, pretty spot on, right?
The cost of admission for the above is 28 Euro (about 30 US dollars) which is absolutely absurd. Yes, it was neat to see, but there wasn’t much else involved. I think the price is a little steep, but hey, I get it. It’s a very old book.
Our day ended with a trip to the Jameson Distillery. Read more about that here.
Sunday
We ended our weekend with another delicious brunch and a visit to the Little Museum of Dublin. If you have an hour or so, definitely pop in here and learn all about how Dublin came to be. All of the memorabilia inside is donated by the local people of Dublin, and the stories of what happened on the grounds are fascinating to hear about. Before heading to the airport, we stopped in one last pub for our final pint of Guinness.
The story of Dublin, its history and its people is one of hard work and grit. I love the culture. I love the food (eat the lamb and the butter - yes, slather it on everything) and I cannot wait to experience more of this beautiful European gem!