We visited Ireland for the first time this June, as the first destination on our month-long trip around Europe and the UK. With four nights in the country, we decided to spend most of our time in Dublin, with a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Kilkenny. It was my first trip to Ireland, but it definitely won’t be my last! We were both a little surprised by how enchanted we were by Ireland, and are very keen to return. Now knowing how much I love it in Ireland, I’d confidently plan a 2-week (or more!) trip to see more of the country.
You’ll see & hear Céad Míle Fáilte a lot in Ireland, it means “a hundred thousand welcomes” in Gaelic.
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Ireland has long captured my imagination. Like thousands of other Australians, I have Irish heritage from way back when. My mother’s maiden name is Irish, with her ancestors arriving in Australia in the 19th century like so many others. My grandparents were part of the Irish Club, where my parents had their wedding reception, and lived in what is the apparently, officially, the most Catholic neighbourhood in Australia. It didn’t dawn on me until this trip how present Ireland was in my mother’s family, and I was surprised at how much Irish culture reminded me of my grandparents, who are no longer with us. They weren’t Irish, they didn’t grow up in Ireland, and had only visited once. And yet, there was something about the spirit of people in Ireland that reminded me so much of them.
Day 0: A warm welcome to Ireland
Despite knowing that the “Emerald Isle” is famously green, the sight of the brilliant green landscapes still took my breath away when we flew into Dublin.
We landed at approximately 4pm, and breezed through the airport in less than 20 minutes. Flying into a smaller international airport is so much better than a major airport like Heathrow, there was barely any queue at immigration, so it took no time at all! Flying into the smallest international airport that I can is my new travel hack!
The Address Connolly is right across the road from Connolly Train Station, and was a short 5 min walk to O’Connell Street North and a 10-15 minute walk to Temple Bar on the south side of the River Liffey. Dublin is expensive for accommodation, and this hotel struck a balance between price, location & modern, spacious rooms. After freshening up at the hotel, we walked into Temple Bar. We were feeling a bit weird, as you always do after flying for 24+ hours and across multiple time zones, but a coffee from Shoe Lane Coffee and a walk in the sunshine fixed us up!
Finding the Craic in Temple Bar
Temple Bar is Dublin’s most touristy precinct, lined with traditional Irish pubs and filled with tourists. It’s touristy, but it’s not the most awful tourist trap in the world (not like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco which still takes the gong for me). Granted, we were there in the afternoons or early evening. It had to be done! I’m glad we went to Temple Bar on our first night, because it was such an overtly “Irish pub” experience which was so much fun, just hours after landing in the country, but by our last night in Dublin I was preferring the local haunts.
We walked through Temple Bar first, before detouring to the Stag’s Head. The Stag’s Head, a pub recommended to me by my Irish colleague who had recently been on a trip home. It’s just outside Temple Bar on Dame Street, and is absolutely gorgeous. It’s one of Dublin’s most historic pubs and has an ornate Victorian interior and stained glass windows. The team there are so friendly! This is a pub I’d definitely come back to for a meal, and was one of the best pubs in Dublin that we visited.
Afterwards, we headed to Temple Bar’s namesake – The Temple Bar itself. It’s always busy, and is full of tourists, but it’s fun. I quickly learned that Irish pubs don’t really offer much in the way of wine, and if they do, it comes in a tiny bottle (alarm bells!), so I stuck to local gins while Dave relished a Guinness on it’s home soil. The first of many! He couldn’t quite believe how much better it tasted, when it didn’t have to fly to Australia. There was a band room at The Temple Bar, which were playing pop covers with the addition of an Irish button accordian, or box. It wasn’t an authentic Irish experience but it was lots of fun.
We had dinner at Gallagher’s Boxty House, also in Temple Bar. Our first traditional Irish dish of the trip! Clearly this is a tourist haunt, but I think it was a good one. Boxty is unusual and delicious, so it was a worthwhile stop.
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Dublin Day 1: Sightseeing in Dublin
Looking back, I can’t believe how much we did on our first full day in Dublin! And yet, we never felt rushed. I think it was a combination of being excited to be in a new country, and having spent most of the previous 36 hours on planes and in airports. Our only firm plans for the day were to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College in the morning and to visit the Guinness Storehouse in the afternoon. Everything else happened along the way! Dublin is extremely walkable, as its’s very compact and mostly flat.
Trinity College & The Book of Kells
Trinity College in Dublin is one of Ireland’s most visited tourist attractions, because it’s home to the beautiful Long Room in the Old Library, and the Book of Kells. You can visit both with one ticket, and you do need to get them in advance.
We had a quick stroll around the grounds, which are lovely, before the Book of Kells exhibition opened. Many of the lawns were overgrown and sprouting wildflowers, as part of No Mow May – an annual campaign to support biodiversity, including native wildflowers and bees.
We arrived at the exhibition 15 minutes before opening and there was already a solid queue snaking around the building. The line moved quickly, so I don’t think you need to get there much earlier than that.
The Book of Kells is one of the most famous artefacts in the world. It’s an illustrated manuscript of the New Testament, made in the 8th Century BCE by Irish or Scottish monks. The illustrations are extremely ornate, and it’s considered to be one of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world. It was named for the Monastery of Kells, in County Meath, and has been kept at Trinity College for safekeeping since 1661, when the monastery was destroyed. You can’t take photos of the book itself.
Before you reach the Book of Kells, there’s an exhibition about illustrated manuscripts. From there, you can take the stairs to the famous Long Room in the Trinity College Library. You don’t have to walk in this order though. Rather than following the crowd and working your way through in this order, we made a beeline for the Book of Kells, then went to straight to the Long Room, and then back to the exhibition on our way out. We had the Book of Kells to ourselves and the library was nearly empty.
The Long Room is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland. It was built in 1732, and was home to more than 200,000 precious books and manuscripts.
When we visited in June, the library restoration project was well underway. Half the shelves were empty, so I was glad to see a few shelves in their original condition, full of books. The library is undergoing a massive restoration project, to future proof the library and it’s precious contents for generations to come. Part of the project will include a new Book of Kells exhibition, which will no doubt be a must-visit when it re-opens! (I felt like the world’s biggest nerd writing that).
St Stephen’s Green
After we left Trinity, I couldn’t resist popping into Butler’s Chocolate Cafe, across the road. Butlers is a Dublin institution, offering beautiful individual chocolates and the richest hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life. I can just about still taste it! We shared a small one, and we still couldn’t finish it, which is just about unheard of for me.
From there, we walked through Dublin’s beautiful shopping precinct, Grafton Street, to reach St Steven’s Green. The green is a beautiful city park, in the centre of town. There’s also Phoenix Park, a bit farther from the centre, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, but we didn’t have time to get there. The green lawns and leaves on the trees just about glowed, and the early summer flowers were beautiful. We didn’t stay too long, but we’d be back a few days later for a picnic when the weather was a bit warmer.
We picked up a takeaway coffee from BrewLab (worth bookmarking if you’re a coffee snob), before walking to Dublin Castle, which was a pleasant 15 minute walk.
Dublin Castle
Built in the 13th century on a former Viking settlement, Dublin Castle was the seat of British power in Ireland for centuries. From 1204 to 1922, it was a symbol of British rule, until it was handed to the Irish government in 1922, with Independence. Most of what you’ll see today was built in the 18th century. I hadn’t heard of Dublin Castle before we visited, so we decided to drop by on a bit of a whim. I was kind of expecting something like Edinburgh Castle or Kilkenny Castle, but purposefully didn’t do too much research once we heard of it because it’s nice to be surprised sometimes! While there are medieval remnants, which you can still visit today, most of what you’ll see is 18th century Georgian palace.
Today Dublin Castle is used by the government, for events, and also functions as a museum for decorative arts. We had a stroll through the palace, which is beautifully decorated, and probably spent 30-40 minutes here before heading to lunch. In one exhibition, where portraits were likened to old fashioned selfies, visitors were encouraged to make as many inferences about the subject as possible, before revealing their identity and bio posted beside the portrait, hidden by a flap. I wasn’t very good at this, but it got me seeing things differently. You could definitely spend longer here, but we were getting hungry!
The Brazen Head
The Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland, and is believed to be the fifth oldest in the world. Established in 1198, the pub you’ll find today was built in 1754. It has a cobblestone courtyard, and a rabbit warren of poky and cosy little pub rooms, absolutely decked out in Irish memorabilia. Yes, it’s touristy, but it’s also charming and a fun stop. The food was classic, salty and tasty traditional pub food. We walked mostly along the River Liffey to get there, which reminded me of the Seine in Paris, with it’s sunken river, high stone walls and pretty bridges.
Explore More: 8 of the best pubs in Dublin
St Patrick’s Cathedral
You don’t need to spend long in Europe to start tripping over cathedrals (and castles), but St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin is truly worth visiting. I knew it was on the way to the Guinness Storehouse so we figured we’d stop in for a quick look – I wish we had even longer! We arrived just as a free guided tour was starting, so we joined for around half an hour. The tour was more about the history of Ireland, than religion. I wish we could have stayed for the full tour as it was fascinating, but we wanted to give ourselves enough time at the Guinness Storehouse.
Guinness Storehouse
Dublin is the home of Guinness, and the legendary Guinness Storehouse is easily the most famous attraction in the city. Despite not drinking Guinness myself, the storehouse is a pretty impressive experience, and we spent a couple of hours there. We joined the tour, which included a Guinness sample, had a bit to eat in the cafe a the end, tried the famed Irish Guinness & oyster pairing, and took in the spectacular 360 views of Dublin from the bar, on the very top floor. Sadly for me, it was Guinness or bust at this bar, so I had a water.
Ticket prices surge during the day, so if you book in advance or arrive at an off-peak time, you’ll pay less. Afterwards, we walked through the backstreets of The Liberties, which is a very quaint area.
Pubs on South George St
South George St is full of great pubs, and unlike in the Temple Bar, the pubs here are full of Dubliners. Our favourite stop here was The Long Hall, which is a gorgeous Victorian pub with lovely red leather banquettes and ornate decor. We grabbed a cosy table in the corner and made ourselves at home for a little while. The pub was quite full, and there was at least one pint of Guinness on EVERY table! Cork gin for me.
Dublin Day 2: Day Trip to Wicklow & Kilkenny
Whenever I can, I love to add a day trip outside a major city wherever I’m visiting. There were so many great options for day trips from Dublin that it was really hard to choose, but I’m so happy with our choice. We took a day trip with Collins Tours, a family-owned tour operator that basically just runs this tour to Glendalough & Kilkenny. Our guide was a former BBC radio broadcaster, Hugh, who had a wealth of knowledge about Ireland’s history and culture. At the end of the day, he even sang us a couple of traditional Irish & Dublin-specific songs, embodying the Irish love of traditional music & singing.
The tour picked us up in Dublin and took us to the Glendalough Monastic Site & Upper Lake in County Wicklow, followed by a few hours in the pretty medieval city of Kilkenny.
Before we left Dublin, we picked up the most DELICIOUS breakfast snack at a bakery near our hotel. I’m STILL thinking about these Brazilian Pao de Queijo we got from Rencanto Cafe.
Glendalough Monastic City & Wicklow Mountains National Park
The ancient monastic site of Glendalough (Glenda-lock) is one of the most precious medieval sites in Ireland and has been attracting pilgrims for more than 1400 years. Our guide, Hugh, took us on a brief tour of Glendalough, before allowing for free time to continue exploring the settlement, or walk through the Wicklow Mountains National Park to the Upper Lake. The ruins at Glendalough are impressive, and it’s easy to imagine how life may have looked more than a 1000 years ago, standing in the former city.
The Upper Lake at Glendalough was a real highlight. It’s a stunning landscape, and there were a few groups of picnic-ers enjoying the view – what a place to spend the day! I learned after we got home, that the Upper Lake was used as the filming location for the home village in Vikings.
Explore More: Visiting Glendalough Monastic City & Wicklow Mountains
Kilkenny & Kilkenny Castle
We spent the afternoon in Kilkenny, which is one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland. It has a well-preserved medieval city centre, and is home to the famous Kilkenny Castle. We started with a pub lunch on the river at Matt The Miller’s, wandered through the medieval mile, found a cute bookshop where we could get a coffee, aptly named The Book & Coffee Shop, and then spent the last hour or so at Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny is the warmest part of Ireland, and this was the first time on the trip that it really felt like summer – no jumper required!
Explore More: Visiting Kilkenny, Ireland’s Colourful Medieval Capital
Pubs & Bars in Dublin
When we got back to the city, we stopped in for a drink at The Bank on College Green, which has to be one of the most beautiful bars in Dublin. Housed in an old bank, this bar is so elegant and was a total change of pace from the classic Irish pubs we’d been visiting. Afterwards, we dropped into the Palace Bar, which is well known as the loveliest bar in Temple Bar. It’s a block or so away from the main drag, and while it’s popular with tourists, it’s also very popular with Dubliners, which keeps it cool. It’s a gorgeous pub, with ornate stained glass windows and ceilings, and a very convivial atmosphere. David got chatting to two men sitting at the bar, and learned they were from Glendalough! When they found out we’d just been there that day, they recommended the local Glendalough whiskey, which was delicious.
In Ireland, it’s very popular to drink whiskey and water. The logic being, that Irish whiskey is too lovely to mask the taste with soft drink. It sounds so weird, but it’s actually great.
Our final stop was closer to our hotel, north of the river. From the tiny green facade, The Celt doesn’t look like much, but it has an enormous back room, that was teeming with locals. We didn’t hear any other tourists, as it’s a bit off the tourist trail. We ate at the bar, and had a great time – including giving feedback on a free pint of stout, a hopeful competitor for Guinness.
Dublin Day 3: Howth & Irish Culture in Dublin
Howth
Thanks to jetlag, on our final full day in Dublin we were awake, dressed and out the door by 8:30am. Nothing we planned to do would open for a few hours, so we decided to take a morning trip to Howth, a pretty coastal village just north of Dublin. We took the DART (local train) from Connolly Station and arrived in around 20 minutes.
We had a walk along the water, enjoyed a coffee on the pier, and then began walking up to the coastal walk. As we hadn’t planned to do a hike, we weren’t dressed for one, so we decided to go just for a look. We walked a few kilometres uphill, and reached the trailhead of the Howth Cliff Walk. However, the views along the way were really beautiful, so it was still a great walk. I had half a mind to plan a half day in Howth, so we could do the full coastal walk, but there ended up being so much to do in Dublin we didn’t have the time.
We timed our trip to Howth perfectly. When we left at 11am, the incoming DART from Dublin was absolutely packed with people making the most of the good weather and the bank holiday. There were more people on that train than we’d seen all morning in Howth!
EPIC Irish Emigration Museum
We arrived back in Dublin for a late breakfast, and then headed to the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the walk along the Liffey from breakfast to the Emigration Museum was one of the lovelies of the trip. Dublin is absolutely radiant in the sunshine!
Along the way, we passed the Famine Memorial, which is a haunting set of six life-sized sculptures of starving Irish men and women, on their way to emigrate from Ireland. The memorial commemorates the Great Famine which lasted from 1845-1849, and saw the population of Ireland halved due to death and emigration. Nearby, is The Custom House, a glorious building, but still topped with the emblem of the Lion (England) and the Unicorn (Scotland) holding the Irish harp (Ireland), a symbol of British dominance over Ireland. It’s a chilling juxtaposition.
Emigration is central to the story of modern Ireland. Being Australian and having lived in New York City, I’ve seen more museums and histories of immigration to the places I’ve lived, never emigration. The museum is very well done, and was very interactive. It’s child-friendly, but is also just as engaging for adults, as it explores Ireland’s history and culture through multi-sensory exhibits. A cute touch is the museum passport, which you can stamp in every room.
On our way back to the centre of town, I had to stop at Books Upstairs, a longstanding bookshop known for championing Irish history, culture & literature. I bought a copy of Dubliners, which was a bit obvious but I’ve been meaning to read it for ages!
Irish Whiskey Museum
We took a more leisurely (and gluttonous) pace for the afternoon. First, we went to the Irish Whiskey Museum, which is a guided tour through the history of Irish whiskey, and as a result, also of Ireland. Our guide was as entertaining as he was informative, and it ended with a tasting. It was fun, and lighthearted and full of great Irish stories. We also did a similar tour in Edinburgh, at the Scotch Whisky Experience, which was impressive but took itself a lot more seriously.
Afterwards, we dropped into James J Fox Cigar & Whiskey Bonders, an impressive whiskey boutique next door to the whiskey experience. Dave picked up a few minis of Irish whiskey for his friend Tim, who we were staying with in Zurich in a few weeks. Unfortunately we were too limited by our luggage restrictions to get much else!
Bewley’s Cafe
The city centre of Dublin, south of the Liffey, is gorgeous, so we had more of a stroll. From the shop, we wandered down Grafton Street again, on our way to St Stephen’s Green. On the way, we passed Bewley’s Cafe and had to stop in. Bewley’s is a Dublin landmark – established in 1927, it’s a gorgeous art deco cafe with stained glass windows, and an on-site coffee roastery, bakery and cafe theatre. The theatre only operates at lunchtime, with 1 hour shows of comedy, drama and music. Unfortunately we were too late for the theatre, so we had a coffee and a very elaborate hot chocolate in the cafe. It’s such a gorgeous spot and is like stepping back in time.
Picnic in St Stephen’s Green
On our way to the green, we stopped by Sheridans Cheesemongers, and collected a picnic pack of Irish cheeses, which was phenomenal. Make sure you stop in if you’re in the area.
The sun was really shining on Dublin that day. People spilled out onto the streets from every pub in town, with crowds of people standing with drinks all over the footpaths and into the roads. It was so surprising to see, and quite lovely. Licensing & the police would have a field day if anyone tried that at home.
Predictably, St Stephens Green was buzzing, but we didn’t have much trouble finding a spot for a picnic. We devoured our cheese board, which was so delicious, and enjoyed just being on holidays with nowhere to be.
Traditional Irish Pubs: O’Donoghue’s & Toners
Afterwards, we had two more traditional Irish pubs to visit, both outside Temple Bar. The first was O’Donoghue’s, which is renowned for its live music. When we arrived it was packed, with a small courtyard wedged between the two halves of the pub. Naturally, just about everyone was drinking Guinness. Along one wall at a bench & table were two men in their sixties, playing traditional instruments and singing. No mic, no stage, no fuss, and all eyes were on them. It was such a fun atmosphere, you could easily spend all afternoon there.
Our next stop was Toner’s, a gorgeous old pub that used to be the preferred watering hole of W.B. Yeats. Established in 1734, it’s one of Dublin’s oldest pubs, and walking in feels a bit like stepping back in time. I can just imagine how cosy it would be on a cold winter’s day – it’s snug (booth) was voted the best in Dublin.
On our way back north, we took a stroll through the lovely Merrion Square. It’s one of the largest and prettiest Georgian squares in Dublin, and home to a monument of Oscar Wilde. Completed in the late 18th century, it’s surrounded by rows of Georgian houses and some of the city’s famous “Doors of Dublin.”
For dinner, we headed to The Old Mill in Temple Bar. This one did feel like a tourist trap, but we had a nice enough meal.
We had an early flight to Edinburgh, and our final interaction in Dublin was a memorable one. Our cab driver to the airport was a true character, super chatty and with loads of hilarious stories which had us in stitches the whole way to the airport. Dublin airport is a dream. It was very busy, but extremely efficient and we flew through in no time. We were both sad to leave Dublin, but SO glad that we’d added it to our trip at the last minute. We’ll be back!
Practical Details
Flights to Dublin
We flew from Melbourne to Dublin with Qatar Airways, via Doha. Highly recommend this airline & this route!
Hotel in Dublin
The Address Connolly. Opposite Connolly Station, which you won’t need for getting around Dublin but was convenient when we took the DART to Howth. The location isn’t as ideal as staying south of the Liffey, but the 10 minute walk didn’t bother us. The room was great, apart from the broken a/c.
Getting around Dublin
We walked everywhere in Dublin, except for when we took the DART to Howth. Dublin is very compact and very walkable
Things I’ll do on my next visit:
There is so much to do in Dublin, I could have easily filled another few days in the city.
- GPO Museum, to learn more about the Easter Rising
- National Gallery
- Museum of Literature Ireland
- Teeling Distillery
- Chester Beatty Museum & Library
- James Joyce Centre
- Day trip to Dalkey
- Dinner at Clanbrassil House or Michael’s
- The Blue Light
As for Ireland, I’d love for my next trip to Ireland to be a few weeks driving the Wild Atlantic Way, from Cork to Donegal
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Have you been to Ireland? Tell me what you think in the comments!