sedativegunk

(Late posting of my trip late November early December)

After four fun filled days in England I was off to Dublin. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I heard good things from less seasoned travellers I know and really bad reviews from a very seasoned traveller and trusted friend. In her opinion, Dubliners seemed to be disinterested in tourists and in a permanent state of what she described as “hangover” – like the entire city was out late boozing night after night and woe betide ye who should dare wish someone a good morning. I tried to not let this comment lead to any preconceived notions of the place.

First, I made the mandatory visit to the Guinness plant. There’s no understating the lock this company has on the Dublin. Their beer is sold in every damn pub in the city – along with other mass-produced garbage beers like Heineken, Coors and Budweiser. Really???

Anyway, the plant tour was fun, with all the old-time ads to look at and the walk-through of the brewing process.

Later, it was on to the Botanical Gardens.

A very stark and moving monument commemorating the Irish famine

St. Patrick’s cathedral was quite impressive, particularly the stained glass and floor tiles.

Just around the corner was Marsh’s Library, known for its collection of final copies of old books available nowhere else. You can read about the history of this 18th century library here: https://www.marshlibrary.ie/ They even have cages for patrons to be locked into to read to ensure no books disappear! Not sure if the cages are used anymore.

Found this cool replica campaign poster out on the street near St. Stephen’s Green. Constance Markiewicz was elected to UK Parlaiment in 1918 (this was prior to Irish independence) but refused to take her seat likely due to her pro-independence views. She was an Algo-Irish aristocrat but with very strong socialist convictions. She would eventually be elected to the Irish Assembly after Ireland’s independance and would become Minister of Labour. She is thought to be one of the first women to ever serve in cabinet in the world.

Finally I visited the Little Museum of Dublin, located in an old Georgian house. They had really great exhibits of key figures from the city’s history, including the 1916 political uprising, the city’s longtime mayor and even U2. The best part of all was the tour guide, who was animated, insightful and hilarious.

So what were my impressions of Dublin in the end? Charming city that sadly is getting overrun with tourists from all over the world. It was December for crying out loud and the Temple Bar neighbourhood, famous for its pubs and live music, was packed. I managed to get out of the fray one night to see a session at a pub away from the tourists. But I got the impression this was a part of Dublin that was becoming harder to find. In summary, I had fun and I would to go back to see some of the northside of the city.