I got here on a bus from Belfast just in time to catch the end of Dublin Pride (it's d'gays, Farder, d'gays, dey're everywhere!). The city centre is of course nightmarishly touristy and expensive, so I'm staying a few miles out of town, along the coast near Dun Laoghaire. My B&B describes itself, somewhat optimistically, as both 'cosy' and 'quaint'. In the desk drawer there are magazines from 2013, and the proprietor is ninety years old if he's a day. But it's comfortable enough and I have a pleasant half-hour commute on the DART train into the city to see the sights.
One thing I haven't done in Dublin is have a pint of Guinness. There's a popular myth that it's better here, but in fact the Guinness that we drink in the UK is brewed in exactly the same place as the Irish stuff, ie in Dublin. The reason for the perceived difference is simply that much more of it is drunk here, and so the kegs and draft lines are more likely to be fresh. There are also questions of temperature and serving technique in which Irish bar staff are generally better versed.
As is so often the case, spending time in a capital city just makes me feel like I haven't even begun to do justice to the country I'm visiting. One day I shall definitely come back to both parts of this island and hire a car to explore properly, away from all the guided tours and tourist tat.
In the meantime the element of surprise, which was rather missing here, will be reintroduced with my next blog. I’m catching an aeroplane and none of you will guess where I’m headed. Anyway it’s time for a change of scenery, so it is, to be sure.
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| Central Dublin The new bit, with 'iconic' buildings & bridges, etc. |
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| Presidential residence in Phoenix Park |
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| Phoenix Park again. In 1882 the Chief Secretary & Permanent Undersecretary for Ireland were assassinated here. It was arguably one of the most significant events in the mutual history of the UK & Ireland. And yet the spot is marked only by a small gravel cross embedded in the turf (see the slight indentation near the bottom & centre of the picture). |
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| Pier at Dun Laoghaire |
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| Sandycove |
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| Edd vs Food #76 Lovinspoon, 13 Frederick St North, Dublin 1 Full Irish breakfast. Not all that much different from an English or Scots brekkie. Obviously no complaints here. Although I did forget to ask them to hold the mushrooms. |
