Dublin is Craic!
Dublin is really a lovely city. Even though it is a lot bigger and more cosmopolitan than any other major Irish city, it still feels really walkable and you quickly become acquainted with all the main streets. The view from O’Connell Bridge at night is spectacular, with all the lights in the distance from both sides of the Liffey.
And in Dublin, as with what seems like the rest of Ireland, you’ll be surprised by the amount of diversity. There are so many tourists in Dublin, mostly Polish and Chinese. You should stop by what I think of as the unofficial Chinatown in Dublin, on Parnell street. The food is delicious and authentic there too.
If you are going to visit Dublin in the winter, I have heard that it gets light late and gets dark very early, and rains a whole lot, so be prepared for gloom. I went in what was supposed to be the best time of year, May to August, and it was still cool, with many cloudy days and rain for at least a half hour a day. After about a month, I really missed having sunshine for more than 2 hours a day.
The best thing about Ireland would be the people. They are just so friendly and always want to talk to you even if they don’t know you. They are generous and welcoming and nice. Wherever you go, people are always up for good craic (fun, in Irish slang). If you’re drinking with them though, you got to observe the unspoken rule: you take turns buying rounds. Otherwise, you’d be incredibly rude.
One of the coolest things about Dublin is that at any time of the day, the good pubs are doing good business. Messrs McGuires is a great, old, three story pub right past O’Connell Bridge next to the Heineken building that you definitely check out. Dame St. has some good bars, restaurants, and pubs, and although Temple Bar is definitely touristy, there are real Irish people that hang out there too, and it is pretty fun.
Dublin also has some of the best music festivals and most popular artists playing there. Last summer a friend and I went to see Justin Timberlake and it was the smallest crowd you could ever see at a venue for someone that popular. I know that Malahide Castle (yes, a real, honest to god, awesome castle) hosts a bunch of concerts.
One place one should definitely go eat at is this Persian kebob restaurant in Temple Bar called Zaytoon on Lower Camden Street. I’ve heard from various real Irish people that it is the best kabob place in Dublin. Just thinking about that place makes my mouth water. It’s very reasonably priced (around 10 Euro for a huge plate) and absolutely delicious. I know it’s not “Irish food”, but Dublin is actually a very cosmopolitan place and nobody seems to eat Irish food except tourists. Most people eat more international food, and boy, do they like their paninis for some reason. I found the “Irish” food in restaurants very touristy and overpriced.
If you’re into farmer’s markets, you should check out the Saturday morning local farmer’s market that goes on close to the middle of Temple Bar. They have fantastic fresh veggies, fruits, cheeses, and even sausage and meats, but I go for the fresh cooked foods, like authentic Indian and Chinese, Mexican (something that can be hard to find in Europe), fresh made crepes, and awesome sausage hoagies where they grill the fresh local Irish sausage right in front of you. There’s really too much to eat, especially desserts.
There’s also a fruit and maybe veggie market on the north side off of O’Connell Street, I think on Moore Street. The Moore St. Market is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM, and that’s a lovely market with fresh veggies and fruits too. Surprisingly, the little Chinese groceries in the Dublin Chinatown which I mentioned earlier have some of the cheapest and freshest fish in Dublin.
Tags: Dublin Vacation, Ireland Vacation, Malahide Castle, O'Connell Bridge, Temple Bar
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