Recommendations for good first impressions of Dublin?

[bluenoser2]

I think I'm suffering from cruise planning anxiety! I've been paying so much attention to the Italy/Spain part of our upcoming cruise in June, that I've not even thought about the 'other end' of our cruise! We've never been to Dublin before, we're not into pubs or breweries, and can't decide whether we should just do a HOHO type day in the city, or if we should do a ship's excursion or find something on our own that would take us out into the countryside! Sigh. We're in port from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. - could we do both? We've never booked an independent tour on our own but it looks to be a whole lot less expensive. But not knowing the area at all, we don't know what to go with - this is our first look at Ireland - any suggestions from you experts as to what will give us our greatest first impression?

[rsquare]

Dublin is a great walking city, especially along the Liffey quays. At the very least, I would start from the O'Connell street bridge and walk along the north bank to the Ha'penny bridge (a cast iron pedestrian-only bridge). If you are interested in history, walk up O'Connell street first to the General Post Office (big building on your left with your back to the river, with pillars in front) which was the scene of major fighting during the Easter Rising in 1916; there are still bullet holes in the facade.

 

After crossing the river, keep going straight ahead through the artsy and pubby Temple Bar area until you get to Dame street (well you said, no pubs). Turn left, and the street will become College Green. You'll walk by the beautiful old Georgian Irish Parliament building (now the Bank of Ireland) and across the street is the entrance to Trinity College, where I strongly recommend that you see the Book of Kells. It is a lovely work of art, and the College has created a marvellous small museum giving context for the book and telling about medieval Irish monastic life.

 

When you leave Trinity College, turn left and when you see a bronze statue of Molly Malone wheeling her wheelbarrow, you're at the top of Grafton street, a pedestrianized shopping area; parallel streets also have good selections of shops. Or if your taste runs more to architecture than photography, keep walking along Nassau street with Trinity College on your left; when you get past the College buildings, you'll be at Merrion Square, with its rows of Georgian houses, each with a differently-painted door.

 

These are Dublin's high points, and will give you a good sense of what the city is like. All the better if you get a chance to talk with some Dubliners, since the Irish are really the best thing about Ireland.

 

If you would rather get out into the countryside, you can do do that on your own too. There is a nice castle at the northern end of DART, Dublin's suburban rail line, called Malahide Castle. It's about a 40-minute train ride and a 15-minute walk from the station through a park to the Castle, which has tours and nice cafe, but allow at least 4 hours if you do this. There is a DART branch which goes to Howth, which should have great views over the Irish Sea and where there is also a castle, but I've not been there and so can't say much about it. There is a DART station at Connolly Station, between the O'Connell Street bridge and the docks, and another at Tara Street, between Trinity College and the river.

 

All of this just scratches the surface; if you have some special interests, let the rest of us know and I and the others who post here can probably be more helpful.

[fabnfortysomething]

are you into the music or writers of Ireland?

if so look at www.dublinrocktour.ie We did this tour last year around the city on an old american tour bus and it took you round the sights of Dublin with particular reference to singers such as Phil Lynott U2 and poets such as Oscar Wilde.I believe it cost 15 euro each

thre are also "duck tours" as well as the traditional HOHO buses

 

Dublin is a very interesting city but expensive!

[HeinBloed]

I think I'm suffering from cruise planning anxiety! I've been paying so much attention to the Italy/Spain part of our upcoming cruise in June, that I've not even thought about the 'other end' of our cruise! We've never been to Dublin before, we're not into pubs or breweries, and can't decide whether we should just do a HOHO type day in the city, or if we should do a ship's excursion or find something on our own that would take us out into the countryside! Sigh. We're in port from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. - could we do both? We've never booked an independent tour on our own but it looks to be a whole lot less expensive. But not knowing the area at all, we don't know what to go with - this is our first look at Ireland - any suggestions from you experts as to what will give us our greatest first impression?

 

 

We went on a "ducktours" (with an amphibian vehicle).

 

It was a very nice way to discover Dublin from the land and from the water side.

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[bluenoser2]

Bob - thank you for your insights - that sounds just like what I was looking for - the ship tour my DH booked us on takes the whole day to do one thing out in the country, and I'd love to be able to see some of Dublin too (I know...I want it all, in one day - ha!)....I hadn't thought of the train to the castle - that was the very castle I had been looking at and wishing we could see, without the ship's tour. I will start persuading the DH when he gets home from work.....about how much would the train be - is it easy to get to and use?

[cruisingallover]

thanks for the info on Dublin rsquare :)

[TMLAalum]

Even if you're not into pubs, you definitely need to wander the streets of Temple Bar and look for a pub with Irish music playing while you enjoy some fish & chips. The HOHO bus will take you to Kilmainham Gaol, which is deeply rooted in the cause of independent Ireland. And the Book of Kells at Trinity College is a must-see. Bewley's Cafe has a lunchtime play for @ 15 euros each, but be warned the lunch is but a bit of soup, bread & water. The shows are very well staged.

 

Howth is beautiful, but the DART leaves you a bit short of the beauty unless you're willing to walk. You can't visit Howth Castle, which has an historical link to the Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley, as it's privately owned but the rhododendrum/azalea gardens behind it are free to wander and are spectacular in May. The coastal path gives breathtaking views. You could also take the DART in the other direction to Dalkey/Killiney and take the path to the top of Killiney Hill for amazing views to Dublin & the Wicklow Mts.

 

If you are into neolithic cultures, you could do a bus trip to Newgrange, a UNESCO world heritage sight, www.overthetoptours.com/or, if you are more interested in Christian Ireland History, a bus trip in the other direction to Glendalough would be in order. www.wildwicklow.ie/ Powerscourt Gardens are lovely and just a tad south of Dublin http://www.newgrangetours.com/.

[rsquare]

about how much would the train be - is it easy to get to and use?

 

A day return ticket from central Dublin (Pearse, Tara Street or Connolly) would be €4.20. The system is pretty easy to use, but shares trackage with mainline trains run by Iarnrod Eirann, the national train company, so you need to make sure that you are getting on the right train. DART trains look a bit like subway cars, ie no engine up front, and are typically painted two shades of green, while IE trains are painted orange or silver. It's complicated by the fact that some of the IE trains to distant destinations can take you from central Dublin to Malahide as a kind of express, on the same ticket you would use on DART. If you get a DART train, you can't overshoot your destination, because Malahide is the last stop (but some DART trains veer off to Howth and will be so marked).

 

Best thing to do is to download the schedule from the station which you will use. For example, the DART schedule from Tara street is at http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/printed_timetable_pdfs/Dart%20Timetables%202010/Tara%20St%2010.pdf You only want trains going to Malahide. Incidentally, the timetable has a picture of a typical DART train. Going back from Malahide, typical destinations will be Dun Laoghaire, Greystones or Bray, or possibly Connolly; you do not want Drogheda. Connolly is a good place to get off on the way back; it is not too far from the docks, and has a cab rank while Tara street is basically a commuter station with no cab rank nearby (but closer to Trinity College and Grafton Street). Timetable for trains back from Malahide is at http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/printed_timetable_pdfs/Dart%20Timetables%202010/Malahide%2010.pdf Allow about 20-30 minutes for a cab from Connolly to your ship; our cab got lost in the dock area and it could happen to you.

 

The journey each way is about a half hour, not 40 minutes as I said in my earlier post. When you reach Malahide, leave the station through the parking lot (there is only one exit), turn right and take the road which crosses over the tracks until you see a sign to the castle. At that point you will turn left and walk through a park for about 10 minutes until you can see the castle; it is well-marked. The castle website is at http://www.malahidecastle.com/

 

Enjoy your day in Dublin!

[bluenoser2]

wow....thank you Bob, that was exactly what I needed to see. Armed with your info, I think I can wear DH down into trying this instead of the ship's all-day tour that isn't really what we wanted.