Dublin ... what to do?

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Discussion

zcacogp

Original Poster:

11,239 posts

245 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Chaps,

Mrs zcacogp and I are in Dublin ... staying on Lower Leeson Street, just to the south east of the Temple Bar area.

We're in a decent hotel, but looking for inspiration on what to do while here. There seems to be a decent list of usual tourist locations (and no end of tourist tack), but what do people recommend? Looking for as authentic Irish as possible (so we need to find a good point of Guinness, plate of coddle etc etc etc) rather than tourist-hype.

All suggestions welcome. Oh, and everything seems very expensive. Much more so than London. £/Euro exchange isn't helping, but since when has Ireland been an expensive place to visit? Two cups of coffee and a pastry for nearly £7 ... and that seems to be the going rate!


Oli.

HappyGoLucky

1,159 posts

213 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
zcacogp said:
Chaps,

Oh, and everything seems very expensive. Much more so than London. £/Euro exchange isn't helping, but since when has Ireland been an expensive place to visit? Two cups of coffee and a pastry for nearly £7 ... and that seems to be the going rate!


Oli.
It is freakin expensive there, we left Dublin in 2004 and it was bad enough then. I've been back a couple of times since and it's no better!

I guess it depends on what you want to do and how much time you have there. If've you've access to transport or are willing to fork out something in the region of 25 yoyos each way in a cab, then Johnny Foxes is Irelands highest licensed premises up in the Dublin mountains. Very pictureyskew with a few nice walks nearby. It has a nice little bar and does good food - oddly enough for being up a big hill mostly fish & seafood!

There (is/was) a cracking basement wine bar / restaurant off to the left of Grafton St if you are walking up towards Stephens Green, can't remember the name, near a tacky american 'diner' type place... Really good food and wine to be had there.

Other than that couldn't say as it's a couple of years since we lived there.

maser_spyder

6,356 posts

183 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
zcacogp said:
£/Euro exchange isn't helping, but since when has Ireland been an expensive place to visit? Two cups of coffee and a pastry for nearly £7 ... and that seems to be the going rate!
You've not been to Geneva recently then?

You could double that at least....

Have a fab time in Dublin, don't think about the money!

Oily Fingernails

489 posts

192 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Goggartys Pub down in Temple Bar. great pub!


Fibber Magees, quite a rough looking place...but great live music bar

St Stephens Green is a lovely park ..and you can get a horse drawn carriage (think mini NY Central Park)


And as for hotel Try Bewelys at Ballsbridge (they have a website) lovely place

http://www.bewleyshotels.com/january_sale.asp?gcli...

Also Dublin Zoo is impressive (I know we have zoo's here, but still)

And yes Dublin is expensive...but its still a must do biggrin



HappyGoLucky

1,159 posts

213 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Oily Fingernails said:
..and you can get a horse drawn carriage (think being horse-driven round some Georgian Squares by one of the extras from Snatch)

Oily Fingernails

489 posts

192 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
HappyGoLucky said:
Oily Fingernails said:
..and you can get a horse drawn carriage (think being horse-driven round some Georgian Squares by one of the extras from Snatch)
Shhhhh...I wanted to read the
"I got fleeced by an Irish Pikiy and his horse shat on my OH hat" thread
... in a few weeks

biggrin

HappyGoLucky

1,159 posts

213 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Oily Fingernails said:
Shhhhh...I wanted to read the
"I got fleeced by an Irish Pikiy and his horse shat on my OH hat" thread
... in a few weeks

biggrin
Oops sorry! But if you are going to do the horsey thing - and if the weather is amenable it's good - please make a point of going with one of the guys that actually seems to look after the poor beast, there are some very manky looking Poneys there.

H_Kan

4,942 posts

200 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Guiness Storehouse is pretty good if very touristy. Be warned though, it is a fair old walk from the city centre.

Also, you get a pint included in the price and get the opportunity to pull it yourself as well, if you want.

I also found it a very expensive place, chips were around £3.50 as the euro is practically 1:1 with the £ now. This sort of price is double London W1 prices. Luckily we had buffet breakfasts at our hotel so had a good brekkie then just had dinner later.

Drinks are also very expensive, around 6quid for a pint or 7-8 for a single spirit and mixer seem average. We went out in Temple Bar one night and had a pretty good time, in a place called Buskers iirc- very touristy but full of very friendly and good looking women.

We also went out to another area around Camden Street, which a local had recommended and went to a place called the Village and Whelans. Both were pretty good and seemed less touristy however prices were still pretty similar.

Eric Mc

122,108 posts

266 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Oily Fingernails said:
Goggartys Pub down in Temple Bar. great pub!


Fibber Magees, quite a rough looking place...but great live music bar

St Stephens Green is a lovely park ..and you can get a horse drawn carriage (think mini NY Central Park)


And as for hotel Try Bewelys at Ballsbridge (they have a website) lovely place

http://www.bewleyshotels.com/january_sale.asp?gcli...

Also Dublin Zoo is impressive (I know we have zoo's here, but still)

And yes Dublin is expensive...but its still a must do biggrin
Hardly anyone takes notice of that arch - even Dubliners. It's the Boer War memorial and lists the names of all the Irishmen who died fighting the Boers.

Oily Fingernails

489 posts

192 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Oily Fingernails said:
Goggartys Pub down in Temple Bar. great pub!

Fibber Magees, quite a rough looking place...but great live music bar

St Stephens Green is a lovely park ..and you can get a horse drawn carriage (think mini NY Central Park)


Hardly anyone takes notice of that arch - even Dubliners. It's the Boer War memorial and lists the names of all the Irishmen who died fighting the Boers.
hmmmmm...they didn't do a good job then.....didn't finish you off, eric tongue out

Eric Mc

122,108 posts

266 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
I was one of the lucky ones.

Irishmen had plenty of opportunities after 1905 to get themselves bumped off.

gib6933

5,278 posts

232 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
HappyGoLucky said:
Johnny Foxes.
its a fantastic place! I can highly recommend it.

Also go into temple bar and find the elephant and castle and have some chicken wings! even if you don't like them, try them as i am 90% sure you will love them.
You cant book any more than about 3 hours in advance, oh and if you look in every table will be eating chicken wings.

I love to watch the couple on a first date sharing a basket of them, it all starts off nice calm and polite. Then very quickly turns into a frenzied fight / race of how fast they can shove them in there mouth. laugh

Hammerwerfer

3,234 posts

241 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Burdock's Fish and Chips, but only at the original Werburgh St. location.

The Merchant on Merchant's Quay has trad music.

Count the bullet holes in the O'Connell monument.

Have a look at the room ratees at the Clarence. The Octogon Bar there is actually quite reasonble for a pint. The cocktails will break the bank. Mine at least!

The Museums are decent, and free.



Edited by Hammerwerfer on Saturday 14th March 22:23

Dave_ST220

10,298 posts

206 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
maser_spyder said:
zcacogp said:
£/Euro exchange isn't helping, but since when has Ireland been an expensive place to visit? Two cups of coffee and a pastry for nearly £7 ... and that seems to be the going rate!
You've not been to Geneva recently then?

You could double that at least....

Have a fab time in Dublin, don't think about the money!
biggrinpartywoohoo

oilandwater

1,408 posts

191 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
I think it's called 'the store house' aka the guiness factory. Great history also a great guiness is served, other drinks are available, goodness knows why. Good tour and a fantastic view from the bar on the roof. Elephant and Castle for terrific food (after the chicken wings!)

aspender

1,308 posts

266 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
gib6933 said:
Also go into temple bar and find the elephant and castle and have some chicken wings! even if you don't like them, try them as i am 90% sure you will love them.
You cant book any more than about 3 hours in advance, oh and if you look in every table will be eating chicken wings.

I love to watch the couple on a first date sharing a basket of them, it all starts off nice calm and polite. Then very quickly turns into a frenzied fight / race of how fast they can shove them in there mouth. laugh
The man knows what he is talking about. E&C chicken wings are the best.

CO2000

3,177 posts

210 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Whats the bar/diner with all the Bikes ? (Bimota's) it was pretty cool.

dave_s13

13,815 posts

270 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
Café en Seine (40 Dawson Street) is a rather spectacular place to go for a drink.

We got a day ticket for the open top tourist bus thingies. You can just jump on/off at will, and get pi$$ed on the way round.

oilandwater

1,408 posts

191 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
temple bar = guiness/atmosphere/music
elephant and castle = good food
johnny fox's = guiness/good food/atmosphere/music

hth

oilandwater

1,408 posts

191 months

Saturday 14th March 2009
quotequote all
'aspender' do you know if you say your name quickly out loud....it sounds rude! hehe