Dear Reader,
Welcome back to another expedition. This time I’ll take you on a bit of a stroll through the capital of the ‘Emerald Isle’, Dublin. We will be walking quite a lot so make sure you’re ready! Today we'll be roaming around the south side of the Liffey around the city centre. This is not your normal tour, that'll tell you the ins and outs of each church, museum with endless dates, we're mostly going to window shop through this area in Dublin and have a quick break at a few places. It will be a bit quirky and eccentric, but if you're interested in your normal middle-aged tour guide who wears a bright poncho with a matching umbrella, let me know and I can forward you onto a few places.
Ladies and gents before we leave, you'll need a coat, preferably rainproof, windproof, snow proof, or even sun-proof, who knows with the Dublin weather. Please have COMFORTABLE walking shoes- no heels, no thongs, no Birkenstocks (this is so your toes don't get frostbite or you don't get mistaken for one of the twelve Apostles); bring some water and if you want b-grade pictures bring a camera, but we'll be walking pretty quickly so not much time to stop and get the perfect instagram snap. There will be just enough time for the camera to blink and capture a memory, but I recommend storing them upstairs.
This trip will be catered for those who want to distract themselves and take a break from the troubles of today and to smooth out those frown lines with marks of curiosity. There are options for you to break away from the group and explore by yourself, if you get lost, follow the Liffey and you’ll find your way back to your accommodation... or to a pub.
We’ll start off in the Liberties. One of the oldest suburbs in Dublin that dates back to the Viking age and was a suburb in the medieval walled city. It’s a colourful pocket of the city with the new and old all trying to meld together. Most people will know the area as the home of the St James Gate, Guinness Brewery. Aswell as there being enough Irish pubs to fuel an army and a plethora of gorgeous churches. The Guinness Storehouse is worth going to if you enjoy absolutely EVERYTHING about the beer making process, from sourcing of the hops and grains, the brewing process itself and the history of the Guinness advertisement. The sky bar is a lovely panoramic view of Dublin, plus you can get the most expensive ‘free’ pint of Guinness in the world.
We better keep moving! From here walk down Thomas Street and pop into Arthur’s Pub for probably the best shepherd’s pie you’ll ever have in your life! Even if it is a bit early in the morning. From here roam down and duck into John’s Lane Church. It is my favourite church in Dublin, from the unique stain glass windows, to the sky-blue church vaults and gold and ruby mosaics, it is a lovely space to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of Dublin City. Once you’ve had a bit of a chat with the Father Almighty, turn back up Thomas Street and take a left up Meath Street.
Meath Street heralds back to an older Dublin. Down here you can pop into another pub for a pint and food, pick up some groceries, duck into the Catherine’s bakery for something sweet or pick up an extra jacket at the St Vincent de Paul Society charity shop. But in recent years the street has felt the bombardment of the new age supermarket giants like Lidl and Tescos and trendy hipster coffee shops. Locals still carry on from the shouting of the outdoor fruit, flowers and household-good vendors, the local butchers, charity shops, communion shops, bakeries and the Liberties markets. We better keep moving though or we’ll be here for hours. We can come back another day if you like?
From here we’ll walk down towards St Patrick’s Cathedral. You’ll notice that people in Dublin, particularly in the city don’t live in detached houses but terrace houses, all the same auburn coloured brick pressed together as if to keep warm in the winter. We’ll emerge out onto the cathedral grounds.
You have a few options for what you want to do, you can pay a fee to check out the cathedral itself which is of course gorgeous, and was the parish of Dean Jonathon Swift (1667-1745), yes, the author for Gulliver’s Travels (1726), but he was also a prominent religious figure throughout his time.
Or for those less religiously inclined, I highly recommend the Marshes Library. You walk through an archaic stone door frame that is weathering away, up a flight of stairs and enter into a bibliophile’s wonderland. Shelves and shelves of knowledge about magic, travel, religion, politics, superstition and so much more. It is upon the reading desks where Bram Stoker researched folklore and the supernatural for Dracula (1897), and James Joyce read ferociously for his work, Ulysses (1922). Perhaps you could be the creator of the next classic?
Another option, is that you could go into the small antique shop called “Bohemia”, just up the road from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It is probably only 2x2m in size and is stuffed so much with antique furniture, jewellery, clothes, handbags, records and books that it overflows out onto the foot path. Although your trip here isn’t really to find a unique skirt or retro brooch, but is more for the conversation that you could have with the lovely, eclectic lady on the inside. When I ventured in here, the woman was sporting a black faux-fur winter coat, a black tulip brooch and a Zhivago pill box hat. She was very much up for a chat, so leave plenty of time to talk about anything and everything. It was interesting to hear about her Irish opinion on politics, religion and history away from the academic environment. She was very passionate about each of these, particularly the role of the Sinn Fein Party, complexities of Irish history, the relationship between Catholics and Protestants, the problems of the modern day Irish pub and the ‘technology age’ that we live in today. We’ll have to say a quick goodbye for now, but I’m sure since she has been there for around 30 years, she won’t be going anywhere in the next few days. I'll let you know when I get back there myself.
*Side Trip for those who aren’t tired*
You could pop in and say hi to St Valentine, (yes the real St. Valentine) at his shrine in the Whitefriar Street Church. Who’da thunk it? That the patron saint of love would find himself in Dublin. Perhaps you could say a few prayers if you need a little help from a higher power and then who knows what might happen... maybe you could bump into a handsome stranger on your travels?
Alrighty let's keep moving though as it's hitting the afternoon now and I know some of you might be getting a bit tired. Passing Christchurch Cathedral, another gorgeous church. You’ll have to pay, but it’s worth it to just have a browse through the church crypt. Besides the obvious uses of crypts, it was the site where scenes from the tv show 'the Tudors’ where filmed. Yet, what is more interesting is that in the eighteenth century a tavern operated from the crypt by the notorious ‘Hellfire Club’. The area surrounding the cathedral that encompasses Copper Hill, Fishamble St, Winetavern St and Cook St, and up through to the Liberties was known as ‘Hell’, a place of debauchery and in those times, a place saturated in sin. Streets were peppered with brothels, taverns and other places of ill dispute. I do recommend researching a bit on the Hellfire Club, you will come across stories of sorcery, card-work and dealings with the devil.
Down Dame Street, we’ll pop into Queen of Tarts cafe for a cuppa tea and I'll grab one of the greatest things ever created; the Bailey’s choc chip cheesecake, please and thankyou! As we waltz down this street everyone has two options, you can either go to the left and roam around the glimmering tourist snare of 'Temple Bar'. I do admit it is nice, but highly priced and packed with fellow tourists. Or, you can join me to the right and we’ll venture into Dublin’s ‘Hipster Triangle’.
The 'Hipster Triangle' of Dublin (this is probably an old term for the area, but I couldn't find another name for it), is on the south side of the Liffey between Dublin Castle, Trinity College and up toward Whitefriar Street Church. As with all major cities around the world, Dublin has its own very pocket of exotic cafes and organic grocers, that in some cases are over priced, and others can give you something unique and funky. Not only this, but the Hipster Triangle is speckled with groovy retro clothes shops, interesting bars like the Hairy Lemon or Pygmalion, and quirky boutiques that are filled with inspirational quotes and throwback tunes. I do recommend wandering through the George Street arcade. It’s a lovely atmosphere to poke through the second-hand book shops, a knick-knack gift store, vintage clothes shops, a jewellery store where you can pick up a claddagh ring and a quick bite to eat. The ring originates from Claddagh, a small fishing village near Galway, from around the medieval period. It symbolises friendship, love and loyalty and is to be worn in different positions whether a person is married, engaged, in a relationship or single. Make a note though because apparently it is bad luck if you buy yourself one! You might have to wait, like me, for someone to give you one… 
Now that the sun is starting to set we’ll say our goodbyes at Trinity College. This amazing campus was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I and modelled on the collegiate system in Oxford and Cambridge. A couple of great areas included the Book of Kells and the Long Room (get to know a Trinity student because they can get you free access) and Frontsquare that provides nice photos, particularly on a sunny day, and the dining room that offers a Harry Potter-esque aesthetic. A couple of fun facts about Trinity are;
- It use to lie on the outside of the city walls, hard to believe now since it’s pretty much in the centre of Town.
- There are supposed to be secret tunnels that run underneath campus and it is only known to certain college leaders.
- Catholics were not allowed to attend to college until 1793, however they could not become a scholar, fellow or professor – for another eighty years. Just before these bans were removed, the Catholic Church placed a ban on its adherers from studying at Trinity in 1871. From then, until 1970, Catholics needed permission from their local bishop to attend the college.
- There is a bit of a superstition amongst students that if you walk under the Campanile as the bell tolls, the student will fail the exam.
Farewell everyone...Hopefully this was a nice compact guide for those hoping to shut off the laptop, switch off Netflix, remove the trackies and reading glasses and to truly embrace a little bit of Dublin. Keep an eye out for the next instalment, and we’ll delve further into this incredible capital...
