Doctor Samuel Johnson once said “To be tired of London …is to be tired of life!”
For me Dublin holds a continuing fascination and intrigue. It may not have Grand Palaces, Roman and Greek temples, or even the romantic lure of the famous capitals on ‘The Grand Tour’, but its youthful vibrancy, general buzz and excitement is catching.
Paradoxically, it is at odds with itself, for it also appears cushioned in a shroud of whatever the Irish expression for mañana is.

Molly Malone Displaying Her Wares

Taking its name from the Old Irish dubh linn (black pool), Dublin became established at the convergence point of the River Poddle with the river Liffey as far back as the year 988AD.
With a strong sense of being that stems from such a long history and culture, Dubliners are rightly proud of their city; but never ones to take themselves too seriously, they can’t resist the application of humour at any given chance -even their statues are given nicknames! At the northern end of Grafton Street in view of the Bank of Ireland and just across the road from Trinity College, a statue, dedicated to the nubile looking Molly Malone, is unkindly referred to by the locals as ‘The Tart with the Cart’!

The Millennium Needle

North of the river at the junction of O’Connell Street and Henry Street, where the fountain dedicated to Joyce’s Anna Livia once stood (colloquially known as The Floozy in the Jacuzzi) now stands an enormous steel needle built to commemorate the new Millennium. Needless to say this monument has attracted a collection of new names, and amongst those printable are ‘The Erection at the Intersection’ or ‘The Stiletto in the Ghetto’.

Further evidence of the prevailing humour can be seen in the naming of shops, pubs and Café’s. I particularly liked the coffee shop named ‘Insomnia’!

Dublin, although relatively small is like most modern cities, and is not the easiest of places to drive around unless you are well versed in where you are going. The best way to see what is on offer is undoubtedly by taking the ‘City Tour’ on one of the Dublin Bus Tours’ open topped buses. If you feel that the weather might be too bracing on top, there is usually plenty of room on the lower deck!

Tours operate everyday from 9.30am to 6pm. (Last tour 5pm.) and cost 12 Euros per adult, for a twenty-four hour pass.
Offering a ‘hop on’ ‘hop off’ service the bus stops at convenient historical and cultural highlights, and the full tour takes about an hour and a quarter. The journey takes in the heart of the city and loops along both sides of the River Liffey, which also makes it an ideal vehicle for just getting around town for a little shopping, or a glass or two of Guinness in one of the many famous pubs! Wherever you chose to get off, there will be another bus every fifteen minutes to help you on with your journey.

Tickets can be purchased on the buses and the route starts at the Dublin Bus Headquarters in O’Connell Street.
Another bonus of these tours is the running commentary and non-stop banter of the drivers, whose knowledge and humour can make you feel reluctant to disembark.

The tours take in, or are convenient for (in numerical order from the bus headquarters):

The Bank of Ireland

1.Bus HQ. in O’Connell Street, - Statue of Daniel O’Connell - ‘The Liberator’, and the GPO building which was the site of a showdown between freedom fighters and the British Forces. A short walk will also take you to Custom House and Visitor Centre, on Custom Quay.
2.Parnell Square North - Writers Museum, National Wax Museum, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art.
3.College Green - Bank of Ireland (former Irish Houses of Parliament), Trinity College est.1592 –Book of Kells, Grafton Street-shopping precincts, pubs, food and ‘Molly Malone’!
4.Nassau Street - convenient for National Library, and National Museum on Kildare Street.
5.Merrion Square - National Gallery at M..Square West, and Natural History Museum on Merrion Street.
6.St. Stephen’s Green - Europe’s biggest Square with lakeside walks open to the public. Also, for Dawson Street -The Mansion House (Residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin) and just off Grafton Street - Powerscourt Centre, a large modern shopping centre housed within 18th C. townhouse.
7.Suffolk Street - Tourism Centre.
8.Temple Bar - Dame Street (More about this area later in the article).
9.Cork Hill - Dublin Castle, The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin City Hall.
10.Christ Church Place - Christ Church Cathedral.
11.St Patrick’s Close - Marsh’s Library (oldest public library in Ireland) and Patrick Street - St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
12.The Guinness Storehouse.
13.Royal Hospital Kilmainham - Irish Museum Of Modern Art, and Kilmainham Gaol (1797 to 1924, a chilling reminder of less palatable times).
14.Phoenix Park - 1750 acres of playing fields, Dublin Zoo, US Ambassador’s residence, wild deer, people’s gardens, and the Aras An Uachtarain - the Irish President’s Mansion!
15.Collins Barracks - National Museum of Ireland.
16.Bow Street, Smithfield Village – Old Jameson Distillery, and The Chimney - Dublin’s viewing tower.

St Stephen's Green

After settling into our hotel, Saturday afternoon was spent getting the feel of the place. I had selected The Mercer Hotel as a base for the convenience of its location as well as budget. Having a modest knowledge of the city I had ‘looked and booked’ on the Internet, wanting something near to St. Stephen’s Green that would be comfortable and close enough to explore the city centre.

We headed off for the attractions of Grafton Street from the southern end, making our way northward, taking a break for a late lunch in one of the three branches of Bewley’s renowned cafés.
Bewley’s Oriental Café – 78 Grafton Street is open 7.30 am to 1 am Mondays to Thursday, 24 hours Friday and Saturday, and 9.30 to 8.pm Sunday. In this amazing building you can have breakfast on one floor, elevenses on another, lunch, tea and dinner on others, whilst the aromas of freshly baked confectionery and coffee beans filter up from the ground floor hallway!

River Liffey

We continued our meandering still heading north towards the River Liffey, crossing over to The Bank of Ireland, the former parliament buildings for the two houses. Heading vaguely westward we entered Fleet Street, and on towards the Temple Bar district. This area, the oldest inhabited area of the city dates back to Viking times.
In less salubrious times the area was renowned for its ‘ladies of the night’, pubs and drunken revelry. Nowadays it is popular with artists, musicians and students. The pubs are still there of course, along with many diverse eating places catering for all nationalities, tastes and budgets.
Unfortunately for the district it can at times become a little bawdy again, thanks to the hoards of British youths coming over on stag, or hen party week-ends; but even then, the atmosphere is more that of excessive indulgence and jollity, rather than impending trouble or violence.

Passing through a short alley, and crossing the main road along Wellington Quay, which runs along the south side of the Liffey, took us onto Ha’penny Bridge (derived from half-penny). This bridge is one of the few footbridges leading across to the north side of the city, and was built in 1816. We crossed over Bachelors Walk and turned up O’Connell Street.
At the Junction with Henry Street (a street full of trendy shops, boutiques and fashionable Cafés), now stands the New Millennium monument - a needle like tube, the cost of which depending on which taxi driver you talk to, ranges anywhere from 4 million to 14 million Euro; however, not one could tell me the actual name of the monument! One did inform me that near the top of this spire were a series of perforations that were designed to house lighting. To this day the lights have never worked! One other observer confirmed my friend’s observation that the needle tip of this enormous ‘white elephant’ had already bent in the strong winds, and now resembled Concord’s nose cone!
It was at this point of my enquiries as to the current whereabouts of ‘The Floozy in the Jacuzzi’, that I was reliably informed that she was now to be re-immersed somewhere in Phoenix Park!

At the northern end of O’Connell Street can be found Parnell Square, and The Dublin City Gallery – The Hugh Lane.
This gallery has outstanding examples of Impressionist and Modern and Contemporary art, as part of its permanent collection; also, a Sean Scully room housing a collection of nine of his paintings given to the city by bequest of the artist.

Having spent the latter part of the afternoon with a leisurely examination of the exhibits on show, we decided that it was time for a change of culture and headed back along our route, seeking out one of the many ‘watering holes’ Dublin has to offer!

Whether a drinker or an abstainer, it is absolutely de rigueur when in Dublin, to visit as many of these character pubs as possible. These buildings have borne witness to the evolving fortunes of a city which has been home to scholars, writers, musicians, numerous politicians, and a populace of world class elbow benders!

The number and variety of pubs is as astounding, as is the ubiquitous Guinness name inescapable, and live music of all types is easily found. The Brazen Head (Bridge Street) is Dublin’s oldest pub dating from 1198 and is mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses.
There are many ways of selecting your chosen pub/s, and an abundance of leaflets and brochures highlighting some of the most favoured establishments, can be picked up at most hotels or the Tourist Information Centres. A very popular method of exploring these charming houses is to tag on to a Literary, or Musical pub-crawl, and walk as a group on a guided tour of the most frequented haunts.

I find an induction into Dublin is not complete without a plate of oysters and a pint of Guinness in Davy Byrne’s (Duke Street) and another pint in the elegant and classic Shelbourne Hotel (north side of St. Stephen’s Green). A short walk away is O’Donoghue’s (Merrion Row) – possibly Dublin’s most famous musical pub, and one time home venue for the Irish folk group ‘The Dubliners’, where, having worked up a thirst, you can enjoy another glass of beer whilst enjoying a live musical performance.

For dinner on our first night we decided to stay fairly close to the hotel, and were delighted to find a small Italian restaurant that served modest fare at a very modest price, in a warm and friendly if somewhat chaotic atmosphere. One could not help but marvel at the way queues of hungry customers were quickly seated, fed, and then dispatched, without any apparent urgency on the part of the management!

Sunday morning my companions watched, with what I hoped was more than a little envy, as I went solo and opted for the full Irish breakfast. It just had to be done!

To visit Ireland, even for a short break, you can expect a mixed bag of weather; to visit Dublin in late winter and have four days of sunshine is pushing credulity to extreme! But there we were, Sunday morning replete (to our individual satisfaction), ready for a long but leisurely day of exploration.

Although having been to Dublin on numerous occasions before, I had never managed to find time to enter St. Stephen’s Green. So, as we passed the junction of Grafton Street with the Green, we declined one of the many horse and carriage rides offering half-hour guided tours (£20.00 – 4/5 people), and entered by the north gateway into the park.

Oscar Wilde

Originally an expanse of open common land, the 23 acres (9 hectares) of parkland was enclosed in 1664 by a fence, and later in 1669 by a stonewall, with paths and trees soon following. Within the park now is a garden for the blind (with signs in Braille), a children’s play park, Victorian bandstand, the Fusilier’s Arch, and a duck pond with fountain, and a number of statues scattered about. Amongst these, is one dedicated to Countess Markievicz (an Irish nationalist who married a Polish Count), and another, of a reclining Oscar Wilde!

No. 29, Fitzwilliam Street Lower

We had decided to visit an “Exhibition of home life in Dublin 1790-1820”, located at No.29. Fitzwilliam Street Lower; so we left the Green by a southerly gate and walked the short distance along Merrion Row into Baggot Street, turning left at the junction with Baggot Street Lower.

This exhibition is supported by the Electricity Supply Board, and National Museum of Ireland, and commenced with a video show followed later by a guided stroll through the period rooms of this typically Georgian residence. We were taken back to a period of elegance and lost lifestyle, of a ‘well to do’ Dublin family. Supported by chronicles and diaries, a vivid picture of the daily routine, and the joys and heartaches of living at that time were painted.

The Grand Canal

The late morning found us walking along the Grand Canal seeking out The Barge, a favourite oasis of mine, and somewhere I thought we would all enjoy.
This modern pub can be found a few doors away from the Dublin Hilton, and was once a warehouse servicing the canal; now it is a popular meeting place for all, with a good selection of food available, and galleried bars on each of its many floors.

The afternoon was spent strolling leisurely along the periphery of St. Stephen’s Green, enjoying the talented exhibits on show, and chatting to the artists displaying their work, hanging or casually propped against the railings. Our lack of urgency nearly resulted in all of us being locked in the park, by an over zealous park keeper who decided to shut the gates a few minutes early!

For dinner that evening, we selected a recently opened Thai restaurant – The Papaya, 8. Ely Place, Dublin 2.
Possibly because we opted to eat early, the place was quiet, but we were not disappointed with the food or service. House wine is priced at about 15 Euro, and the menu offers house specials, fish dishes, meat and poultry, and vegetarian dishes. With ‘starters’ from 4 Euro, main course up to 25 Euro - all in all, very good value, in a friendly ambience!

My recent visit was a short, pre-Christmas weekend break, accompanied by Louise, and another couple we have known for years. It was their first time in Dublin so I was curious to see if they shared my enthusiasm for the city.

We had travelled to Holyhead, on the Island of Anglesey, late Friday night after work, stopping off en route in Porthmadog for a meal.
November anywhere in Europe can be bleak, but in the misty evening light, Porthmadog, a bustling holiday resort at the height of summer, appeared closed. Only after a little searching, we found The Grapevine Bistro in the High Street. The premises looked clean and warm, and we overrode our instincts when observing that there was only one other table occupied, and accepted a table offered by a young cheerful waitress.

For a small place, the menu was quite extensive and offered salmon, sea bass, boar and lamb shank amongst the specials for the day. We drank a bottle of the house red with our meal and were pleasantly surprised by the bill. Unusually, the meal was prepared and cooked in front of us in a central galley, and enabled us to converse with the owner/chef, who on receiving our compliments proudly announced that they had recently been visited by, and were now listed in, The Good Food Guide!

Holyhead is not the most salubrious looking of towns, but as a ferry port it has an adequate variety of accommodation type. We had booked ahead at The Ferry Lodge Guest House, which again proved to be clean warm and friendly, at a cost of £20 a head.

We caught the 9.30 am. Irish Ferries ‘Dublin Swift’ – a high-speed ferry that can maintain speeds of over forty knotts, and got us into Dublin Port by 11.00 am. The crossing was mercifully calm – the vessel is not known as the ‘vomit comet’ for nothing!

Our hotel was The Mercer Hotel, Mercer Street, Dublin 2. “A luxury boutique style hotel in a convenient position. Well equipped rooms with air conditioning”. Price for double/twin rooms 119 Euro. (Subject to fluctuation). Full Irish breakfast extra!!

And yes, in case you’re wondering, we’ll all be back again – apparently our schedule left no time for the ladies to shop!

Meurig Jones