Dublin Travel Forum

Hello VT’ers

We are thinking of going to Dublin for the Easter Long weekend. I have a few questions. This is our first trip to Ireland.

Would some of the St. Patrick’s celebrations/festival to do’s still be around by the weekend? (I know it’s from the 13-17th we’ll be in Dublin on the 20th onwards)

Would Dublin be very quite on Easter?

Any festivals/ events during that time?

What are the must sees? We like to get a real flavour of the local cuisine, and experience local things any suggestions would be great.

Also we were wondering about a 1 night trip to another city instead of being the whole time in Dublin?

Lodging wise what’s an ideal area to be located? Any suggestions on B&B or hotels would be great.

Thanks in advance

ER

This year St Patrick's Day is being celebrated on (I think) the 15th as the 17th falls in Holy Week which takes precedence over Feast Days. I think you'll find that all St Pat's celebrations will be well and truly over by the 20th. Have a wonderful time.

Paddy's Day celebrations will be over but Easter is usually a fairly busy time. I would recommed staying in the Radisson near Dublin Castle if you have the cash to spend, if not anywhere realitively near the city centre eg Hardcourt st(you can walk from areas such as Rathmines)or that is on a good bus route or the LUAS (tram)as traffic is a problem in Dublin. check up the web, events of the week or visit dublin to see what is on during your stay. There is always traditional music in temple bar area, if you want to visit the Guinness brewary- go early and book online to avoid some of the queues. Hop on the Dart ( coastal train) to Howth for great seafood ( might want to book restaurant in advance as popular with locals). I would suggest getting the train to Belfast for a night, easy and not too far but different.

Dublin
The DART ( a local commuter train service) is a great resource for day trips. One trip I would recommend is Bray/Greystones. Take the southbound Dart from Connolly or Tara St to Bray, and make your way to the seafront. Walk along the promenade southwards towards Bray Head (the hill with the cross on top). Follow the path locally known as the Cliff Walk which skirts the Head for about 5 miles to the village of Greystones. This is an easy walk flat walk for the reasonably fit with lovely scenery, some dodgy bits towards the end due to erosion but nothing scary. On arrival in Greystones a bowl of soup or a pint is recommended in the Beach Bar before proceeding into the village for a perusal of the shops. Then you can either get the DART or bus 84/184 all the way back to Dublin.
You could also travel northbound on the DART to Howth. Here you can walk along the quays and watch the trawlers come in with their catch, call in to various fish markets and restaurants, walk to the end of the pier, enjoy fish and chips from Café Caira or if feeling energetic walk up the headland following the signposts. If you take this option you can take a bus or DART back from Sutton, otherwise take the bus or DART back from Howth.
There are numerous sights worth catching in Dublin, some are free like the museums, particularly good is the Chester Beatty Museum(behind Dublin Castle), the National Museum at Collins Barracks(walk up the quays or take the LUAS (tram), the National Gallery in Clare St,. Other sights have a charge but not expensive such as City Hall, Christchurch, St Patrick’s cathedral, the Whiskey Distillery in Smithfield. There’s tons to do, it just depends on what you’re into. It’s worth taking on of the double-deck sightseeing buses to get an overview, you can hop on /off at various points.
For music gigs check out the events guides, flyers, etc, Whelans in Camden St is good, as is Vicar st, some gigs will sell out in advance so check websites and plan.
I would suggest a trip to Kilkenny if you want to see another city that’s not too far from Dublin, you can get there by train or bus (the main bus station is called Busaras, (pro, busawrus) it’s not far from O’Connell bridge – just ask anyone)
This is a compact city with lots of places of interest. I recently stayed at the Rivercourt Hotel which comes well recommended, but there are lots of others such as the Hotel Kilkenny and you could just Gooogle Kilkenny+hotels to find others depending on how much you want to spend etc. In the city some sites of interest are Kilkenny Castle (a must!), opposite it you will find the Kilkenny Design Centre, a craft and design yard that will probably appeal to your shopping instincts. You might like to visit the Smithwick’s brewery to check out the beer, I’m not sure if its open to the public these days. Also there is a tudor house/museum called the Rothe House, St Canice’s cathedral, Kytler’e Inn, an old pub with connections to witchcraft and various other attractions. Probably best to call in to the Tourist Office where you can find out about guided walking tours.

Another good trip is Glendalough, an ancient monastic site about 25 miles south of Dublin, especially if you like scenery/walks/ancient history but you would need good weather for this one. Also it might be worth hiring a car to give you maximum time there as the bus service is limited, or you could stay over.
An easy way to get to Glendalough is to take the St Kevin’s Bus Service, it leaves from near the Mansion House on Dawson St every day at 11.30.
If you’re driving take the N11 to Kilmacanogue and then turn right, following the signs for Roundwood/Glendalough.(stay in the left lane on approach as you have to take an overpass just after the petrol station)
At Glendalough there is an Interpretative Centre which will supply maps and info. Or you could just drive up to the hotel, turn left, crossing a little bridge and park. Enter the graveyard and check out the round tower, then proceed to the church known as St Kevin’s Kitchen, cross the bridge behind the church and take the walk through the forest to to the Upper Lake. There are various walks around this area that you can take take depending on time, weather and interest. The hotel is quite nice for a drink or lunch. If you want to stay overnight there are various B&B’s and hostels in the vicinity, particularly back in the nearby village of Laragh. The Wicklow Heather is an ok restaurant here, as is Lynam’s pub.
The Boyne Valley is a great place to visit too, probably best to go on an organised tour (check in tourist office in Andrew’s Street).
Belfast would be good too but don’t forget you’ll have to change your currency to sterling.
Hope you find something to suit and have a great time.
Anne Marie
Two websites that I would recommend are :
www.irelandhotels.com for good deals on accommodation
www.failteireland.ie for general tourist info. Failte means welcome in Irish, this is the official tourism website

Hi,
Can you tell me if all tourist attractions will be open on Easter? I will in Dublin from 21-27 and wanted to do the Hop on Hop OFF and other things. I know that on Good Friday the city is dead, how about the rest of Easter?

If you'll find Dublin is too boring and too gray I would suggest to go to a few interesting and amazing places: Cliffs of Moher,County Clare(amazing natural wonder of this planet),Newgrange(5000-year-old passage graves,very interesting place,not far away from Dublin),Dingle Peninsula,County Kerry(fantastic spectacular views,very nice pictures you can get).Dolmen,County Clare(one of symbols of Ireland).I've checked all those places,they worth your time.It is better to use rented car(use Hertz),because public transport in Ireland is bad.

All of the places mentioned by whiteritter are indeed worth seeing, however as you only have a few days, you would be best served sticking to Dublin and the places close by. Dingle, Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher to name a few are way too far away to do justice to in the little time you have.

Isaacs Hotel has a great offer (€79 per room)if you book on the internet. go to www.isaacs.ie It is a 3-star luxury hotel. there is internet-access in the lobby, or you can plug in your laptop in the room (extra charge). They feature a truly wonderful Italian restaurant and a bar. Buffet-Breakfast is extra at € 9.90 for continental and €12.90 for full Irish. If you are not that hungry, you can walk around the corner to Isaacs hostel which has a small coffee shop.
Isaacs Hotel is just right opposite Busaras (Central Bus Station).