Ireland knowledge

[cb_jones]

Does anybody have tips on Ireland? I'll be there in late June, staying in Dublin. I've got a couple travel books that list the various things to check, but does anyone have any recomendations for things not to be missed? I'm interested in getting off the beaten track a bit, seeing some country, architecture, bars - up for anything not crazy touristy...

btw I'm taking the train/ferry from Heathrow as opposed to flying, thought it might be a cool scenic trip - has anyone done this? Is it pretty straight forward?

Thanks...

[englandmj7]

Jesus fuckin' dick shit.........

I wrote you a HUGE post about this an my computer crashed.........gads!!!!!!!!

Anyway, since I am a nice guy, I will rewrite some of it:

My wife is from Dublin, so I have been there many-a-times.......

Nightclubs/bars:

Barcode (nightclub):

The premiere spot for Dublin's young people/women. Get there early though, because you have NEVER seen a nightclub line like a Dublin line. I am talking 600+ people anytime after 9:30.

Q Bar (nightclub):

The trendy/hip nightclub in Dublin. It is right in city centre on the River Liffey and is located in the same building that has the giant neon Heineken sign on it. It has alot of good-looking women, although many are snobby, which is rare with Irish girls.....not that I know anything about the women there as I always go with my wife and her friends.....errrr....

Johnnie Fox's (Pub): Is the highest (elevation wise) and one of the oldest pubs in Ireland. It is situated outside of Dublin near the beautiful Powerscourt waterfalls as well as Powerscourt Castle, which can be seen in the film "The Count of Monte Cristo." Johnnie's is great and has live music on Sundays as well as a few other days ago.....I bet it is in your guidebook, so look that up.

Banker's (Pub):

In city centre; it is a converted bank, as you would imagine and is a very nice place to get a drink.

Temple Bar (Area/Bar):

Yes, temple bar is an area, with a bar coincidentally named Temple Bar in it. Go here for a nice old-town Dublin atmosphere; it has cobblestone streets and tons of great pubs.

Cafe En Seine (Bar/Restaurant):

this place is beautiful, if you are with a girlfriend, go here.....it is on the Southside of Dublin, not far from city centre and is extremely posh/classy....not too expensive though.

Shopping:

Dublin is fairly mediocre in terms of places to shop, you are not going to find any of the brands spoken of on this site. Brown Thomas, which is Ireland's equivalent of Barney's carries Diesel, Prada, Gucci, etc. Other than that, walk around the main shopping areas which are Jarvis Street, O'Connell Street, and Grafton Street (the trendy/upscale area). Make sure to check out Topshop on Jarvis if you have never been to one. Whilst on Grafton St. take the 5 min. walk up to St. Stephen's Green, there is a beautiful park to stroll through there, alot like Central Park, and also a little shopping center.

Eats:

Fish n' Chips in Dublin are massive.....try Leo Burdock's. Also, if you have a car, take the 20 min. drive out to the little seaside area of Howth, they have great fish and chips there. Notable restaurants are Luigi Malone's in the city center, Botticelli on the Liffey, and the Brazen Head (Dublin's oldest pub)........

Sights:

GO TO THE CLIFFS OF MOHER. I cannot emphasize that more. Rent a car to go there and on the way back, hit up Malahyde Castle and get a beer at Dirty Nelly's......

There is also a theatre in Dublin that usually has some IRA themed play going on, we went to one last time and it was great; check it out if you have time.

A word to the wise, if you don't drink, don't go to Ireland, I am not even joking........pubs are the national attractions.

Other places for you to check out will be in a simple guide book. Let me know if you have any specific questions........Oh yeah, about not giving addresses, you can search all these places on the net, and you will find them, otherwise, you can ask me.

Edited by englandmj7 on May 14, 2006 at 03:11 PM

[Cue]

cliffs of moher are AMAZING

[cb_jones]

Great, thanks for the info, and for writing it twice englandmj7 . . .

I'm well prepared to get some drinks on. I've done some Googling on the Cliffs of Moher, I'll be there. I'm thinking the car rental is the way to go, always find that's a great way to see a new place...

[dutchxoven]

go to my uncles pub in waterford called katty berrys.

...oh and go down south to cork.

.......and THEN i pulled out.

[azad]

i hear nice things about the west country, but that's from attorneys making 6 digits who was down with moderized irish stone huts for a month (provided that it had all the modern amenities).

toma açaí

[cb_jones]

Thanks for suggestions, I've found a few boat tours of the Cliffs of Moher that look cool... dutchxoven, if I'm in Waterford, I'll hit your uncle's pub for sure!

[kwiteaboy]

Bankers was my pub when I lived there. They pull the best Guinness in the city IMO. The bartenders absolutely hated me for some reason though. They're incredibly rude but in a funny way, if you think life is absurd already.

The times I went to Q Bar it was full of underage girls. My mates corroborated this with their experience. It is a cool looking place though.

[englandmj7]

Quote: The times I went to Q Bar it was full of underage girls. My mates corroborated this with their experience. It is a cool looking place though.

EVERY club in Dublin has a few underage girls......I find it very hard to believe that it was considered "full" of them as I am not sure when you were there last, but currently, they crack down on checking IDs and don't let you in even if you are 16 and look like Jessica Alba....plus, the age is 18 to drink, so it doesn't take much to be "young-looking" enough to be IDed.