Dublin

[beroldsky]

I have to go to dublin in march for a visa application.. long story. But I know nothing baout dublin.. where is everything situated and wheres a good place to be and shop??

[englandmj7]

I have been to Dublin many times as I have family there. Dublin is essentially "split" into two halves. There is the North Side and the South Side, divided by the river Liffey. Dublin City center, which is the area straddling the Liffey is the heart of Dublin. This is where all of the shopping/nightclubs/restaurants, etc. are in essence. In this area you have Temple Bar, Grafton St., Trinity College, etc., etc. Temple Bar is a trendy/artsy epicenter of old Dublin with tons of pubs/restaurants, etc. Grafton St. is Dublin's main shopping area, with the St. Stephen's Green and Jervis St. shopping centers only a few blocks away as well. Lots of young people/celebs out here at night going to places ranging from exclusive nightclubs (Lilly Bordello's, Judge Roy Beans, etc.) to great, laid-back pubs (Banker's, etc.).

How many days are you there? If only for a few, there is no need to be much place else other than city center. If you have access to a car you can always, however, take side trips out to Powerscourt falls/castle as well as some other great castles, and Johnnie Fox's, Ireland's "highest" (in elevation) as well as damn near oldest pub. Then you have the Guinness / Jameson Whisky factories you can visit in Dublin as well.......lots to do.

I wrote this response to another post about Ireland, so here's some other info. to pick through:

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.

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.

Feel free to send me a PM if you need more........

[nairb49]

great info england.

I love Dublin, one of the friendliest cities in the world, IMO.

If you have a car/some time, defintiely go out and see the countryside, its stunning.

[Gaz-Strange]

Heyas..

yeh dublins a cracker place.. i lived down there for a while.. cant really think of anything that id want to add to englands wee info bout the town if youre only stayin for a couple of days.. nice one england!.. nairbs right bout the country side too.. but if youve got some more time n a car you should definitely go up north for a bit... its class up here.. n belfast supposed to have the best night life in ireland.. wich im not denying n theres always a nice session goin on somewhere if youre into trad music.. but if you want something more laid back you can always go to galway in the west of ireland wich is a great wee town with some of the best pubs iv ever been to, n some beautiful scenery too.. aran islands etc..(ooo great music as well)

Well, hope youll enjoy your time here..

All the best!

[giantsdrink]

I'm heading out to Ireland for a wedding for two weeks, landing there second week of July. As part of the wedding, the girlfriend and I are taking a tour with the wedding party, but then cutting loose for about a week and a half.

Anyways, we're going to be starting in Northern Ireland, and staying in either Portsmouth or Coleraine. I've heard that Coleraine is a farming community, but the gf has a line on a bed and breakfast that's supposed to be really nice. I've heard though, that Portsmouth is a lot nicer, and a little more happening. Any advice on either place? Recommendations on places to stay in Portsmouth?

Otherwise, we're renting a car, and driving down to Limerick afterwards. Recommendations on place to stay in Limerick? At least, where is the place to be... like a central location. We'd found a nice looking (and cheap) hotel called the Railway Hotel, but I'm kind of apprehensive that it might be in a shady location. If I was staying in Limerick, where would I want to be?

Thanks all for any input - I really appreciate it.

- Jordan

[englandmj7]

I'm heading out to Ireland for a wedding for two weeks, landing there second week of July. As part of the wedding, the girlfriend and I are taking a tour with the wedding party, but then cutting loose for about a week and a half.

Anyways, we're going to be starting in Northern Ireland, and staying in either Portsmouth or Coleraine. I've heard that Coleraine is a farming community, but the gf has a line on a bed and breakfast that's supposed to be really nice. I've heard though, that Portsmouth is a lot nicer, and a little more happening. Any advice on either place? Recommendations on places to stay in Portsmouth?

Otherwise, we're renting a car, and driving down to Limerick afterwards. Recommendations on place to stay in Limerick? At least, where is the place to be... like a central location. We'd found a nice looking (and cheap) hotel called the Railway Hotel, but I'm kind of apprehensive that it might be in a shady location. If I was staying in Limerick, where would I want to be?

Thanks all for any input - I really appreciate it.

- Jordan

Hey Jordan; sounds like a fun trip.

A couple things: Portsmouth is in England; do you mean Portrush? Many areas in N. Ireland (save Belfast) are going to be considered farming communities by most standards, but that's half the fun of Ireland. The natural scenery, historical sites, and pubs really are the main attractions in the country, so as long as a town has a fine mixture of these things it will be fun enough (no matter how small it will be). The good thing is that you will have a car. Keep in mind that Ireland is a tiny country compared to the U.S. It only takes a few hours to drive across the whole country. If you've had enough of the town you are in and want some action, it is safe to say that you can get to a decent shopping area or some nightclubs, etc. within 30-45 minutes max. Anyway, I don't know enough about the north to tell you if Coleraine would be better than Portrush unfortunately. They are both in Country Derry, which is going to be beautiful regardless.

Not sure what the wedding tour you're going on will cover, but definitely be sure to check out Giant's Causeway in the north, as well as a day in Belfast.

Once you're down south in Limerick, you'll be fairly close to the Cliffs of Moher, which are absolutely amazing. Limerick is known as 'stab city' in Ireland, so you'll definitely want to make sure to be in a nicer area with your hotel (though during the day you will be fine anywhere I'm sure). Look into the Georgian quarter area. Also, reconsider staying in Limerick in general; it really doesn't hold a candle to Cork, etc.

Other places to consider in the Republic are Cork, Galway, County Kerry, and of course Dublin (lots of advice on this a few posts up). Check out some quick summary guides of these areas on Fodor's:

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/index.cfm?destscope=europe

[dutchxoven]

im also heading to ireland at the start of Aug. for my mom and uncles birthdays...im going to be staying down south, in Tramore, outside of Waterford. I wont have a car, soooo not sure what im going to get into. i assume im going to take a train into dublin a few times....anyone know anything decent for Waterford or Tramore?

thanks.

[d0h15]

I spent five weeks in Waterford this year.

Waterford is a quite small town with not much shopping possibilities: there are 2 small shopping centres in the city with some small shops, but I didn't found there anything interesting. When you are in Waterford you have to take a tour through "Waterford Crystal", this is by far the most interesting thing in Waterford.

If you have further questions or want to see some pics, just pm me.

[rowyerboat]

Shopping in Dublin sucks , but there is one small little basement boutique called Proxy that stocks Material Boy, Julian Reds , Henrik Vibskov , Pudel and some other designers of that ilk. Theres a store on the outskirts of the city that stocks Ann D(the opposite outskirts to where I live) but only womenswear , never been there as going to work is the only time I will go to the city unless its to a club/pub.

[Bobbejaan]

Cafe En Seine is great.

And you should try the club "pod" its very nice undergroud. Skip the guiness tour it sucks .

[mlproject]

i'm out here right now and that post england put up hits it right on the head. dublin has great pubs, but there doesn't seem to be many young people anywhere outside that line at barcode. by the looks of the people watiting in line and the oonzoonz coming from inside, it's easily the last place i'd want to head.

pubs around temple bar have been great the past two nights. drink prices aren't too outrageous and the crowds are friendly, which is a nice change from nyc.

i flew into shannon and stayed in limerick the first few days, getting used to the time and headed out to the cliffs of moher, which were unbelievable. totally worth it.

[englandmj7]

i'm out here right now and that post england put up hits it right on the head. dublin has great pubs, but there doesn't seem to be many young people anywhere outside that line at barcode. by the looks of the people watiting in line and the oonzoonz coming from inside, it's easily the last place i'd want to head.

pubs around temple bar have been great the past two nights. drink prices aren't too outrageous and the crowds are friendly, which is a nice change from nyc.

i flew into shannon and stayed in limerick the first few days, getting used to the time and headed out to the cliffs of moher, which were unbelievable. totally worth it.

Yeah, the club/bar scene shifts quickly out there so a few of the places I mentioned in the past definitely aren't as good nowadays. Seems alot more people head to places outside city center for a night out. Mostly tourists, etc in Temple Bar.

Lately, if you do want to go somewhere with a ridiculous amount of hot girls, check out Tamango's in Portmarnock. It is a 'mega' club in the vein of Barcode, so of course there are compulsory douchey dudes and expensive drinks, but alot of the wealthier youngins (i.e. no knackers) hang out there and there are no shortage of women. Barcode has some great, cheap student nights, but the crowd there has gotten very young. Tamango's is also right on the ocean which is pretty cool.

If you're shopping around Grafton St., stop in for one drink at "The Church." The architecture and decor is very cool. It's a huge old church converted into an upscale bar/restaurant and there is now a nightclub where the cellars used to be.......

Don't forget to check out Howth if you have some more time in Dublin. Get pints at The Bloody Stream and fish n' chips at Leo Burdock's.

My favorite spots in Dublin are 'old man' bars and luckily I have alot of family/friends there to show me to their own low-key spots. You discover alot of cool places just walking around.

[mlproject]

yeah, at face value, much of the city seemed like a repeat of the last block, but i took a day to just nose around and found a lot of intereting stuff.

we just spent the past week driving around the south, which was pretty cool, but got really repetitive. despite being crowded and having a lame precedent, blarney castle was pretty awesome with a lot of weird caves and hidden rooms to climb up in. the rock of cashel was interesting as well, seeing a lot of stuff i studied in school come to life in architecture and manuscripts.

next time i need to plan a little better as the stoogets and leonard cohen played the two nights before i got into dublin and morrissey is playing the day i leave in cork and the day after in dublin. if only thin lizzy could still be playing shows.

[dutchxoven]

there are some really cute little towns outside of Waterford in the south you could possibly check out....i have family in Tramore, its a little beach town...there is some beautiful countryside down south...as well as everywhere else in ireland obviously. ha

but yea, check out port stewart as well....i spent a weekend there with a friend of mine who lives in Belfast and has a house there....it has some good restaurants there, and its kinda like the hamptons of ireland, weird i know.