Ireland Road Trip #2 - A Day and A Half in Dublin
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin
We arrived in Dublin on a Wednesday, around 6pm, after a ferry ride, which was after a 4-hour drive to the ferry. Straight away, we headed out for dinner - your classic newly-arrived tourists searching for a good first meal. After a stroll around the busy central Temple Bar area (named after the Temple family who built up the area, and the word for a raised sandbank or hill, ‘barr’; i.e. not for the abundance of bars found), we picked out a Spanish restaurant. It had a free table outside, looked cute and friendly, and the vegan options for me sounded tasty - all ticks in our books. My Mum and I shared a generous rice bowl and sweet potato chips, and I had probably the best mocktail mojito I’d tried. With an exhale, we had arrived.
Bellies full and heads clear from the walk, we ambled back to the hotel and fell asleep in a breath. For me, hotel mattress quality is very important and this one was truly an 11/10, my back was grateful. (I only wish I’d checked the labels so I could explore buying the same one for home!)
We welcomed the next day with a morning walk and breakfast at the hotel (I was pleasantly surprised by their overnight oats), and continued our self-created tour - Temple Bar area, Chester Beatty Library, Trinity College and more.
Chester Beatty Library was absolutely incredible and one of my highlights of our trip! It houses ancient religious and philosophical texts, as well as beautiful drawings and mandalas from centuries ago, all collected by the American Sir Alfred Chester Beatty’s life. As a result of his work, he became the first honorary citizen of Ireland in 1957. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by a friendly guide, who freely offered us his story as a world-traveller (he can more easily count the countries he hasn’t been to, over the ones he has… 2!), ex-army officer and avid learner of history. My Mum suggested he write a book about his life, which I think pleased him very much. We graciously thanked him for his story and treaded up the stairs, you know, in that way that people new to a building walk as if to test out its safety.
First up was a room of items from China, including mesmerising jade books (i.e. carved and engrossed jade pages) and paintings from the Qing dynasty; a Fortune-Telling Manual from Thailand, dated to mid-19th century; Samurai armour from Japan; miniature sculptures from around Asia; and much more. Upstairs was a room of old, sacred Judaic, Christian and Muslim texts, including some of the earliest Qur’an collections and fascinating papyrus manuscripts. This ‘Sacred Traditions’ room also housed Hindu mandalas, Buddha statues and items from Confucianism, Taoism and Jainism. For me, the arrangement of the items and informational plaques stood out, because they brought everything to life in a way I hadn’t seen another gallery or museum do. I wrote in my journal upon reflection, ‘So much knowledge, I’m excited to go back to some of it.’ (In other words, the nerd in me couldn’t wait to re-read the plaques from her photo gallery.) There is also a room with Egyptian items, but we didn’t visit because we felt our brains had consumed and experienced so much already. The Library is free, and I highly recommend to any visitor of Dublin.
A walk through the grounds of Trinity College followed, and then a stop at the hotel to layer up (my dress was a nice idea in the morning, but it has started to smell like rain). We decided to sign up for a free walking tour in the afternoon and we headed for some lunch first to re-charge. Again, the food was a hit - the most tiered and pretty avocado on toast I’d ever had, and my Mum had a decadent chocolate tart.
The walking tour was just as expected - a local guide named James, full of historical, cultural and folklore knowledge. James brought Dublin into life with his stories, humour and open-mindedness toward our curiosities. We learned that only in Ireland can you ask the police for ‘craic’ (pronounced: crack) and they’ll respond with, ‘Oh yeah, so much craic!’ I also learned that the “Potato Famine” was in fact not a potato shortage, but British soldiers keeping food behind fences for delivery from Ireland to England; that the Window Tax (aka “Daylight Tax”) is the reason the Bank of Ireland’s building is without windows; and that there is a (joking) Irish trinity of J. F. Kennedy, the Queen and the Pope. As importantly, James provided us with a perfect toilet break, which is always appreciated by travelling, always-drinking-water me.
Before dinner, we took some time to relax and freshen up at the hotel, and then set out on a final evening stroll. We passed a statue of Oscar Wilde, where half of his face is smiling and the other is frowning, and some pretty cool buildings, which I’ve forgotten by now. Dinner was at a classy Italian place. I had another delicious - two actually - mocktails, fluffy bread and an olive oil and balsamic dip. Finally, it was time to say our thanks to the day and sleep in my newly-beloved mattress again.
And so, our day and a half was coming to an end. With one final breakfast of overnight oats and fruit, a short morning walk as we searched to buy lunch for later, we loaded the car with our things. We headed North toward the sacred Hill of Tara, other ancient sights and Faughart, the birthplace of St. Brigid and one of my main reasons for wanting to visit Ireland in the first place.
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Some memories:
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Background: I took a 10-day road trip to Ireland from 6 - 16 September. We travelled from Dublin to Faughart. From there to Galway and then through the Wild Atlantic Way and down to Limerick. Finally, back to Dublin through Kilkenny and Kildaire. You can find a snapshot of this trip here and also here.
