Summary

A family's brief visit to Dublin, Ireland is documented, highlighting their exploration of historical sites, cultural experiences, and local attractions.

Abstract

In late September 2018, the author and their family embarked on a short yet eventful trip to Dublin, Ireland. They lodged in a homestay on North Circular Road, which provided convenient access to various city locations and public transport. During their stay, they toured the Guinness Storehouse Factory, admired the flora at the National Botanic Gardens, and absorbed the vibrant atmosphere of Dublin's pub scene, particularly at the famous Temple Bar. They appreciated the city's historical churches, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, and learned about the Roman Catholic Archdiocese's unique situation. The family also explored the Dublinia museum and Dublin Castle, gaining insights into the city's Viking and Medieval past. Their visit was capped off with a walk on the iconic Ha'Penny bridge. Despite the brevity of their trip, the family found Dublin to be a lively, welcoming city, perfect for all ages, and they look forward to a future visit to explore more of Ireland.

Opinions

The Guinness Storehouse Factory tour was deemed informative, with the glass atrium's design and the experience of pouring a pint of Guinness being notable highlights.
The National Botanic Gardens were highly praised, with its expansive outdoor gardens and diverse plant species housed in beautifully designed greenhouses.
Dublin's pubs, especially those in the bar district, were enjoyed for their live Irish music and the authentic atmosphere of the Temple Bar.
The historical significance of Dublin's churches was appreciated, with a particular interest in the fact that St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral serves as the Roman Catholic Archbishop's seat despite Christ Church Cathedral being officially recognized.
Dublin Castle was considered an impressive historical site, reflecting the city's history from a Viking settlement to the seat of British government administration in Ireland.
The Ha'Penny bridge was noted as an interesting sight due to its historical context and the fact that it once required a toll for crossing.
Overall, Dublin was described as a vibrant, friendly city that is easy to navigate and offers a rich variety of activities and sights for tourists of all ages.

Dublin, Ireland

A city well worth a visit.

We arrived in Dublin on September 26, 2018 and took a taxi to our homestay which was on North Circular Road. It was very conveniently located, walking distance to a number of locations and close to bus stations and the train terminal. Our daughter who was due to attend a conference in Dublin later in the week, flew in early to join us during our visit.

Like all good tourists we dutifully paid a visit to the Guinness Storehouse Factory where we went on the informative seven floor tour of Guinness history. The seven floors wrap around a glass atrium shaped like a pint of Guinness. We learned how to properly pour a pint of Guinness, received our certificates and then enjoyed a pint at the Gravity Bar on the seventh floor.

Our homestay was a short bus ride to the National Botanic Gardens which my wife and daughter, both avid gardeners, enjoyed. The gardens were built in 1795 by the Dublin Society but is today owned and managed by the Department of Public Works. Besides the open gardens on about twenty hectares of land, there are several beautifully designed greenhouses with plants from all over the world. We spent a good part of a day walking around the beautiful gardens.

Dublin is famous for its pubs and so a visit to a few pubs was a must. The bar district has a number of bars and eclectic shops that line stone paved streets. Almost every bar we visited had excellent live Irish music and songs. One of the better known bars is the Temple Bar, established in 1840.

Image by Rhonda Carrier (Dublin Bar district)

There are a number of historical churches in the city. Both the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral founded in 1119 and Christ Church Cathedral founded in the late 11th century are under the auspices of the Anglican Church of Ireland.

Image by Rhonda Carrier (St. Patrick’s Cathedral)

I was surprised not to find a Catholic cathedral in Dublin. On researching the topic I discovered that St. Mary’s Church or St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. Interestingly the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin still recognizes Christ Church Cathedral as its seat, although Catholic liturgies have not been celebrated in either cathedral in almost five centuries.

Image by Rhonda Carrier (Christ Church Cathedral)

Located in Synod Hall in Christ Church Cathedral is the Dublinia museum. The museum features historical representations of the Viking and Medieval history of the city.

One of the other historical sites we visited was Dublin Castle. It was originally built in 1204 as a defensive position on the site of a Viking settlement. It served as the seat of the British government’s administration in Ireland until 1922 when it was handed over to the Irish Free State. As a major government complex, Dublin Castle has hosted the inauguration of each Irish president. It is also a main tourist attraction. Within its complex are the lavish State Apartments that were originally built as the residential and public quarters of the viceregal court.

Image by Author (The Portrait Gallery in the State Apartments, Dublin Castle)

An interesting sight is the Ha’Penny bridge built over the River Liffey in 1816. It is made of early cast-iron, and replaced the ferries that transported people across the river. The owner of the ferries and builder of the bridge was granted the right to charge anyone crossing the bridge half a penny for a period of 100 years.

Image by Rhonda Carrier (Ha’Penny Bridge)

Our short three day visit to Dublin was packed with activity. It was much too short and we hope to visit again to see all that we missed and to do some driving around the country. We found the city vibrant, friendly and easy to get around. It lived up to all we heard about it and more. It is a city for both the young and old and it will not disappoint.