I touched down in Dublin after a long, overnight flight from New York. In the early morning, I took a small bus from the airport, looking out on green fields with fresh winter air whipping my face. It was a refreshing greeting from a new place after leaving New York, a city-bound with every excitement and hard to leave.
I like visiting places I don’t know much about. I don’t mean this in a pretentious way. I feel, with many popular tourist destinations, I never experience anything for the first time. Pop culture and the tourism industry bombards me with images, romanticising the sites of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Big Ben and the Venice Canals. With these, I can only seek to personalise what I have already encountered second hand. Dublin, however, doesn’t take centre-stage on people’s grand European tours and doesn’t reach my Instagram feed or feature in blockbuster movies much. Without preconceptions, I had an intense curiosity for Dublin.
My expectations for my two night stay were vague but my interest and excitement were immense because of my Irish heritage. While my relatives are always hazy about when and why we came over, I am often reminded of my heritage every time I get “fiery.” I find it perplexing how a family can be “Australian” only a few generations back and, somehow, this faints hundreds of years of spent elsewhere. What history is lost? Spun by these thoughts, I was ready to become acquainted with a land where, for who knows how many hundreds of years, my ancestors lived and breathed and got fiery.
With these romantic biases, I encountered Dublin’s mystery with awe and intimacy. The city, while small, was lively with Christmas season festivities. Pubs were bursting, the vibrant art scene was a grand surprise and the heritage sector was very rewarding. I’ll touch on some highlights below.
DRINKING
Whiskey
As I am not a fan of whiskey, I had to interview Reece on this vital Irish experience. He spent an afternoon at the Irish Whiskey Museum. For 18 euros, he listened to a talk about the Irish invention of whiskey (apparently proudly predating the Scots), explored a historic brewing kitchen and tasted 5 middle and high range single malt whiskeys. Because he is a lad who likes to live the high life, he paid the extra 2 euro for a premium shot and take-away tasting glass. He must have had fun because I found him afterward, shoulder to shoulder, three rounds of Guinness in with two new South African friends in a pub down the road.
I have one contribution to this topic- to excuse drinking before midday but to still make the most of Ireland’s drinking culture, I dipped into the tradition of putting whiskey into my coffee for an Irish Coffee. I can confirm, despite my usual diversion to this liquor, it was deliciously stomach-warming in the middle of winter.
Guinness
While I avoid calorie-heavy beers usually (not that I am opposed to calories, I just like to use them elsewhere), Guinness is beautifully sweet on tap in its hometown.
I spent an afternoon at the most popular tourist destination in Ireland- the Guinness Storehouse. There must be spare cash in the beer industry- the lavishness of the brewery museums I have been to would make any curator of art or heritage weak on their knees. The six-story museum is like being immersed in one, expensive advertisement. Ok, we get it, you make your beer better than any other beer in the entire world. Yes, you love your founder, a rich white man 200 years dead and I should worship him too.
After getting through all the glittery propaganda, there was a short beer-pouring course included in the entrance price. I passed but I think they were being soft as I was the only person who needed to take the test twice- but in the end, I did pour my “perfect pint.” It felt like a rite of passage drinking said pint of Guinness on the rooftop bar overlooking the sunset over Dublin.
Word has it, you should never pay more than 5 euros for a pint of Guinness. If you see anything above this price, you are in a tourist-trap.
Pubs
Sometimes in Australia, pubs that are bursting at the seams in summer quiet down for the winter. This is simply not true in Ireland. Despite the 0-degree temperature, tourists and locals alike filled cosy venues to listen to live music and drink beer. The stew on mash potatos is to die for.
Sitting at the front of a bar audience, we were lovingly heckled for being Australian, including a toast to the same sex marriage legislation being passed that day and the Neighbours theme song generously played. I was re-applying my lipstick when the duo stopped playing and shouted at me to go to the bathroom to not “destroy the mystery” at which I rolled my eyes and kept going, getting the response “Ain’t no man going to tell her what to do.” Well, correct.
ART
Believe it or not, I didn’t spend my entire three-day Dublin excursion downing liquor. The city had a humble but flourishing art scene which I had the pleasure exploring.
Temple Bar Gallery and Studios
One night, Charlotte and I were walking back to our hostel when we noticed a little contemporary gallery still open. We looked at the small but dynamic exhibition on display while a private party happened down the back. But, it wasn’t private as it turns out, as we were invited to partake in the wine and cheese and enjoy an open studio night. Up the course of several flights of stairs, artists had generously opened their studios, with their work on display and wine in hand, ready for a chat. On a cold night, a week out from Christmas, it was a pleasant surprise to see an intimate arts event happening in the city.
Unfortunately, this was the end of the day I arrived from New York with little sleep. In my lethargic state, I took no photos and spoke to no one. If only I could transport myself back now to this great initiative and engage more!
Dublin Writers Museum
The Dublin Writers Museum is a modest establishment holding a very historically and culturally significant collection. It is enough to make any bookworm faint. Whilst text heavy and chocka-block with artifacts, I was entranced in the literacy legacy of Dublin. While I am a book and museum fan, making this an ultimate place for me, I am generally quick to browse exhibitions and don’t usually drag my feet. But, it took me an hour to get through the first two rooms at my own pace. As I looked at their original manuscripts and read their life stories, I felt quite proud I share a cultural heritage with the likes of Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, William Years and George Bernard Shaw. I felt a bit sad about the state the building was in, with some need for TLC. The best TLC this great little institution can get, though, is love from the international community. Visit if you’re in town!
Dublin City Gallery: The Hugh Lane
Next door to the Dublin Writers Museum was the Dublin City Gallery. While it wasn’t on my itinerary, I had a quick look at the beautifully curated contemporary collection. I was blown away by temporary exhibition Francis Bacon Studio. After entering, I watched an interview with Francis Bacon in his London studio (by some pompous Brit) before seeing the actual studio reconstructed in the gallery. My eyes jumped out of their sockets. It such a unique experience. It was like the product of the artwork was eliminated from the exhibition format and the artist and their creative sanctuary, the studio, became the core focus. Artists like Francis Bacon are hardly known for their works but for their name and personal legacy. This exhibition brought the audience and the artist into a closer, more intimate relationship.
I grabbed the curator’s email but, as one would expect with a sticky note while travelling, I lost it.
HERITAGE
Kilmainham Gaol
My visit to Kilmainham Gaol was the highlight of my time in Dublin; here I felt most connected to Ireland’s heritage and cultural struggles. The institution is not a spectacle for those incarcerated there over the years. It didn’t play on the dark and sinister aspects for a tourist thrill. Rather, they represented the history honestly, sensitively and transparently while also using it to educate visitors on the darker parts of Irish history, especially life under British rule.
My tour guide was fixating as he described the rebellions of the 20th century, pointing out the cells of the leaders and the exact spot they met the firing squad. I actually think I was spell-bound by his thick Irish accent and I became a true Irish nationalist, wanting to free Ireland once and for all.
I recommend planning ahead for the gaol as it is not close to the centre and you need to book ahead (only 4 euro for a student ticket).
The Book of Kells
When I was blown away by the Dublin Writer’s Museum, I had no idea I had some true literary magic coming. Located at Trinity College, the Book of Kells exhibition displays lavishly decorated Biblical manuscripts from the middle ages. With an informative exhibition on Ireland’s ancient literary and transcriptional roots, the books, now almost a millennia old, are cultural treasures to be experienced. I wasn’t able to take photos for conservation reasons- apparently, the movement of the flash can cause tremors in the old paint pigments, making them loose from the pages. If you are interested in conservation, follow this.
After the exhibition, I visited the Trinity College Library (included in the ticket). There is a picture of this library floating around on facebook and I have been tagged in it by at least a half-dozen people over the last year. I guess my love for books is well known, I can’t complain.
Dublin Castle
I did a tour of the Dublin Castle but it probably wasn’t worth the ticket price. My European friends have said to me- once you’ve seen one castle, you have seen them all. I think once you have seen Versaille you have no need to see another palace. There are some castles I have loved but it can feel irky visiting powerful institutions when the everyday people of the era are mostly forgotten. If you are a fan of Netflix’s Rebellion or know much about the 1916 uprising, it is worth seeing the building in real life for its history. To be honest, though, you don’t get to see a lot.
A LITTLE TRAVEL TRIP…
I flew from New York to Dublin for only $150 with Norwegian Air! See their deals here and a screenshot of their flights below: one way from $99 USD! Usually, you would pay $300 plus to take this route! It is definitely the cheapest way to reach Europe from the US.
