Wanderings in Dublin, Ireland -- 5 Must Visit Places

If I am not traveling, I am thinking about it.  Certain smells, the look of a vista, the taste of a food, the lyrics of a song, a  TV program  or just an occasion like St. Patrick's Day will bring back a travel memory and I yearn to return to a place.   Many times I do actually go back, but even if I can't visit physically, the mind is a wonder when you have travelled with intention.  It let's you go back and enjoy the travel experience again and again, especially when you decide to write about it, find pictures, and do some auxiliary memory searching.   Today my mind is wandering to Ireland.  It's flipping through the streets of Dublin.

Here's some of the places it has taken me to:      

1. Temple Bar Area -- for it's bohemian art feel, Irish eateries, and nightlife.  

Americans especially of Irish descent have a romantic sense of what Ireland should be, and the Irish have catered to that expectation, amplifying the Temple Bar  area with numerous pubs mimicking the older pubs of the area .  Regardless, old or new, touristy whatever, it's fun crawling listening to music and having a pint or two.  And several of those older pubs do have histories connected to them that date back centuries, for instance:   

The Brazen Head (20 Bridge Street Lower) is touted as  Ireland's oldest pub, with a history dating back  to 1198. While there is probably little there now of what was there in the 12th century, the pub retains within its walls the feel that those of us seeking our notion of  an old Irish pub are looking for.  Moreover, it has something else, a virtual red carpet of historical patrons  including  such literaries as James Joyce, Brendan Behan and Jonathan Swift as well as revolutionaries including Robert Emmet, Wolfe Tone, Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. And today the place claims patrons still include some famous faces, including Van Morrison, Hothouse Flowers, Mary Black and Garth Brooks.  Pictures of all those folks line the walls. With live music every night, this pub fits the bill for the Irish experience.

Here you can find a complete list of pubs in the area: Temple Bar Pubs

2. St. Patrick's Cathedral -- Come on no explanation needed

Built in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral looms over the famous well where tradition says Saint Patrick baptized converts on his visit to Dublin.

The  church of Saint Patrick on this site was granted collegiate status in 1191, and raised to cathedral status in 1224. The present building dates from 1220. The Cathedral is today an Anglican church and the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland.

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels was Dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. Many of his famous sermons  were given there during his stay. His grave and epitaph can be viewed in the Cathedral.

Visitor Information

3. Irish Eateries 


Somewhat redundant with visiting pubs because this is where I would go for some traditional Irish grub, but there are also some other haunts to taste some Irish cuisine (still somewhat of an oxymoron despite the arrival of some fine Irish chefs).

I dream of this decadent Irish salad with the big slab of fabulous Irish bacon at Bewley's on Grafton Street.   Bewley's on Grafton Cafe opened in 1927 and is a Dublin landmark and Ireland’s longest established and largest café with over one million customers annually. Bewley's, the company, by the way, is Ireland's oldest and largest coffee and tea distributor.  The cafe is also known for it's art, and worth a stop to see the stained glass alone.

And, of course, there's the ham and cabbage. The dish served at the Oliver St. John Gogarty (a pub and restaurant) is called bacon and cabbage.  They also deliver up of a full menu of other Irish favorites including Irish stew and smoked salmon with brown bread.   More American in style (but hey it's in an historic Dublin townhouse) than Irish,  for that one gourmet experience , I recall Shannahan's on St. Stephen's Green for their top-notch steaks.

And speaking of the green:

4. St. Stephen's Green

Wandering through the Green you can reflect on nature where poets of Dublin did.  The Yeats memorial above is one spot for contemplation.   And right off the green on Merrion Sq., you can come face to face with another poet, author, and playwright.  The statue is right across the street from Oscar Wilde's childhood home.  

5.  Trinity College and the Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is one of the finest of a group of illuminated manuscripts produced from the late 6th through the early 9th centuries in monasteries in Ireland, Scotland and England. In addition to seeing this famous work at Trinity College, wandering about this four-plus-century-old institution founded by Elizabeth I of England and graduating the likes of Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett is nothing to miss while in Dublin.

And of course,  there is the beer.... and Guinness is the granddaddy, and a must on this Dublin tour.   

(Photos courtesy of S. Bates)