Good Morning, Dublin. Not too impressive view from our ship... Grafton Street..so busy!
Dublin is
located on the east coast of Ireland, at the mouth of the River Liffey,
which runs through the city. Your
cruise ship will probably dock at Alexandra Quay, out near the ferry
terminal at the entrance to the River Liffey.
Usually all ships will give you a transfer to the
city center, for about $5 per person, one way - charged to your onboard
account. But you can walk if you choose. If you walk into town you will
notice that the port area is very commercial, lots of big trucks and cranes,
containers and not much else to see. A walk into the city from the cruise
pier will take you about 40 minutes. (2-3 miles). A cab will cost you a
lot more (because of the traffic jams) and cannot guarantee that you will
make it back to the ship before it departs, if you don't leave very early.
So we had our concierge get us passes on the cruise shuttles. That way we
knew it was up to them to get us back home on time for departure.
The city of Dublin itself isn't too impressive because of the crowds on the streets. It is difficult to window shop.. and you certainly can't stop to take pictures. The nicer shopping areas are Grafton Street and Henry Streets...and they are pedestrianized. So at least you don't have to take your life in your hands as you are rubber-necking the shops.
Flower kiosks everywhere.. every flower imaginable!
This was an interesting revelation! When we asked directions to Henry Street the Irish Doorman (above) said "head for the high needle." When we asked what it was... he said no one knows but it cost the city 5 million Euros! Someone was on 'needle' when they designed that thing. It is an ugly attraction for the city." He was right!
SHOPPING
The river is spanned by ten bridges, notably O'Connell's Bridge, which links the main thoroughfares of the city.
Northside- We first headed up O'Connell (right) to shop on Henry Street, then backtracked across the Liffey Bridge toward Temple Bar. Shopping in Dublin focuses on the two main pedestrianized shopping streets; Henry Street on the north side and Grafton Street/Stephen's Green on the south side. The two streets are just either side of the river, a few minutes walk apart, but are somewhat different.
Southside
Grafton Street, located between Trinity College and St Stephen's Green is
the more smart shopping area with fashionable stores such as Brown Thomas,
the department store catering for many designer showcases, both foreign and
local. Dublin's leading and most exclusive jewelers, Weirs, is also here, as
well as the most popular of the famous Bewley's
Cafés. Other principal shopping streets in the area include
Wicklow Street, Dawson Street, and South Great Georges Street. The nearby
Powerscourt Town centre is one of the nicer, albeit small, shopping centers
in the city. Also close by is The Georges Street Arcade, an indoor market
well worth a visit.
Crossing the Liffy Bridge to the other side of the river and Grafton Street.
Statue of Daniel O'Connell in city center- and Molly Malone statue offering her wares at the top of Grafton Street in Dublin
MOLLY MALONE STATUE AND LEGEND The Molly Malone statue is located at the end of Grafton Street, opposite Trinity College. Molly Malone was a semi historical/legendary figure who was referred to in the song 'Cockles and Mussels,' a Dublin anthem in every pub. In the song 'In Dublin's Fair City' she "wheeled her wheelbarrow, through streets broad and narrow." This is exactly what she is doing here. The statue is very popular with tourists who all take pictures of her and her deep cleavage. According to that legend she was the most beautiful girl in eighteenth century Dublin. She lived with her parents in the Liberties and sold cockles and mussels in the classy area around Grafton Street and Saint Stephen's Green by day -- and her body to Trinity College students by night. Locals sometimes call her "The Tart With the Cart" or "The Dish With the Fish". (Leave it to the Irish!!)
As you come across the bridge stay on Grafton/Westmoreland Streets until you get to the popular Brewleys Pub.
BREWLEY'S PUB
Stroll into Bewleys Café on Grafton, a Dublin
institution, go into the back room at the left to enjoy the atmosphere of
real fires, velvet banquettes and stained glass windows. ... Feel the warmth
and cheeriness of the place (along with the brew) On the day we were there -
there were no locals singing-- so we couldn't chime in with "Molly Malone"!
But after couple of Heinekens and we were
a happy couple! Appetizers
included Irish bread, pate, sauces
and olives! Delicious!
TRINITY COLLEGE
An aerial view of the expanse of Trinity College.
Continue on Grafton until you enter the hallowed gateway of Trinity College and pass through its elegant 18th and 19th century courtyards and greens. Admire the Old Library building, now believed to be the largest single library chamber in the world (internal visits to the Old Library and the famous Book of Kells may be made independently after the walk). Upon leaving the campus a stroll through the halls of the National Gallery of Ireland will bring you out, rather unexpectedly, into a district of splendid Georgian squares, long elegant terraces, tranquil parks and magnificent government institutions.
Trinity College is located on College Green opposite the former Irish Houses of Parliament (now a branch of the Bank of Ireland). The campus occupies 47 acres , with many attractive buildings, both old and new, ranged around large courts (known as "squares") and two playing fields. You will pass by many of these buildings on your walking tour of Dublin.
ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL
The courtyards and gardens of Dublin Castle reveal their own treasures and
surprises including medieval towers, a section of city wall and one of the
most outstanding museums in the world, the Chester Beatty Library Galleries.
Moving on through an historic former 17th/18th century Huguenot area you
will wander past a modern apartment building which uniquely features scenes
from Gulliver's Travels, that great work penned by the one-time Dean of St
Patrick's, Jonathan Swift.
A
lovely park, laid out and paid for by the famous Guinness family, will
afford a magnificent panoramic view and great photo opportunity of St
Patrick's Cathedral. It was founded by a Norman archbishop in the 12th
century at the very site where St Patrick is reputed to have baptized the
people of the area in the 5th century. In the park there is also a showpiece
called the Literary Parade which highlights the pantheon of famous Dublin
writers, from Oscar Wilde to George Bernard Shaw to James Joyce. Find out
how the world-famous brewery of Guinness helped to lift this area from
depressing slums into a reinvigorated community relocated into quality
housing. The walk will then take you around the neighbors of St Patrick's
including the deanery, a police station housed in a one-time medieval
archbishop's palace and, subject to it being open, visit Marsh's
Library, Ireland's first public library (and believed to be haunted!).
DUBLIN CASTLE - Palace Street off Dame Street
Built between 1208 and 1220, this complex represents some of the oldest surviving architecture in the city, and was the center of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until it was taken over by the Irish Free State in 1922. Highlights include the 13th-century record tower, the largest visible fragment of the original Norman castle and the State Apartments, once the residence of English viceroys and now the focal point for government ceremonial functions, including the inauguration of Ireland's presidents. The newest developments for visitors are the Undercroft, and excavates site on the grounds where an early Viking fortress stood, and the treasury, built between 1712 and 1715, believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built office building in Ireland. It houses a new visitor centre in its vaulted basement.
So it is time to head back to the ship after an interesting and enlightening, but tiring day.
And as they say in Ireland, "I find there’s no creaking body part or fearful, aching heart that a pint of Guinness and a soft Irish ballad can’t soothe." I've finally come home-- to Ireland, the home of my ancestors... and now I understand where the kind hearts, joviality, humor and laughter comes from. Thank you Ireland, for my family!
* Villa or Apartment Rentals in Dublin