Craic-ing Easter in Ireland

To be honest, Dublin's never been at the top of my must-see destinations but this Easter, when flights to other places seemed a bit too expensive, Ana and I decided to head to the Emerald Isle for our four day break. We weren't sure if it would be a ghost town and closed given the religious nature of the holiday (apparently chocolate isn't reason enough!), or if we'd run out of things to do after one day but we were both very pleasantly surprised.

We seemed to descend just minutes after take off so had plenty of time to enjoy our first Guinness once we'd checked in to the hotel (Fitzwilliam - excellent 4 stars and perfect location). This was at the lively, crowded Kehoe's, that has "one of the best pints in Dublin". We got chatting to one of the locals (as you do) who told us how to drink a Guinness (no sipping) and gave us his top tips for our visit (stick south of Dame Street to avoid the tourists, don't go to Temple Bar, and how to spot Bono's house). The weekend was off to a very good start.

On Good Friday we had a late breakfast at Fallon & Byrne; a food emporium accurately described by Lonely Planet as Dublin's Dean & Deluca. Fresh fruit, granola, yoghurt and a good coffee set us up for the day. We took the DART south to Killiney and walked back up the coast path to another little village called Dalkey to take in the views. Somehow, dodging the high tide I suspect, we missed Bono's mansion but we enjoyed the fresh air and had a late lunch at a cafe called Notes. We took the train back into Dublin and went to the movies (saw The Hunger Games) where all the locals also seemed to be hanging out while there was no Guinness to be drunk.

Didn't want to get my shoes wet!

Killiney beach

The next morning, we headed back to Fallon & Byrne for another late breakfast, and then joined a short but interesting walking tour of Trinity College. The highlight was their famous library and we saw the Book of Kells. Afterwards we met Lisa (Irish lass from TMW who was in town visiting her family) and went to the business end of town for lunch at Ely Brasserie and then on to the Harbourmaster and Donohue's for a couple of pints of Guinness. It was a fun afternoon which quickly turned into night so we said goodbye to Lisa and moved onto our evening plans.

A lovely big tree at Trinity College

My Goodness My Guinness

Kicking off with an espresso martini at the cocktail bar in The Shelbourne Hotel, we moved on to dinner at a cool restuarant called Bang which has a Michelin Bib, then to Odessa for a drink and finally on to Lillies Bordello (it's not as bad as it sounds).  The two of us had a great night, no doubt helped along by our boozy afternoon!

Cheers!

Needless to say we had a late brunch on Easter Sunday but this time at Odessa (it has a resto as well as a bar) which was excellent. A Bloody Mary and eggs benedict with potato fortified me for the afternoon's activities. This time a trip to the Chester Beatty Library which holds a fascinating collection of books and is set alongside the grounds of the Dublin Castle. We popped into the Queen of Tarts for a cup of tea and then spent a couple of hours wandering through Brown Thomas, Dublin's excellent department store.
Torn between a comedy night or traditional irish music, we ditched both and opted for a quiet Sunday night watching films in the hotel instead.

Perfect brunch

For the last day of our visit, we had breakfast (note the early start to the day!) at Gibson's and then walked up to the Guinness Storehouse. It really is a well executed tourist destination and an excellent insight into the brewery. One gets a sense of how it has been at the heart of Dublin's life for 200 years. We spent a few hours there and even poured our own 'perfect pints' (I have the certificate to prove it). After such a relaxed visit, it was then unfortunately a mad dash to grab some lunch back at new favourite F&B and on to the airport for our flight back to London. We had four full, enjoyable days in Dublin and could easily have spent another day or two in the city without feeling lost at all. No ghosts either, but there was the odd leprechaun.

Pouring the perfect pint

Fab Guinness poster. Loved the classic advertising.

Leprechaun Spotting!