Short break. Why is Dublin so bad

[IfIShouldFallFromGraceWithGod]

I'm looking for a city break and Dublin was on my list. It scored highly on the worst holiday thread, can anyone tell me why

The Cobblestone in Smithfield is a music pub.

Do the areas around South William Street, Wexford Street, Camden Street, Harcourt St, Grafton Street, Duke St, South Anne St., St. Stephen's Green, Merrion Square. Every city has dodgy areas, these are where the natives go.

Most Dublin people would never go anywhere near Temple Bar. North of the Liffey can be dodge, apart from certain spots like Millennium Walk, Smithfield, shopping in Capel/ Henry/Mary Street.. A lot of the action is on the Southside. That is the reality. But I like the Northside myself, gritty and unvarnished!

Any more questions... fire away.

I will never understand the lure of temple bar - who the fluck wants to pay a tenner for a pint or 12 euro for a glass of chardonnay like? Also the cobblestones and shoes are a no no. I have family who come over every year to dublin and the stay in the arlington hotel. I do not get it myself but it seems to be a bit of a brit magnet. I am not a diddly-aye girl though so the irish dancing would frustrate me to pieces. So many more places that have heritage and culture without the faux 'top o the mornin to ye' shite. I cannot name one off the top of my head mind as I never go out (thank you single parenting life)!

Have a look at the DM site today, a couple were robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight just out side of the Guiness factory

And I can do a quick Google and see a man was stabbed in Trafalgar Square; or that Le Marais has seedy ends, Wenceslas Square- watch out for pickpockets.

Don't know what point you're trying to make Lowandlcuky.
My point is that Dublin is no better or worse than other capitals.

It's awful that it happened, but crime is in every city. There has been a huge increase in stabbings in London and other UK cities. You don't just write off the entire place.

I've lived in Dublin all my life and never been mugged or robbed, neither have my friends or family. Those people were unlucky and I feel for them, but these things happen all over the world.

I've had a good few people in work (I'm in Dublin) saying they are uneasy about going to London because of the stabbings and acid attacks.

These things put people off going places. It works both ways.

I see a lot of hate for Temple Bar here and I agree that it is over-run with tourists in places BUT I would also say that there are still some good places there - The Palace Bar, very end of Temple Bar, Fleet St is a great Victorian Bar and well worth a stop off for a drink.

The Elephant and Castle is a Dublin institution and does AMAZING chicken wings and burgers and omelettes and has been there for 30 years or so. Def worth a lunch / dinner

Temple Bar was developed as a cultural quarter and there are still some great galleries there - Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, The Gallery of Photography, The Library Project - all worth a mooch.

Further up the street there is the Clarence Hotel - an Art Deco building. The hotel was owed by U2 (may still be?) and the bar is nice in there. Next door is the fabulous Dollard and Co - food hall, wine bar, restaurant - def worth a stop off.

The Irish Film Institute is on Eustace St Temple Bar - it has 3 screens, a bar and a restaurant and shows arthouse movies.

The Smock Alley Theatre is close by so always good to see what they have on. There's a very good coffee shop nearby - The Queen of Tarts, if you're in need of coffee / cake / lunch.

Leaving Temple Bar at that end and heading onto Dame St - you have Christ Church to the right, Dublin Castle in front of you - with the fabulous Chester Beatty Museum inside the walls - good cafe too.

The famous Olympia Theatre is halfway down the street - again worth checking out. The other side of the street down a little alleyway / side street is the wonderful Stag's Head bar - you will see a mosaic of a stag on the pavement outside the entrance to the alley way - another hidden gem of a pub - I have whiled away quite a few hours in there!

Trinity College is at the end of the street, make sure to have a wander around the campus.

Lots to do in Temple Bar that does not just include diddly iddle eye pubs!

I know they are not all in Temple Bar exactly but all within a stones throw

placemarking as I'm going next year for the football and I'd like to do something other than drink all day :)

Me neither. Not one single violent thing has happened to me in dublin, and my bag was robbed by a scroat on a moped in london but i think that was because i used to be out later more often in london. Some tourists were robbed in dublin ystrdy. Gardai need to take up abit more of a presence near guinness store house as it is not agreat area. A man i work with who can walk to work in half an hour (great!) see addicts openly smoking crack on his way to work. A few guards on the street outside guinnes storehouse long overdue.

OP while I thought Dublin was expensive, I did like it. Public transport is reasonably priced and plentiful. The museums around MerrionSqare really good and free. The Natural History Musueum (aka the dead zoo) is a tribute to Victorian taxedermy! The archology Meseum has some really nice exhibits as well. I also went to the National Library which is a lovely quiet building, which also has a good family history section with people to help.

@Mathanxiety sorry but I think the Irish Sea coast in Cos Dublin, Louth and parts of Co Down is not particularly nice. Every time I go to Greystones I think it's a bit, well, grey. The sea is not clean and sometimes swimmers are told not to swim because of pollution.

I admit I'm spoiled by the glorious North Antrim coast near where I live, where the sea is crystal clear and the scenery is stunning.

The nicest part of the Co Down coast is the bit around Strangford lough.

The North Antrim coast is stunning.

@duchess I can see that partition and the famine/genocide are too political to have proper museums about them. It is a shame though as they would be unique and are key issues.

Glasgow has stunning stone buildings, brilliant museums of international standard like the Burrell Museum, relevant local museums like the St Mungo Museum and The People's Palace, the internationally renowned theatre of A Play, A Pie and A Pint (have not been to this but have read lots about it) and Citizens Theatre, and The Necropolis. These are things I am interested in, but lots of other things like a football museum, distilleries, Barrowland Ballroom, etc.
Just listing these makes me want to organise another weekend away there.

When I travel for a city break I like to see something unique, preferably relevant to that place. So going to Leicester this weekend for their Diwali celebrations. There is nothing equivalent where we live.

I suspect that is why so many tourists to Dublin go to Temple Bar, they are looking for something unique to Dublin, different from lots of other cities.

Auckland is boring as a tourist, but if I lived in NZ is where I would live. It has 23% population Asian and is a vibrant modern city. But the tourist places in NZ are the beautiful NZ countryside.

I won't bash you Jenny but here are a few things that could have been of interest:

Croke Park museum to learn more about our unique sports hurling and gaelic football. You could even take in a match.

We too have a botanic gardens. Probably a relic from your British ancestors. Nearby is the glasnevin cemetery as another poster said. A number of famous dubs and political figures are buried here.

Sure our museums are not as big as yours but sure yours don't inform ye of Irish history or culture. Try the free National History museum, the free natural history museum (the dead Zoo) both within walking distance of each other. Collins barracks. Kilmainham Gaol. Trinity College and the science gallery located in Trinity college. St Patrick's Cathedral. Dublin Castle (OK not as amazing as Edinburgh Castle etc but sure hey was built by your British ancestors).

Perhaps art is your thing. We have the National Art gallery (very near Trinity College, and not far from the National Museum and Dead Zoo). Plus on Sundays its worth walking around Merrion Square or Stephens Green looking at the paintings people are selling and speaking to the artists. Perhaps Asian art is your thing if so there is the Chester Beatty library. For modern art IMMA. IMMA has lovely grounds and often holds gigs.

There are also quirky places like smallest museum in Dublin (Georgian House in period style). The leprechaun museum (not my cup of tea). Our own wee wax museum (again no madame tussauds but if was people are your thing it's not too bad). You could paddle in the canals at the weekend for 10 euro or maybe rent a barge.

We have a number of Georgian squares and little parks. Stoney batter was voted one of the hippest places to live in Europe recently. You can check out some lovely neighbourhoods like Ranelagh, Rathmines etc

As for food we have loads of choice. The quality is fantastic too. You must do your research but there are plenty of decent places to eat that won't bankrupt you.

There are loads of good bars and pubs another poster has mentioned some good ones. I would include the Brazen head for tourists as it is Dublins oldest pub.

Yeah we have homeless people and drug addicts but we have been worse hit by the global recession than many other EU countries (not including Greece, Portugal and Spain). Yes we have thieves so does Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, Paris etc etc (I've personally been robbed or seen someone robbed in these cities). Don't want to alarm you but Dubliners have sex too so if it bothers you better avoid the place.

Yes we are more expensive than other cities but as others have said we are a working city.

Come visit and see for yourselves. Most Irish are friendly but sure like yourselves we have our moments. Oh and I didn't have to mention Guinness or Temple bar in my short guide.

@stopwining Here's an article with loads of brilliant, quirky things to do in Dublin.

m.independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/the-dublin-bucket-list-30-things-to-do-in-the-city-before-you-die-35019315.html

As a Dubliner, the main piece of advice I'd give you is to avoid Temple Bar and O'Connell street. Everywhere else is lovely!
It all depends what type of weekend you want? You can eat all weekend/shop/go to museums/gigs/theatre/comedy. Dublin has literally everything, except the weather!

I always recommend tourists hop on a Dart and go to Dun Laoghaire/Dalkey/Monkstown/Greystones/Glasthule or Malahide/Howth. Or else jump on the Luas or into a taxi and try out Rathgar/Ranelagh/Rathmines. Particularly for good restaurants/pubs and walks. As someone above pointed out, you can spend hours going across large capital cities like London in traffic/public transport so these places are all between 30 mins and 1 hour away from the city centre on public transport, which is nothing!

I hope no one is put off Dublin by this thread, I just think you need to do your research.

The nicest parts of Ireland are outside the cities especially Dublin. This means that a car is essential and you have to plan a longer trip than a short weekend stay.

I lived in Dublin for many years and have done pretty much all of the 'recommendations'. It is a dirty city, crime is high, there is bad planning and high rents which results in large areas of the city being home to phone shops, fast food outlets and very cheap clothing shops. There are so many homeless and anywhere in the city centre is home to addicts. There is generally a very unsafe and uneasy feeling when walking around.

The people who love Dublin are the ones born in Dublin. Its the old adage 'there's no place like home'. But Irish people from outside Dublin don't like Dublin either for anything other than a very short stay to experience shows/shop and do city things like shows.

You have to leave Dublin city. Forget places like Dun Laoghaire - there really is nothing there that you won't do in Dublin city. Go to the coast e.g. Howth and it offers great walks and scenery. Go to Wicklow and again there are great walks.

And better still, travel south or west and stop in small towns and villages and get a feel for what Ireland and Irish people are really like. Forget tourist pubs. Go the quiet village pubs and see where locals drink. Irish people are humble, friendly and interested in strangers. They enjoy meeting people. Find Irish music in places where people get together to play music with whoever turns up on the night and play out of their love of music not money. Go to a local hurling game and see what the game is really like.

Ireland itself isn't different from the UK but the people's mannerisms are different.

I know the weather makes it harder, but bring waterproofs and explore the real Ireland.

I've been and it's fine.

As in it's a nice enough place to spend a weekend, but nothing special.

Ireland has a lot to recommend it as a destination and IME Dublin isn't its glory spot.

Sorry Pierre, I'm now convinced you've never explored the coast either north or south of the city.

DuchessDumbarton The OP's question was why is Dublin so bad, well there is a reason.

@Lowlandlucky, and that would be????

Well, the OP actually asked why Dublin scored so highly on the “worst holidays’ thread. To which the answer is often, as on many such threads, a combination of lack of research, unrealistic expectations — anyone who expects central Dublin to be a ‘pretty Georgian city’ is clearly oblivious to the effect on the cityscape of 1916 and the war of independence, let alone cycles of recession and boom — and a reluctance to go off the beaten track of Big Dumb Attractions that don’t require any understanding of local history or culture.

Posters complaining about the lack of famine museums have clearly not even googled ‘famine museum Dublin’ — the top three results are the EPIC emigration museum, the Jeanie Johnston, and the exhibition in Stephen’s Green shopping centre. Anyone complaining about the lack of a museum of the Troubles has clearly zero understanding of why this would be inappropriate in Dublin.

Anyone complaining about the weather has confused Dublin with Santa Monica.

This thread is utterly depressing in parts.
I absolutely do not recognise the Dublin I have just come back from on Monday evening from Doyoureallyneedtoask's description. At all. When did you live there, it seems like it was the 80's or beyond. Such horrific sweeping statements 'Irish people outside Dublin don't like Dublin'!?? Really? And you have spoken to every Irish person outside Dublin to establish this fact have you?

As for Jenny, I am giving up on this now as it feels like hitting your head against a brick wall there. Seriously? Many, many posters have come on to suggest that Dublin does, in fact, have all the things you claim it doesn't - yet you are still persist in sticking to your own uninformed, ignorant stance.

I was the person who asked you what Glasgow or Manchester have that are so wonderful for tourists compared to Dublin. I see you have answered that question and it amused me no end. So many posters, including me have listed many, many museums which are unique to Dublin. You seem to have missed those posts. So, Glasgow and Dublin have unique theatre companies, you have not experienced either, but you can claim that Glasgow's are better? That just about sums it up for me!

I grew up in Ireland and lived in Dublin for twenty years until 2017. Recent enough for you?