Going to Dublin, recommendations

[AGuinessOrTwo]

I am going to Dublin for a few days at the end of this week, and I am dead excited. There will be DH and I, and our 2 teenage sons.

We love great food (would love good traditional local food), music (my DH and DC are musicians), culture, history and shopping (local shops preferably).

Does anyone have any recommendations for things to do and places to see great live local music and food?

Also, on a more poignant note, my mother was Irish and moved to the UK as a young child. I've only been there once, so very much looking forward to this trip and show my DC a part of their heritage. I'd love to get a piece of jewellery for myself, locally crafted. Not sure why, I just feel I would really like to do this.

Any recommendations?

P.s. I have already booked the Guinness tour, and we are going to the Irish Rock and Roll Museum.

Guinness Storehouse tour
Open top bus tour
GPO museum and others , there are a few
The museum that shows medieval history with viking invasion, how British actually improved life prospects and trade routes, etc.
Very expensive to eat and drink there.
Enjoy

Hi! If you like trad music I'd recommend a.pub called the cobblestone in Smithfield on the north side of the city, quite close to city centre. About a ten minute walk away from the cobblestone is a pub called Mulligan Grocer which I'd recommend for dinner, great food. You will need to book in advance. Not sure about the jewellery recommendation though. Enjoy the trip.

Viking splash tours is about a 2 hours
Howth by dart or bus for fish and chips and a walk on the harbour wall

I’d scrap the open-top bus tour as they are usually rubbish. Kilmainham Gaol is superb and instantly recognisable from movies. “Traditional” food is quite hard to come by as most restaurants focus on “modern Irish” food. Your best bet would be a pub lunch in someone like Grogans or Ryan’s of Parkgate St. The Winding Stair or Woollenmills restaurants are quite “Irish”. Eating out is very expensive in general. The cafe in -Avoca on Suffolk St is good for lunch. Avoid O’Connell St and the areas around the river Liffey as there has been a post-pandemic proliferation of drug use and crime in those areas.

The Little Museum of Dublin was brilliant.

The zoo is also well worth a visit, we went on the bus tour and stopped there.

Second the Cobblestones.

The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle is fab, and the Silk Road Cafe there does great Middle Eastern food.

The Collective on Drury St has some lovely designer jewellery.

Dublin can be lovely but often in a low-key way. I'd recommend walking around the Georgian streets of Dublin 2 (e.g. around Merrion Square). The Stag's Head is a beautiful old pub, just off Grafton St. Powerscourt Shopping Centre is nice and also good for (antique) jewellery - on the first floor. All around that area has a nice cafe vibe.

Enjoy : )

I was also going to suggest the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre for jewellery, and the coffee shop there is lovely for brunch/lunch.

Definitely visit Kilmainham Gaol. The open top bus is good, you get to see a lot and I think you can get off at the Gaol and back on again. The Viking Splash tour is also good fun (expensive though)

Not sure how long you're staying but if you did want to get out of the city for a bit, the suggestion to get the DART (electric train) to Howth is good, or you could go in the opposite direction and get off at Dalkey which is beautiful or on to Bray. Lots of nice places to eat in any of the 3, and all are seaside locations. The journey itself is lovely as it goes right along the coastline.

Have a great time!

The 1916 Walking Tour.

Go to O’Donoghues pub on Merrion Row (5 mins walk from the centre) if you want live music - musicians just turn up and play/sing traditional songs - its amazing, I was moved to tears last time we went. Temple bar also of course for the atmosphere/music/craic.

We always have afternoon tea in Bewleys and if you want a meal somewhere “posh” Wilde at the Westbury and Balfes (the brasserie in the same hotel) are always good with excellent service and food in a beautiful environment. The tour bus is a good thing if you fancy a rest from walking and we hopped off at the Irish museum of modern art which was interesting, free and again in a beautiful setting. Also a whiskey tasting tour at the Irish whiskey museum on grafton street. Wander round st. Stephens green park. Visit the smallest pub in Dublin, the Dawson Lounge and also Fallon and Byrne deli and restaurant is great.

Shopping have a look around Browns department store and Avoca. Powerscourt is a must-see too and often have a live piano player.
There’s loads to do and so many lovely independent shops to browse, you won’t be bored just wandering around and discovering things for yourself.

Thx so much. Great recommendations.
😁

The Vintage Kitchen ( if its still there ???) down by Tara Street train station was great for lunch or dinner.

The EPIC Museum is well worth a visit, as is the GPO Museum.

We were there a few weeks ago and had some really good meals at Bruxelles just off Grafton St, I’d definitely recommend the Irish stew there. We found a good sandwich place called Munchies for lunch too, just along from St Stephens Green (a short walk along to the left as you face the park from Grafton St).

Kilmainham gaol as pps have mentioned. Also, Collins Barracks is one of my favourite places to go, if you've any knowledge of Irish history it's fascinating

The Kilkenny Design shop has some good Irish brands, in jewellery theres Alan Ardiff, Enibas, Martina Hamilton etc, you could take a lookonline to get an idea. The Avoca shop is lovely and definitely a wander around Powerscourt Townhouse.

I'm a native Dub. and these are my recommendations.

I'd spend at least one day in the Grafton Street/St. Stephen's Green area. Book an early tour of the Book of Kells in Trinity College. Then make your way up Grafton Street to St. Stephen's Green (small city park at the top of Grafton Street). Grafton Street is a big city street. There's a big department store (Brown Thomas - verrry expensive), M&S and lots of smaller shops. You'll probably encounter some musicians or street entertainers as you meander along, which adds to the atmosphere. Check out some of the side streets off Grafton Street - there are any amount of cafes, pubs and restaurants.

The Kilkenny Design Store is on Nassau Street (near Trinity College) . It's a gorgeous shop and sells Irish art, jewellery, pottery, crystal etc. It's the first place I thought of when you mentioned a locally crafted piece of jewellery. There's a nice cafe upstairs.

I'd recommend two museums in this area. The National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology) is on Kildare Street. It's the best museum in Dublin imo. You can view some famous artefacts like the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch. There's also a Viking exhibition. You can also see some gruesome bog bodies which your boys might enjoy, depending on their ages . The Little Museum of Dublin is on St. Stephen's Green. Iirc, a lot of the museum objects were donated by Irish people which makes for an eclectic mix. I went with my Dad and my teenage daughter and all three of us (three generations) enjoyed it.

As you can probably tell, I really love this area of Dublin. I've no idea why all the tourists head to Temple Bar!

I note that you've booked to do the Guinness Tour. While you're there, take in Kilmainham Gaol and/or the Irish Museum of Modern Art. They're all roughly in the same area.

Previous posters have mentioned the Cobblestone pub. It's not too far from the Jameson Distillery if you wanted to the Distillery tour. My Dad's a big fan of the whiskey .

I'd second (or third?) a few hours in Howth. You can do a gentle stroll along the pier to the lighthouse or a more strenuous cliff walk. There are some fab. seafood restaurants.

Finally, the Bram Stoker festival takes place in Dublin this weekend. Check out this website for full details https://www.bramstokerfestival.com/. If you're still around on Monday night, I'd try to get to the Macnas parade.

Hope you have a great trip. Don't forget to come back and tell us how you got on.

You should go to O'Neil pub they do an Irish dancing show with food and also go to Queen of Tarts THE best cakes ever!

The Jameson factory is much better than the Guinness museum in my opinion!

This is a great place for locally crafted jewellery. It's in the Powerscourt centre mentioned above.

www.momuse.ie

Enjoy your trip.

It’s a bit out of town and a wee bit touristy but Johnnie Fox’s pub is very atmospheric with nice food. They also have a hooley a few nights a week which is cheesy but a lot of fun if you’re into it.

In terms of jewellery look at declan Killeen - he's on fade street, in the city centre - best to phone first to make sure he's there but his stuff is fabulous

KIlmainham and the Little Museum of Dublin are both brilliant.
I wouldn't bother with the Guinness tour - touristy, crowded and a very expensive way of getting a 'free' pint.
National Gallery is lovely, and also a walk around the Georgian squares admiring doorways.
Temple Bar is horrendous.
I've always headed to Roly's Bistro at Ballsbridge - not chap, but nothing in Dublin is.

Not cheap, sorry

And another vote for kilmainham gaol. Also kilkenny design centre on Nassau Street does lots of handmade Irish stuff. Various Aran sweater shops around there too if you fancy getting something for the boys - my son loves his Aran jumoer

I forgot to mention that the Dublin Marathon takes place this Sunday. It starts in the city centre so some roads might be closed off. You might be wondering why there are so many people wandering around in shorts and singlets. But maybe you'll be gone home by then.

Elephant and castle in temple bar great for brunch / breakfast
Pre book kilmanham jail
Your teems will love the Guinness factory

My favourite museum is MOLI , the Irish literature one on St Stephen a green , top of Gradron street .