You’ve only got a couple of days. It’s not the world’s biggest city, but
there’s plenty to keep you occupied. How then to make the right choices so
that you will have the most authentic experience in the couple of days you
have at your disposal?
As a native Dubliner, I am convinced that most city breakers do not get an
authentic experience of the city, they’re too busy standing cheek by jowl
with other tourists in the over-hyped bars and clubs of Temple Bar – which
are studiously avoided by the locals.
A good Encounter guide will dispense with all the hype and the rubbish and
focus on the best the city has to offer – most of which, in my experience,
is rarely found in the tourist brochures or in those horrible inflight
magazines you read to pass the time on the plane. Which isn’t to say that
you should avoid the obvious tourist attractions – after all, they’re
popular for a reason – but a memorable weekend shouldn’t be confined to
ticking the top five attractions off a list and settling for a meal in a
restaurant that your cousins from Leeds met a really nice bunch of lads from
Sheffield in last year when they came over.
My overriding thought as I wrote this guide was pretty straightforward: if
friends of mine were visiting Dublin for a long weekend, what do I think
they should see and where do I think they should go to really get into the
heart of the city? I thought of all the great pubs I know and some of my
favourite restaurants (whilst keeping my personal favourite in secret
reserve), and tried to tailor the list of attractions to focus on not just
the most popular ones, but the ones that were really special but mightn’t
have the benefit of a slick PR campaign to sell their charms.
Anyone who’s ever been to Dublin will know that the best thing about the city
are its people, and in the short essays I tried to give a sense of what
Dubliners were really like – as opposed to the simplistic caricatures of a
happy-go-lucky bunch of boozers that often pass for character assessments.
I am convinced that only a local who can observe his own city with an air of
detached fondness is capable of doing all of these things, which is why the
Encounter guides only work if written by a clued-in native. They’re the only
ones who can read between the city’s lines.
And so here’s a few bits of Dublin, between the lines.
For cultural pursuits, the world-class collection at the Chester
Beatty Library (closed Monday) has no equal – not even the Book of Kells
can compete. The National Museum
of Ireland is another sure fire hit, but rather than the more visited
archaeological collection on Kildare St (admission by donation; open
10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 2-5pm Sun), I’d opt for the decorative arts section,
housed in the spectacular Collins Barracks (Benburb St; admission free;
open 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 2-5pm Sun), on the Liffey’s north side.
Dublin without booze is like the Sahara without sand, so a trip to the Guinness
Storehouse is nearly a must, my own choice would be the Old
Jameson Distillery where you’ll get to try a host of different whiskies.
Which leads neatly on to the alpha and omega of most visits to Dublin: the
pub. With over 1,000 in the city to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for
choice, but my current favourites are the Victorian classic that is the Long
Hall (tel 475 1590; 51 South Great George’s St) and If it’s alternative
music and atmosphere you need, look no further than An Seo (pronounced
‘On-Shaw’; tel 475 1321; 28 Camden St).
And for that little bit of Sunday afternoon retail therapy, head for the
Powerscourt Centre (South William St), crammed with boutiques selling
everything from high-end fashion to bric-a-brac.
NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT
- Around 9,800 pints of beer are drunk each hour by Dubliners from Friday
night to Monday morning
- If the whole of Ireland had a population density of Dublin there would be
over 300 million people living in the capital
- St Stephen’s Green was once used for public whippings, beatings and hangings
- Women outnumber men in Dublin by 20,000
- 12% of workers travel over 20 miles to work each day, more than double the
distance in 1981
- The Phoenix Park is bigger than all of London’s major parks put together
Lonely Planet launches
its new city guidebook series later this month. Developed for urban
adventurers on short city breaks, the Encounter series was built "in
collaboration with travellers to create the ultimate pocket guide," said a
spokeswoman. The guides are researched and written by locals who have lived
in each city and also feature insider tips from locals in the know. Other
features include listings by neighbourhood, a pull-out city map and a City
Diary, listing the best events and festivals around. The launch titles are:
Dublin, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London, New York, Paris
and San Francisco.
