Although it is a metropolis, what strikes about Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is the orderly yet lively daily life experienced there: despite having more than one million inhabitants including the suburbs, Dublin gives the impression of being a compact and not chaotic place.
The busiest area, especially on weekends, is Temple Bar, the historic and famous district of Dublin filled with pubs and various venues. Every Friday, the celebration bursts here with musical bands everywhere and plenty of beer.
A few steps from these lively streets stands the Dublin Castle, the ancient castle of the city which, despite being in the city center, seems to enclose external noises within its walls. Visitors are welcomed by a lush green garden leading to the actual entrance. Various rooms of the Castle can be visited, depending on institutional events which may require closing some wings of the structure. You cannot leave before admiring the rich exhibition of the Chester Beatty Library, also inside the fortress.
In terms of museums, Dublin stands out with the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery, the National Museum, the Writer’s Museum, and the Natural History Museum. To get a grasp of Dublin’s history, on Dame Street there is the City Hall, an example of Georgian architecture where the city’s story is told through permanent exhibitions.
Not far from here is the Trinity College, Dublin’s university, where you can visit the ancient library and the Book of Kells, a finely illuminated manuscript decorated by Irish monks, containing the Latin translation of the four Gospels.
Take a break in the gardens of Trinity College, then visit the statue of Molly Malone to start a walk along Grafton Street, Dublin’s shopping street.
Also worth admiring are the churches, two of which are particularly important: the Christchurch Cathedral, Anglican worship, the oldest building in Dublin; a few hundred meters further is the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, also Protestant, even larger and surrounded by gardens and flowers.
Continuing towards this city area, you easily reach the Guinness Storehouse, the factory that produces the famous dark beer. Visitors can explore its six floors along the route, at the end of which you can enjoy a pint at the Gravity Bar, a venue entirely surrounded by glass that towers over the Guinness Storehouse and offers a breathtaking 360° view of Dublin.
You can also visit what remains of the historic Jameson distillery, the company producing the famous whiskey. It’s time to head back towards Temple Bar, guided by the light in the sky from the Spire on O’Connell Street, the largest street in Dublin. From here you can walk to the banks of the River Liffey that divides the city into north and south sides; the most characteristic bridge connecting the two areas is the Ha’penny Bridge: on one side is Temple Bar, on the other the lively district full of small music, clothing, food shops of every culture, and very picturesque fruit and flower markets.
For nature lovers, the Phoenix Park is wonderful, a huge park within which is the Dublin Zoo and lots of greenery to explore. Very peculiar, sometimes poetic, is the Dublin Bay, extensively written about by James Joyce, whose statue is visible along O’Connell Street.
Even the Docks, the port area that is changing with new ultra-modern buildings, offer characteristic views… who knows for how long, given the speed at which new constructions are rising!
