Two Days in Dublin

We barely had time to unpack our bags from our brief trip home to NZ and catch up on some much needed sleep before we had to pack again for our next journey to Dublin. Some time ago we had decided to go see Dave Matthews play with his full band and with flights costing 1 penny each return, we thought Dublin would be a great place to visit. We were still extremely jet lagged and this would prove to be difficult for the next 2 days in Dublin as our enthusiasm lagged a bit. This time we had our friend Mike in tow who was embarking on his first holiday from the UK.

Normally we would be well researched and prepared for trips away but with so many unplanned things coming up on us, this trip ended up being the least organised. We found ourselves at Dublin airport with no idea where the city centre was or where we were going. We soon found out the only way into town was by double-decker bus so we managed to hop on the first one that arrived and made our way through some crazy rush hour traffic to Dublin.

Our first impressions of Dublin were that it was a bit of a drab city with a fair bit of graffiti and rubbish but that was probably due more to do with our tired attitudes than anything else. We had been told by many others how much they loved Dublin but we were yet to have our spirits lifted sitting in a crammed bus in terrible traffic. Once we made it to the main street in the city we felt a bit better and could see Dublin had a charm about it that we had not seen before. Dublin is a fairly low rise city with many of the old buildings not rising more than 3 or 4 stories. That made for a nice skyline and the sense that you are in a more open space. A few of the buildings and statues had bullet holes in them from many a battle which has taken place in the main street over the years.

We managed to find our way to the tram which took us to our hotel where we were a little too early to check in so we just dumped our bags and went for some breakfast. After a hearty meal we wandered outside and checked out the local Jameson’s whisky distillery. Not feeling in the mood for a whisky at that time, we headed into town to get ourselves a ticket on the city tour bus. Once on board, Becs and I started dozing off while Mike happily snapped away with his camera listening to the on board commentary.

About a quarter of the way through the tour, the bus got caught up in some terrible traffic which started to worry us as we had bought some extra tickets to go on a country tour to a castle which left at 2pm. By about 12:30 we asked the bus driver if he thought we might make it. He agreed we should can the rest of this tour and jump on another bus back. He extended our city tour so we could go the next day which was good.

The Castle tour went out of town along some wonderful coastline which reminded us of Wellington harbour. We drove past a couple of houses belonging to members of U2 in an area which was kind of like Roseneath in Wellington. Feeling a little tired still and somewhat comfy in the home like surroundings, Becs and I happily had a wee snooze and at one stage Mike dozed off as well much to the disappointment of the other tourists as we had the premium font seats in the upper deck of the bus, perfect for taking photos.

Malahide Castle was owned by the same family for hundreds of years and was still privately owned up until the 70's when it was sold to a historic building trust. The furniture was sold to Mick Jaggers wife and it must have been pretty flash as it was hundreds of years old. The grounds at Malahide were stunning and the castle interior was spectacular and still very livable. It had some ornate carved wooden panelling on the walls and hundreds of ancient paintings as well. Apparently there was a ghost there which had recently been knocking things off tables in front of tourists! I didn't stay long after that.

By the time we returned from our day trip we were knackered but there was no time to rest as we had to head across town to catch Dave Matthews Band. Becs decided she couldn't hold up for the concert and had to retire to the hotel to rest as she was also carrying a cold. Mike and I made the journey across town and after a couple of beers, Dave and his band came out to play. They absolutely blew the house down with their energetic playing. There were 7 band members the night we saw them the 5 usuals on guitar, bass, violin, saxophone and drums with an additional keyboardist and the biggest trumpet player I have ever seen. The Saxophonist was wearing an All Blacks jersey which was pretty interesting as they are all American. He must have been given it somewhere in their travels. Following the concert we checked out Temple Bar which is the Courtney Place of Dublin. I could only manage a quick drink as my eyelids were refusing to stay up so we headed back to the hotel.

The following day we went back to finish the city tour by bus. We saw all the sights including the famous Guinness factory and took a walk around the free university. No fees in Dublin - brilliant! After some shopping, walking, watching some buskers and drinking a Guinness, it was time to head back to the airport and home to a much needed sleep in our own beds. We were a little disappointed that we weren't up to giving Dublin our full energy but it was either Dublin tired or no Dublin at all and I wasn't going to give up our tickets to the concert. We had a great time despite it all and loved the wonderful and cheerful people. Cant get enough of that Irish accent Fiddle Dee Dee!