Simone Reddington

Last week, I flew to Dublin for a few days with my lovely mum.  I needed to use my annual leave from work, so I looked online for cheap last-minute flights from Newcastle airport and found a good deal for four days in the Irish capital. I’ve always wanted to go to Dublin and explore the Irish culture and history first-hand, and I desperately needed a break from the humdrum of everyday life. 

We flew from Newcastle in the late afternoon, and the flight took less than an hour.  By the time we arrived in the city centre and checked into our hotel, it was around 6pm.  We stayed in the Holiday Inn hotel on O’Connell Street, and we really couldn’t have asked for a better or more central location.  As it was dark, we didn’t want to wander too far on our first night, so we stuck to the many pubs and restaurants on the busy street.  I ate a traditional beef and Guiness pie in a restaurant called Flanagan’s.  If I’m being completely honest, none of the food I ate in Dublin was amazing and it certainly wasn’t cheap.  However, it was nice to try the local delicacies and eat some lovely fresh veg which I certainly don’t do enough when I go on holiday.  We then stopped off at pub next to our hotel called Madigan’s where we sipped Baileys coffees while watching a local band play live Gaelic music.   

We woke up early the next morning to make the most of our first full day. My mum had pre-booked tickets for a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, and we used the hop on and off sight-seeing bus to get there as it was a bit further out from the city centre.  Kilmainham Gaol was a prison built in 1796, originally to house common criminals, and played an important role in the Irish War of Independence as many key political figures and rebels were imprisoned and executed there.  It was harrowing to see the cramped cells and squalid that so many people were forced to live in, including children as young as two years old. 

We then wandered along the beautiful River Liffey and made our way to the Irish Emigration Museum, known as EPIC.  Although I was aware of the devastating effect that the potato famine had on Ireland back in the nineteenth century, I was shocked to learn that the country’s population today is still millions fewer than it was in the 1840s.  The museum was extremely powerful and explored the influence that Irish culture has across the world, with over 70 million worldwide (including myself) claiming some form of Irish heritage.  My great-grandfather moved over to England from Ireland and, despite not knowing as much as I would like to know about him, I always remember that when I hear people voicing their concerns about immigration.  We are immigrants from somewhere, and I think that’s wonderful.  

By the time we left the museum, it was getting dark, so we wandered back along the river in the direction of our hotel and stopped for a few pints of Irish cider, traditional stew and a couple of delicious espresso martinis.    

We started our final full day in Dublin with a visit to the city most popular tourist destination- the Guinness Storehouse.  Located within the Guinness brewery, the seven-storey building tells the story of Arthur Guinness and how the 250-year-old beer is made.  The visuals in the interactive attraction are absolutely stunning and very informative.  I don’t even like the taste of beer, but the story behind one of the world’s most iconic drinks brands is fascinating.  I had a brilliant time learning about all things Guinness.

 

We then headed to Trinity College Dublin, which I recognised as the setting of Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel Normal People and the filming location of the BBC television adaption. It is also the home of the Book of Kells, a medieval, hand-decorated copy of the first four Gospel accounts in the Bible’s New Testament. If I’m being honest, I found it very underwhelming and a waste of time and money going to see it.  I was, however, impressed by the majestic grounds of the historic university including the Library of Trinity College which contains one of the original copies of the Proclamation of the Irish republic.   

We then stopped off at Bewley’s cafe for a coffee and cake.  Located on Grafton Street, the city’s main shopping street, the famous cafe’s decor was extremely smart and the chocolate ganache and apricot cake that I shared with my mum was divine. We then had a little wander to Dublin Castle as we walked along the Temple Bar area.  We didn’t stop for a drink at the famous Temple Bar, which I see so many people post on social media, as I knew it would be extremely busy on a Friday night.  We instead had food and drinks at a little pub on the corner of O’Connell Street. 

We didn’t have a lot of time to explore Dublin on our last day, as we had to leave for the airport in the early afternoon for our flight home.  After checking out of our hotel, we visited the GPO Museum, located within the city’s Post Office which is most famous for being the location of the 2016 Easter Rising.  The museum was very informative as it educated visitors about how rebellion for Irish independence from Britain started and the events that unfolded after the Rising, in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  I really think that this important period of history should be taught on the UK’s national curriculum, as explains so much about the political landscape today.   

I had the best time in Dublin and absolutely loved absorbing myself in the city’s rich history.  I would one hundred per cent visit the Irish capital again and would urge anybody else to visit if they have the opportunity.