IRISH GUIDE: DUBLIN
IF THIS IS THE FIRST TIME VISITING DUBLIN: I would suggest getting a GoCity Pass (but not for the day).
This is cheaper than buying every attraction on the day, plus you can do the hop on - hop off bus. We went for 10 hours to Dublin 2 weeks ago and even though we made our moneys worth, we were only able to see 3 attractions in that time. Make sure you plan, book in advance and temper your expectations if you are doing it in a day.
Dublin is very easy to get around, either by tram, bus or my personal favourite, walking. Everything in the center is very easy to get to with lovely artitecure and a bustling atmosphere.
The people are extremely welcoming and lovely. There is quite a large coeliac demographic in Ireland- “There are an estimated 100,000 people living with coeliac disease in Ireland, and a further 450,000 who are gluten intolerant.” Which means that they are very aware of dietary restrictions and understand cross contact and contamination.
As we didn’t go for that long on this occasion, a lot of my guide will be memories and knowledge of previous trips. Dublin is one of my favourite places in the world and I hope you love it when you go. Most of my attractions will be based on my allergies and preferances. I love to have a drink and I can have gluten and dairy.
Please always check with your server about your specific dietary needs, trust your gut, and bring all of your medication with you.
AREAS TO GO
TEMPLE BAR
“Sir William Temple was the provost of Trinity College and had his house and gardens at the area now called Temple Bar in Dublin. In 1707 a customs house, where all the government paperwork for import and export were processed, settled at Temple Bar in Dublin. It is promoted as Dublin's 'cultural quarter' and, as a centre of Dublin's city centre's nightlife, is a tourist destination.”
THE FAMINE MEMORIAL
The memorial, on Customs House Quay, is in remembrance of the Great Famine, which saw the population of the country halved through death and emigration.
PRODCUTS TO TRY (& WHERE TO BUY)
Potato cakes
Yes you are right, ireland has the best potatoes in the world and you would be a miss not to try any of the potatoes that Dublin has to offer. Potato cakes are one of the best things I have eaten. Unfortuneately, we didn’t have time to go the The Irish Potato Cake Company but it is on the list when we come back (bare in mind they use sesame on their food).
PLACES TO EAT/DRINK
The Distilleries:
Teeling Distillery
“Located in the heart of the historic Liberties, against the backdrop of a city steeped in whiskey history, the Teeling Whiskey Distillery opened its doors in 2015 as the first new distillery in Dublin for over 125 years.” Tours are every 20mins - you can book in advance or not. There was a cocktail included at the end, but I don’t drink cocktails - so I asked them to change it and they did!
Jameson Distillery
Expert guides tell the story of Jameson in a recreated distillery scene with tastings and dining.”Jameson is produced from a blend of grain whiskey and single pot still whiskey, which uses a mixture of malted and unmalted or "green" Irish barley, all sourced from within a fifty-mile radius around the distillery in Cork.”
The Guiness Storehouse
The Gravity Bar: There are a lot of bars & cafe within the storehouse, but your ticket allows you one FREE Guinness, Hop House lager, Guinness 0% at the top! You can see all of Dublin (on a clear day) and there are even the locations for what you are looking at on the windows.
The Temple Bar
This is probably the most famous area of Dublin and in most peoples, the most overrated. Yes the pints are expensive and yes it is all for the tourist, but the atmosphere is amazing. There are people from alover the world in every pub/resturant in the area and the actual TEMPLE BAR is always full with lots of live music. If you have never been to Dublin, you need to go at least once.
““The Temple Bar Pub is a proud family-owned pub in the heart of Dublin City. It’s famous for its unrivaled craic & service, incredible traditional Irish Music all day everyday and its vast whiskey and beer collections.””
SANO PIZZA
We looked up a lot of places to eat that wouldnt be expensive, would be quick (had to catch the flight back) and food we liked. A lot of the reviews on spokin where of gluten reactors and I couldn’t find any that I liked the look of until Sano.
Gluten free pizza is something I am weary of, eating pizza in Ireland I tend not to do, but I thought we can go and at least my boyfriend could eat.
It was a great pizza but I did feel like the staff was very young and unaware of how to reassure me I was safe. I had to ask if everything was okay, as when they went to ask the chef, I never got an okay. I talked to about 4 different people during my stay, a very disjointed meal. However, I was safe, and the food was good.
