Impressions of Dublin, Its History and Food

In our most recent articles, we only touched the surface of the things we experienced in Dublin. Our 10 days in the city left us with interesting impressions of the city, its most famous sights, Riverdance, and the food.

Getting Around Dublin

Dublin is quite a small city, making it pretty easy to get around. We used the busses and trams to go everywhere. In fact, there was a tram stop right outside of our hotel. The oldest part of the city is walkable, too. People we met described the city as having two parts, the touristy area and the area where real Dubliners hung out.

We visited in June and people were wearing shorts, ostensibly because it was summer. I, on the other hand, spent most of my time in Dublin with a jacket and long pants. I guess it is a matter of acclimation.

Brief History of Dublin

Dublin is no longer Ireland’s biggest port, but the city’s history was highly dependent on the shipping trade and its docks. Today, warehouses line the sides of the River Liffey, which runs right through town. The oldest pedestrian bridge in town is fondly called the Ha’penny Bridge. It replaced a ferry crossing. The ferries were deteriorating and the city told the ferry owner he could either fix them or build a bridge. The resulting bridge was built in 1816 and has gone by many names over its long history.

The city has a long history of occupation, rebellion, and religious trouble. Though founded by Vikings in the 8th century, most of the population comes from the immigration of English and Welch. They have maintained their history and their identity through their storytelling and music. Over the years, there have been many uprisings to gain Irish independence from England, which ruled from the 12th century. Despite plagues and uprisings, Dublin became a wealthy, prosperous city primarily due to the linen trade with England. Today, 28% of the Irish population lives in Dublin. Yet, there are many more people of Irish descent outside of Ireland today than within.

Impressions of Dublin

Dublin seems to be a happy, laidback city with lots and lots of pubs. We saw buskers all over town. People smile and offer to help if you look lost. The most famous shopping street in the old part of town is Grafton Street, which has many stores as well as cafes spilling into the streets. Adjacent to Grafton Street, in the middle of Dublin, is Saint Stephens Green, a public park that provides green space where people can enjoy a few nice summer days.

A uniquely Irish holiday occurred while we were there, Bloomsday, a celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce. It is observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on June 16, a date specifically mentioned in his novel Ulysses. Festivities involve a range of cultural activities, including Ulysses’ readings and dramatizations, pub crawls, and other events. We didn’t witness anyone reciting from Ulysses, but the pubs were crowded.

Dublin Castle

We took a walking tour of the old town where the tour guide pointed to Dublin Castle and suggested we visit another time. The castle was built in 1204 as a major defensive work on the orders of King John of England and became the center of Anglo-Norman power in Ireland. Dublin Castle served for centuries as the headquarters of English, and later British, administration in Ireland. In 1922, following Ireland’s independence, Dublin Castle was handed over to the new Irish government. As a functioning government building, you can only look at the outside and the state apartments, some of which are still used for special events.

National Museum of Ireland

We decided to visit the National Museum of Ireland, in an 18th-century fort, one grey Sunday afternoon. The tram getting was quite full and there were lots of people walking the same way we were. We were wondering what was going on until we entered the parade grounds in the middle of the fort. We stumbled into the Defense Forces Band concert. So naturally, we found a seat and waited with the rest of the folks. One thing you may not know about me is that I love marching bands, boy was I in for a treat.

There were three different marching bands from different areas of the Irish military. They each came in and played and marched, then they made one group that came in together. It was a really awesome experience but the biggest surprise for me was when the pipes entered. I had no idea that the Irish wore kilts or played the bagpipes. Seeing them up close was an amazing experience. I was told that the Irish pipes are slightly different from the Scottish pipes. In addition to marching band music, my dad played bagpipe music when I was a kid.

We did actually come back to see the museum on another day but I don’t remember anything extraordinary.

The Emigration Museum, But Not The Cathedral

One of the most interesting places we visited was the new EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. The museum chronicles the Irish diaspora from its early days in the 1800s to today. The history is told by a series of short films set like pictures in frames on the wall. The picture comes alive and the person describes their life and their own struggles. Also, at each station, you were told to get a stamp just like stamps in a passport. The museum was quite entertaining and I would recommend a visit.

We managed to not visit the cathedral mostly because they actually wanted a lot of money to get in. Instead of the customary donation. One day, we stumbled over the Armenian holocaust memorial in its yard. We didn’t try to figure out how it happened to be there, pretty much by itself.

Riverdance

Riverdance is probably the most famous Irish export besides Guinness and Jameson’s. We were fortunate enough to get tickets to the 25th-anniversary show at The Gaiety Theatre. A troupe has been doing Riverdance continuously for the last 25 years, but they keep it fresh with new music, dancers, and presentations. I can’t put into words just how fantastic the show was. I’m sure I sat there with a smile on my face the entire time. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures during the performance. I guess you’ll have to go see it yourself.

Dublin Food and Drinks

Before we arrived in Ireland, I had never had a Guinness Stout or seen it poured. It is quite a process where the glass is filled to about 80% and then set aside so the tan foam can rise to the top. When the foam is correct, the glass is filled slowly with more Guinness. Turns out, I like stout but it felt like food in my stomach so I didn’t drink too much of it.

After our first Guinness in a bar, Mike started ordering Red Ale, which he has always been partial to. While every bar/pub had some hard cider we never tried it. But I can tell you that fish and chips in Ireland are quite different from anything I’ve had before.

We managed to get a reservation at The Fish Shop, a Michelin-mentioned restaurant that only had stools and served just fish and chips. Mike and I had two different fish, he had Hake, and I had Haddock. I could actually taste the difference between these two white fish. Color me surprised. We both preferred the Hake, so when given the opportunity for fine fish and chips, later in our trip, we chose the Hake.

Guided By A Star

Mike’s browse through the Michelin Guide revealed a one-star restaurant in Dublin that had a nice menu and wasn’t too expensive. We were able to get a reservation for the following week and considered ourselves lucky. The name of the restaurant is Variety Jones, which is a pseudonym for Roger Thomas Clark, who was closely involved with the founding of the darknet drug market called Silk Road. The network used Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency exclusively. Clark was arrested in Thailand in 2015 and extradited to the US in 2018. Eventually, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking. Not sure why they went with that, but…

After that long explanation, because I know you were curious, we headed out to our long-awaited dinner. The only problem was there was absolutely no signage on the outside of the restaurant. So, after walking back and forth a bit, we opened a glass door at the address we were given, and lo and behold, we found the tiny little restaurant. This restaurant has a set menu on a given evening and two seatings. We decided to spring for the wine pairing too. The sommelier selected wines exclusively from small producers so it would be near impossible to find them anywhere, but they were delicious and paired well with our meal.

Overall, the food was quite a bit better in Dublin than I expected it to be. Go figure.

What places are you wanting to see in Dublin?