Ireland (Winter 2023) - Dublin (Day 6)
Last day in Dublin (and Europe)
Lisboa Pastelaria
Started the day at this little store. It’s not Lisbon but anytime you have a chance to get a Pasteis de Nata, you should go for it. This was a nice treat to get the last day in Dublin going.
Temple Bar
Finally made it to the famous Temple Bar. Went in the morning because it is just a crush of people at any other time. Paid for an overpriced Irish Coffee to enjoy the experience.
I think the main attraction is that this place always has music. Some places may even have it every day but not all the time every day. This place always has music all day and thus always gives the tourists the Irish pub vibe that they are seeking.
The pub is a decent size and consists of several rooms with bars in those rooms. They definitely put a mega amount of work in their holiday decorations to put it in the festive mood.
Dublin Castle
I was satisfied with just having seen the castle on the outside but for this holiday week they had free admission into the castle so we saved the €8 per person entry fee.
Inside the Royal Chapel
Inside the Castle State Apartments
In the courtyard they also had a small Christmas Market going on
Darkey Kelly’s
Not far from Dublin Castle, this is a great pub with good grub. More importantly, they have a whiskey list! Very traditional pub with old furniture and brick arch walkways. Very pleasant place to relax and have refreshments.
They are known for their music shows but we were there during the day. It is named after a woman that was burned as a witch but later it was learned that even though she was innocent of witchcraft, they later found bodies under her brothel so she was actually a serial killer.
Some statues while strolling around town
The Liberties
We walked down to the Liberties which is a working class neighborhood that still retains a bit of the gritty feel. This part of town was called this because it fell outside of the original city walls and therefore were not taxed by Dublin.
It’s actually nice that this place hasn’t completely gentrified and you still find the mom and pop shops with their street stalls and such.
John's Bar & Haberdashery
This place in the Liberties is a new bar that tries really hard to be an old bar. They do a decent job with having old furniture and antique items all over the bar. The appeal for me is that it is a dog friendly bar and the locals seem to like to hang here with their pups all day enjoying pints.
There is also a WOWBURGER franchise sitting in the back of the bar from where you can get food. It’s almost like a burger speakeasy.
Ryan’s
This is a nice family owned bar in the Camden Street area of town. During the day it was a quiet gathering of locals at the bar. The bartender told me that at night it is filled with mostly country folk. I had thought he meant that like farmers come in from the countryside or something but what he meant that this is a local’s bar and not a touristy place.
The bartender (who was working alone) was very friendly and just left people waiting at the bar while he gave us a tour of the back to show us some of the history of the bar. It used to be a slaughterhouse and the meat hooks are still on the beams. The back area was still open air because he said that there are a lot of rules to modifying or repairing historic buildings so it was easier to leave it untouched.
O’Donoghue’s
This is a bar not far from St. Stephen’s Green. We actually tried to visit the part but we got there late and they close it at night. The bar was packed (no surprise) and it seemed like a lot of people were having their after work drinks with friends.
We were barely able to squeeze in to some bar seats to get some Guinness and whiskey.
At some point a guy walked in and was ordering something in the incomprehensible Irish accent/speak and the bartender couldn’t understand him. Everyone was laughing at the situation since they couldn’t understand him either but I was glad that I’m not the only one who has this problem comprehending some of the folks here.
Xi’an Street Food
Ended the night with a take away spice bag. The photo doesn’t really show it but there are fried chicken bits in there and it is tossed in Schezuan chili crisp.
This spot was extremely popular. Lots of people waiting to eat and a lot of take out delivery services waiting for their orders. I think part of the appeal was the affordable prices along with the good food.
The next day:
Off to the airport. Uneventful bus ride and got some sandwiches at the airport.
One thing of note is that you go through pre-clearance at the Dublin airport so when you land there is no customs or immigration. Once you clear immigration while at Dublin, the officer there tells you “Welcome home!” while you are still in Ireland.