Hello All

Mrs AAToday and I are off to DUB in 10 days and we are rounding out our itinerary. I am looking for suggetions on pubs, resturaunts, sights. We are staying the Westbury on Grafton St. We have on our list: Trinity College, Temple Bar area, Powerscourt Gardens, Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, Glendalough, Malahide Castle, Kilkenny. Thanks for any suggestions.

Hello fellow Ireland travelers. I was in Ireland last spring, on an escorted tour. I am just sorry we didn't spend more time in Dublin. If your time permits can arrange transportation, I highly recommend a trip to the city of Waterford and a tour of the Waterford Crystal factory. That was incredible! The city dates back to the 800's, and is very charming. A second recommendation, again if you can arrange transportation, is the small town of Blarney, home of the Blarney Castle. Yes, it is a tour stop and you'll encounter a flood of tourists, but the Blarney Woolen Mill complex is full of Irish products -- a shoppers haven!

It's hard to say what is the most "must see" place in Ireland, it was all very beautiful (Ring of Kerry tour was a highlight). Do see a pub - they're everywhere! Very much Irish!

Have a wonderful time!

I was just there for a four day trip to plan our 16 day trip for September. I'm the lucky guy planning the trip for 34 of my closest friends.

Anyway, a great restaurant is Roly's French Restaurant near the American Embassy in Dublin 4.

I didn't try the Cuban place next door, but I am going to book it for my group. Looked great and came with good reviews from the people at the hotel.

I am going to use a tour company there called "over the top tours" to do a tour of Wicklow Mts. and a Celtic Ireland tour for the spiritual history of that part of the island. I met with the owner and really think they are great.

Go into the "GPO" General Post Office in on Connelly Street and look at the paintings that depict the events in the revolution. Really great to look at and to see the Post Office.

Best Wishes,
Tornado

Will you have a car when you head out of Dublin? My favorite terrain is out west, particularly Galway, a university town, the Burren area around it (and the Aran Isles--you could do this as a day trip from Galway) and Doolin, just up from the Cliffs of Moher, which has a lively music scene at night (though very small town--maybe a couple hundred people live around there).

You can easily get down to Waterford by train on a day trip (a round trip ticket is slightly more than a one way ticket if you come back the same day), and then a car to the crystal factory.

Don�t forget, lots of useful threads/info in the U.K. and Ireland forum, some have replies from our Irish FT�ers.

Just click on the Travel&Dining: Destination >> The World link below and scroll down to the forum.

Willie

Try Gallagher's Boxty House in Temple Bar for dinner. Their boxty specialty is a potato pancake that is filled with stew (beef, lamb or chicken) and seved like a large crepe or burrito. This is also one of the only places in Dublin you can get Murphy's stout, Guinness' competitor from Cork. For a quick bite, try Beshoff's Fish and Chips just south of the O'Connell St bridge. My wife (from Maine) has declared it the best fish she's ever had, and they also have great curry chips there as well.

Another recommendation is to tour Jameson's Irish Whiskey factory. They have a cafe there and you can get a dessert and Irish coffee afterwards. I think the Bushmills tour is better but it's way up in Northern Ireland and tough to get to.

There are so many pubs it's hard to recommend just one. Drop by a few and see if the crowd matches your mood. Some are young and rowdy crowds (Temple Bar area), some are the older Victorian "classy pubs" (Stag's Head) and some are all mixed up. Try the Brazen Head, which is Ireland's oldest at 900+ years old. If it's a bit cold out, order a hot whiskey at any pub and you'll get a treat. They put hot water in with the whiskey, and add some sugar, lemon and cloves. It's the best for warming up after being out in the damp weather (or soft weather, as the Irish call it).

If you're going to have a car and drive about, I would also strongly recommend a trip north to Newgrange to see the ancient burial mounds. These are giant tombs that are older than the Egyyptian pyramids and are amazing sites. It is about an hour north of Dublin on the M1 motorway and will take you 1/2 a day to see everything.

If you're into Modern Art, the Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham (Dublin) is worth a look. Take in the Guinness storehouse on the way there or back for a mini-tour of the famous brewery.

http://www.guinnessstorehouse.com/index.asp

http://www.modernart.ie/

I concur with Dr. D's suggestion to visit New Grange. We had a car so we drove; there are probably day tours from Dublin if you do not have a car. We also enjoyed Trinity College and viewing the Book of Kells.

There was a brief blurb in a recent issue of the Washington Post which mentioned that the paper's Sunday Travel section is going to include a feature on Dublin this weekend.

I don't know when it might show up on the Post's website, but you can watch for it at www.washingtonpost.com by scrolling down the front page and clicking on "Travel" within the Arts & Living menu.