Some friends and I recently got to spend a couple of days in Dublin, Ireland, as part of a two week Europe trip. Dublin was our first stop, and then we’d be on to London. My main reason for traveling through Dublin was to avoid flying directly to London so we could avoid the hefty London fees.
Jordan and I were actually planning on flying Aer Lingus business class from Boston for only 25,000 Avios each, but we had to cancel that flight as we ended up needing to fly out of Austin. It had something to do with a horse, hospitalized mother-in-law, passports, a dog, and the Cowboy game. Yeah, it’s a long story. But the other couple traveling with us still flew the Aer Lingus route.
Aer Lingus Business Class
And we ended up flying United via Washington, Dulles in business class (fully lie flat seat) to Dublin for 50,000 United miles each.
United Business Class
I’ll write more on these flights later, and of course I’ll be reviewing how 4 of us secured Lufthansa First Class on the way back home. It was epic, and included a few hours in the Frankfurt First Class Terminal.
But back to Dublin. We spent two nights in Dublin, so we only hung out in the city. Next time, we’ll have to explore the countryside, but we had a great time in Dublin getting over our jet lag, drinking, and seeing local attractions.
Here’s how we spent our two days in Dublin:
Fringe Festival
We were pumped about being in Dublin during the Fringe Festival. The Fringe Festival is an 18 day (Sept. 5-22) music, art, dance, and theater festival. It’s an amazing collection of Irish creatives, and a great way to dive into the local Irish culture.
We went to a comedy show, and not only did we laugh our ace’s off – I actually learned a a bit about the Irish. Luke was even called on stage and included in the act. The Fringe Festival was definitely one of the highlights for us, and hopefully one day we will get to enjoy it for a longer period of time.
Chester Beatty Library
Another highlight for us was the Chester Beatty Library. Chester Beatty was born in New York, but traveled the world as a mineral expert. During his travels, he collected manuscripts, artifacts, paintings, snuff bottles, calligraphy, and all kinds of stuff.
He was knighted in England, and was made Ireland’s only honorary citizen. Dude was legit, and his collection was off the charts. Here are the highlights of his collection from the Chester Beatty homepage: “Egyptian papyrus texts, beautifully illuminated copies of the Qur’an, the Bible, European medieval and renaissance manuscripts are among the highlights on display. In its diversity, the collection captures much of the richness of human creative expression from about 2700 BC to the present day.”
Chester Beatty Library
It was unreal to see the Egyptian papyrus texts, copies of the Qur’an, and the oldest New Testament papyrus manuscripts. The Beatty Library is a must see if you’re in Dublin, and it’s free. Winning.
Jameson Distillery
Now for a different kind of art. Alcohol. We almost didn’t make it to the Jameson distillery, but we were glad we did. I’m not a huge whiskey lover (I tend to stick to beer & wine), but it’s starting to grow on me.
The Jameson tour was a lot less crowded than the Guinness tour we went on, but man, did Jameson have some cheesy videos. Overall it was a hit, since we weren’t expecting much and we learned a lot about their triple distilled process. The triple distilled Jameson was smooth and easy to sip on. A big part of that is because they don’t use peat to dry the barley, in case you didn’t know. That eliminates the smokiness, which I respect.
Guinness Storehouse
Ah, the Guinness Storehouse tourist must-see. If you’ve never been, you have to go. So we went, knowing that it would be packed with people. And it was. But there were some educational parts of the tour. I enjoyed reading the very first Guinness ads, and how it was being spun as a healthy beverage. I’ll buy that.
But having a Guinness beer at the top of the Guinness brewery was well worth the crowds of people. The beer was tasty (yes, it tastes better there), and you had great views of the city. We quickly left the top of the building though, since it was standing room only, and made our way down to the restaurant/bar to finish our nourishing Guinnesses there.
Nothing hotter
I don’t think we will go back to the Guinness storehouse again, but you have to do it at least once. From now on in Dublin, I will only be drinking Guinness at one of the many pubs.
Where We Ate
I wouldn’t call Dublin a foodie’s paradise, but we did have some very nice meals there. Our favorite was definitely The Pig’s Ear. It was the priciest meal we had in Dublin, but it was well worth it.
The Pig’s Ear
I chose the 3 course menu with a salmon appetizer, pork belly main, and upside down cheesecake for dessert. I’m getting hungry again.
Salmon
Pork Belly
Upside Down Cheesecake
The flavors were full, and the portions were actually generous considering the price point and richness. I’m no food critic, so bear with my explanations.
Our other favorite spot to eat for breakfast was Hatch & Sons.
Hatch & Sons
This place was so good we ate there twice! Its inviting design with a wide open kitchen, friendly staff, and fresh coffee and food had us sold. I went with the sausage and egg skillet, and couldn’t have been happier.
Skillet
More and more, I’ve been leaning on Yelp when I travel. It’s been pretty good to me. Not every time is a homerun, but at least it gives me something to go off of.
Closure
We also went to a casino one night, and played Blackjack with the locals. This was a lot of fun, and was a great way to rub shoulders with some Irish lads. Plus, we won (a very little amount of money). There was also plenty of shopping if you’re into that kind a thing. I believe Jordan is. And of course, there are pubs galore, especially in the Temple Bar area. But don’t be scared to wonder off the touristy path to a local hole in the wall.
We stayed at the Radisson Blu in town, and I’ll be doing a separate review of the hotel later. Overall, 2 days in Dublin was the perfect amount of time before we headed off to London, which only cost us 4,500 Avios and change to book!
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