Dublin and St. Patty's Day

2008, 3.16-17 Dublin, Ireland

When we arrived in Dublin, we found our hotel, dropped off our bags, and then returned the car to the car rental at the Dublin airport. Our road trip had officially ended, but luckily the fun was not over. In fact, the weather had improved, we had a hotel to stay in for the next two nights, and it was St. Patrick's Day weekend, so we were all excited to explore the city and have some more fun. After walking from the airport back to our hotel (about 20 minutes) and getting somewhat settled, we caught a bus into central Dublin. It was a beautiful afternoon in Dublin! We checked out some of the local famous landmarks on our way to the Guinness Storehouse where we met up with a few of our other friends.

Statue of Daniel O'Connell looking towards the River Liffey on O'Connell Street

The Irish flag and some Irish adverts

O'Connell Bridge and the River Liffey

At the Guinness Storehouse, we learned about the history of Guinness to present times and all that goes into producing one of the most popular beers in the world. We then sipped a free pint of the dark, thick beer while taking in an aerial view of Dublin from the top floor of the brewery and enjoying some live Irish music.

The Guinness Storehouse

After our Guinness experience, we all headed back towards central Dublin and stopped for dinner at "Ireland's oldest pub," The Brazen Head. Here, we feasted on their famous Traditional Irish Stew as we enjoyed the atmosphere of their upstairs restaurant. It was lovely.

The Brazen Head Pub

To end the evening, we headed to the Temple Bar area and checked out some more live Irish music in the famous Temple Bar pub. It was a fun and lively Irish experience.

The Temple Bar
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 17th, St. Patricks' Day in Dublin

The next morning, Nate, Steve, and I went to get some good spots to watch the parade. We met up with Lauren and her friend Anna, as well, and watched the parade.

Getting ready for the parade

Float in the parade

After the parade, we wandered through the masses of people and found some peace near the Dublin Castle in the Dubh Linn Gardens. We stayed here for a short while, enjoying the quiet, bright colors surrounding us, and taking in the sunshine.

Dubh Linn Gardens next to Dublin Castle

We then moved on to find lunch at a pub down the street where it was packed with people looking for beer and food. We stood sipping drinks and enjoying live Irish music until we got a table and finally some food. With food out of the way, we headed out to find another pub and ended up at a place across from Christ Church called "The Lord Edward." We had planned on staying only for one drink, but befriended a seventy-some-year-old gentleman who introduced us to his friends and family who were very kind and friendly people, and so we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and much of the evening there. We had an unforgettable St. Patrick's Day singing Irish tunes, sharing stories, and getting to know our new Irish friends.

After The Lord Edward, we headed down towards the Temple Bar area where we spent a little more time before cabbing back to the hotel. We found our way through crowds of people and enjoyed more conversations with the locals and other tourists also enjoying the holiday festivities. It was a great St. Patrick's Day.

Temple Bar celebrating St. Patrick's Day