Dublin’s Fair City

We left Kilkenny bright and early and headed towards the capital of the Republic.

Before arriving in Dublin, we stopped at Glendalough, a monastic site founded in the sixth century by St. Kevin. Its remains are nestled between lush rolling hills and the trickling Poulanass River. We explored the Lower Glen, home to the Round Tower, St. Peter and St. Pauls' Cathedral, and St. Kevin’s Church.

Back in the City

Our hotel was located within walking distance of Trinity College and the iconic Temple Bar neighborhood. This made navigating the city very easy and within a couple of days we were true temporary locals.

Although the Temple Bar is one of the most adorned and photographed pubs in Dublin, we recommend steering clear of it. With Guinness at €8.95 a pint, we discovered much more affordable and authentic places to frequent.

“…I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone”

A little cheeky and a little crude, the Molly Malone statue always garners attention. This bronze sculpture was erected in 1988 by Dublin-born artist Jeanne Rynhart. The legend is based off of a fishmonger, Molly, who may have also been a lady of the night. Her character is popularized in the titular song by The Dubliners.

Over the years, her statue has become the center of some controversy. Visitors began touching her breasts for good luck, as you can see from the polished area on her chest. Molly has since become a figure in discussions surrounding consent and objectivity.

On our walking tour of Dublin - Johnson's Court

On Grafton Street looking down Anne Street at St. Ann's Church of Ireland

Summer Solstice Moon from our hotel room

Ha'penny Bridge - one of the many bridges crossing the River Liffey built in May 1816

Lord Edward Street looking up at Christ Church Cathedral

The Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle - constructed in the early 13th century this building is now a government complex

Architectural detail of The Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle

Castle Gardens - on or near the site of original dubh linn or ‘black pool’ where Vikings would dock their ships and how the city became known as Dublin

Powder Tower peaking through gates at Dublin Castle

George's Street Arcade - first purposefully built center in Dublin for shopping, now home to numerous restaurants, artists and other vendors

J. Grogan's, The Castle Lounge - Opened in 1973 with its iconic carpeted floors and midcentury styling. Notice the red Guinness sign towards the back of the building: these cannot be purchased but are bestowed to the pubs from Guinness as a mark that they sell a certain amount of beers!

Clarendon Street facade of St. Teresa's Church - one of the oldest standing Catholic churches in Dublin

Inside Trinity College Library - stacks of books tower over your head

Grabbing some Dim Sum at Lucky Tortoise in Temple Bar

Sycamore Street looking onto Dame Street

Jacob in The Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse overlooking Dublin

Meeting House Square, outside the Photo Museum Ireland in Temple Bar

Mural in Temple Bar across from Gallaghers Boxty House, a great place to get a traditional Irish meal

Dublin Portal - connects the city to New York City with a 24/7 live view

Looking down Pearse Street in front of our hotel

Statue of Father Theobald Mathew on O'Connell Street

Homeless Jesus sculpture in front of Christ Church Cathedral

Entry to St Patrick's Cathedral on the north side of the building

Minot’s Tower at St. Patrick's Cathedral - original spire collapsed from a storm in 1316, and again in 1394

View of the cathedral tower from St. Patrick's Park

Williams Street: on the left is Powerscourt Townhouse - home to many boutiques and restaurants; further down on the right is J. Grogan's The Castle Lounge (remember where we are now?)

From Dame Street looking up South Great George's Street

Historical building in Dublin on the corner of College Green and Trinity Street - previously housed The Pen Corner, which opened in 1927 and unfortunately shut down in May 2022 due to rent costs and loss of business from Covid-19

D'Oiler Chambers - home to D'Oiler Street restaurant

Last night in Ireland prepping to head home - including the humbling laundry hang on any Rick Steves' tour!

Inside Kilmainham Gaol

Recognized as a “must see” sight according to the Rick Steves guidebook, we were very excited to be provided a comprehensive tour of this historic jail. Kilmainham Gaol is a testament to Ireland’s struggle for independence; it was significantly used by the British as a political prison.

The tour wound through the cold, dark building eventually leading us to the large, panoptic east wing and out to the courtyard. Two large doors lead to the final area, the Stonebreaker's Yard, where 14 of the 16 leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed.

With our tour coming to an end and a few days remaining before our flight, we took recommendations from our guides on what to do with our downtime. They suggested we head to Belfast to gain a better understanding of Ireland as a whole. When we returned, we had a more thorough perspective of Irish identity and troubles throughout the years.

Head North to Belfast with Us

Food tends to play a big role in our travels. We always try to eat at places you can’t find back home and are always on a quest to discover new flavors. Dim Sum, traditional Irish, and Nepalese were just a few experiences from this trip, but we were saving our best meal for last - D’Olier Street, a Michelin-starred restaurant fortuitously located right by our hotel. We chose the chef’s table and had a bird’s eye view of all the action, along with the best service and drinks as our trip drew to a close.

Liam Gallagher

We were lucky enough to experience a concert during our remaining days in Dublin. Being children of the nineties, we accepted we probably would never get to see Oasis live. Shortly before our trip, their singer Liam Gallagher, teased a tour for their first album Definitely Maybe, which turned 30 in 2024. After a lot of support, he announced he would be doing a very short European run of only 8 tour stops - two in Dublin that lined up perfectly with our Heart of Ireland tour.

It was a fitting end to the journey of a lifetime.

Definitely not shot on 35mm!

Back to Ohio

Our last night was spent organizing and packing for a seamless travel day. We were hoping our flight would go as planned; Aer Lingus employees were on strike due to low wages. Thankfully, our flight went ahead as scheduled and after a total of 3 hours at the airport, 8.5 in the air, and 4 hours in the car, we were reunited with our baby boy!

Our last round of clothes drying in front of the window at our hotel. IYKYK.