Guinness and Whiskey in Dublin
Temple Bar March 2023
Introduction
This was a cheap four-day getaway on Ryanair, staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Dublin City Centre with my sister. Just a long weekend to catch up as we live the opposite ends of the country from each other.
On the Agenda!
1. Temple Bar
2. Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour
3. Jameson Distillery cocktail making class
4. The Guinness Brewery
5. Kilmainham Gaol
Day 1
Our hotel was on O'Connell Street Upper, a ten minute walk to the River Liffey from the north. After checking in, we took a stroll down O' Connell Street in the March afternoon sun. On the way to the river we passed the Millennium Spire, which is a 400 feet stainless steel spike in the centre of the street. It stands where a statue to Nelson once stood, before it was blown up in 1966.
Close by is the culturally significant General Post Office. This was the headquarters for the Irish Volunteers and Citizen Army during the 1916 Easter Rising and you can still see bullet holes in the exterior columns of the building to this day. It's still Dublin's principal post office, and the building now also contains a museum telling the story of the 1916 Easter Rising and modern Irish history.
After crossing the Liffey, we headed in to the Temple Bar area where we found a nice pub called the Norseman and plonked ourselves down at the bar for the rest of the afternoon, until it was time to find something to eat - which ended up being a sandwich as we severely over estimated the amount of dining options north of the river on our way back to the hotel. After this, we found it best to stay south of the river for food options.
Decent drinks and atmosphere at the Norseman
Day 2
We took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour in the morning with City Sightseeing. If you sign up as a member you get 10% off your bookings. I always find them useful for getting my bearings around a city. This was one of the better tours I have been on. Sometimes you just get some headphones and listen to commentary, but this one had a real live human guide. We got on at the stop in O'Connell Street not far from our hotel, and unusually or us, we stayed on the bus for an entire circuit before finally alighting at a stop at the top of Grafton Street. I really liked Grafton Street. Although just a pedestrianised shopping street, it was so well kept and full of character. I wish we had had more time there. However, the cakes at Bewleys Cafe were more important!
Bewleys Cafe was a must for us. We stupidly didn't book and were very lucky to get a table. Definitely book. We saw people queuing out the door later in the day. Book at Bewleys Grafton Street.
Coffee and cake at Bewleys Cafe
In the afternoon we had a pre-booked cocktail making class at the Jameson Distillery on Bow Street and walked the mile or so from Grafton Street to get there.
A link to the class is here if you are interested. We had a really enjoyable hour learning to make three cocktails (and drinking them of course). After the class was finished, the group was ushered back into the main hall and to our reserved table, where we were given jugs of another cocktail to share. As everyone was well oiled, and we were all sat at a large table together, the conversation flowed. If you are more of a shy nature though, you don't have to stay.
After that we were ravenous for pizza and found a Milano in Temple Bar (the Irish subsidiary of Pizza Express)
Day 3
This morning's entertainment was a visit to the Guinness Brewery at St James's Gate. We weren't messing about this morning, and after breakfast in the hotel, took an Uber straight there.
The tour of the brewery is self-guided and can be booked here. There are seven floors, taking you through the history of Guinness, and also, the marketing and advertising of the drink - showing some of their more recognisable ads in a large auditorium. Once you get to the top of the building, you are in the Gravity Bar, and can claim one half pint of Guinness each. Of course you can buy more. I think I spent more in the gift shop though!
Guinness Advert - "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"
Guinness Surfer Advert - "Tick followed tock, followed tick"
The Guinness Toucan Mascot painted on some double doors on the outside of the brewery
In the afternoon, while we were in the area, we decided to visit Kilmainham Gaol, and joined their 4pm tour. Tickets must be pre-booked on their website - here and are €8 each. The guided tour is an hour long, and while we enjoyed it, it's probably a bit long - especially after walking around seven floors of the Guinness Brewery, and then walking to the gaol!
Kilmainham Goal
Unfortunately, this is where the fun ended for me. After our evening meal (I had better not say where), I had probable food poisoning and was up all night (my sister slept through the whole thing). I must have looked like death in Dublin Airport the next day.
One tip though, if you book a Holiday Inn Express - they are part of the IHG Group; join their rewards programme. This meant that we we able to get a late check-out at no additional cost, something that I was so grateful for the next day. They also have the facility in their breakfast area for you to pick up items and go - pastries, fruit etc - providing you with paper bags for that purpose. No more sneaking out at breakfast with items for your lunch (not that I would do such a thing 😳 ). My sister made good use of that service that morning so that she could sit in the room with me until it was time to check-out and get our flight.
