Destination Outbound

Dublin: By golly, it’s jolly!

Doors, draughts and doughty wit, Dublin is a city with old-world charm and modern day idyll. By Neeti Mehra

The first thing, which is also the last thing that stays with you on a trip to Ireland, is that by golly the Irish are a jolly people. Irish jokes aside, there is joviality in the air that never wanes. Perhaps the biggest jewel in this Celtic tiger is Dublin, where the literary Irish meets the biggest rock act of all times. The compact city is a delight to be in. It's maneuverable in ways that only a tourist can appreciate with the foreknowledge that a jaunt to Grafton Street will take care of every rivet, button and design, while Temple Bar should satiate every bubbly desire, without having to cut a dash across town to head to the next best place to be in. This brings extreme comfort, especially to energiser bunnies disguised as tourists who want to burrow through every crevice of the city, in minimal time - a feat that only Dublin can offer.

Dissecting Dublin

Located on the lilting Liffey River, Dublin is the largest city of the Republic of Ireland and is its capital too. Originally, it was a settlement of the Vikings although it is hard to believe that a peaceful city of literary geniuses had warriors running amuck a couple of centuries ago. It became a part of the British Empire for a while, and then Georgian Dublin as we now know with wide roads and squares flourished.

The nation gained independence in the early 20s, and Dublin scrambled upwards to become the political, cultural and economic center of Republic. "Dublin is the most intact Georgian city in the world," says Jack Burke, our guide in shining armour. The city is quaint. Where in the world do pubs - the O'Reilleys or the O'Donnells - act as a brick and mortar navigation system? Where else in the world can one enjoy the beauty of colourful Georgian doors as at Merrion Square with a history as vivid? Burke points out that each has a different knocker so that inhabitants, in a state of intoxication, could identify their homes, thus avoiding a Georgian faux pas of mammoth proportions.

Our first tryst with the region, straight from the airport, was a trip to Glendalough, a literal translation of which is 'Glen of Two Lakes' in County Wicklow. Founded by Saint Kevin, a hermit priest in the sixth century, the landscape is surreal. Wooded oaks shroud the monastery that is speckled with Celtic crosses - a testament to its rich past.

Literary Dublin

For bookworms, there is no place more sacrosanct than Dublin, with perhaps every brick and stone trod on by a luminary from the world of feather-tipped pens, ink and paper. The Irish were one of the first to pen down spoken words. Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, WB Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, the list goes on and on. The alma mater of most of these geniuses is the Trinity College Dublin, which has a stunningly cavernous library, which houses over three million books. It is also home to the Book of Kells, a manuscript inscribed by the Celtic Monks of the four gospels in Latin. The writer's museum was a voyage of discovery. Nobel laureates through old manuscripts and letters in ink to their beloved, spoke of a language that only those who have experienced the city can understand.

Walking past the homes of these auteurs was perhaps the highlight of the city. A halt at the James Joyce museum or the Shaw birthplace is a must in vain hope that some of their creativity rubs on to you. For the non-literary sorts, there is an escape from literature to gore courtesy Bram Stoker, the creator of Count Dracula. Fans can visit castle Dracula in Dublin itself to relive through its grizzly horrors, perhaps, the only sort in the city. Today Dublin is like any vibrant European world city. Yet its past remains untouched by much of the outside world in many ways. Consider Gaelic football, a close descendent of a sport that developed in the medieval times. It occupies center stage in every Irish sport lover's heart along with hurling, a game played with a wooden axe-shaped stick and a ball. But there is much more than this that a traveller will not understand, a way of life that is so unique to them. With a dose of jolly Irish humour, the joke is on us.

Things to do in and around Dublin

• Give obeisance to the tipple the way only the Irish can. Head to the Old Jameson Distillery for an interactive tour that starts right from Barley and ends at the bottle. Don't miss out on the Shindig Evening to enjoy fine food, song and Irish dancing. For beer drinkers it would be sacrilege to leave the city without a mandatory visit to the Guinness Storehouse and a swig alongside. Built in 1904, this Chicago-styled building has a core in shape of a giant pint glass, a vertiginous one that soars right till the gravity bar. After the tour, enjoy a traditional Irish lunch at the Brewery bar before heading to enjoy Guinness in complete bliss gazing over panoramic views of the city.
• Head to Barberstown Castle in County Kildare - a spooky 13th century castle that now stands as a luxurious four-star hotel. Owned once by songster Eric Clapton (one of the 37 owners of the castle), this dig has its own set of apparitions according to the present owner. Even though we didn't get to see any, a tour of the old wing is worth every penny of the stay. A stunning restaurant housed in a tower is however surpassed by old rooms in the stone tower replete with small cradles and dark mirrors. Guests can also tee off at K Club, a five-star hotel and spa, with two of the finest European Championship golf courses that are in close proximity to the hotel.
• Visit the Irish National Stud at County Kildare where some of the most prolific racehorses in the world are bred. Double this with a tour of the Japanese Gardens and Saint Fiachra's (the patron saint of Gardeners) Garden for a lakeside walk. Do hop in the equestrian museum for some horsing around.
• The Dunmore Caves formed by limestone that is 300 million years old has a depth of 150 feet at their deepest. Stairs, walkways and lighting help you poke into every nook and crevice of these caves, which once housed at least five bat species. Also look around for fossils. Dunmore caves were also a site of a Viking massacre, and a hoard of silver and bronze items were unearthed. Our tour of the cave ended with a flute recital at the edge of the abyss, a befitting end to an exotic tour.
• Dublin is a shopaholic's paradise. For books head to the Temple Bar Book Market and to the food market close by for grub. For art, The Merrion Square open-air weekend art exhibition is a must. For those who want to deflate their wallets for good value, Grafton Street is the place.
• For a feel of royalty, head to Dublin Castle located in the heart of the historic city. A tit-bit of history: the city gets its name from a former pool on this site - Black Pool (Dubh Linn). Impressive state apartments, galleries and residential quarters, and a portion of Viking quarters are open for public viewing.
• Make and polish your own world-class crystal at the legendry Waterford Crystal visitor center. Visit the factory and the shop to stock up on the world's finest crystal. Started by George and William Penrose in 1783, one can ogle at a staggering replica of the famed millennium Ball that was released on the millennium eve in Times Square. Wander through the blowing room and watch master craftsmen at work.
• Indulge in music and entertainment, Irish style. Head to the Temple Bar area for clubs and pubs.