Dublin, Ballsbridge and all the pubs inbetween

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Tues 22 April 2014,

Dublin, Ballsbridge, Baggot Rath.

Hi everyone.

The last two days have been a little bit if a blur. Sean knows Dublin well and wanted to show us as much as possible. We all got to the accommodation on Tuesday, just after lunch. Fantastic accommodation just opposite the AVIVA Stadium. It was only a short drive from the hotel for us, however Sean, Chantel and the kids caught the ferry from Holyhead (UK) to Dublin. After a quick clean-up we headed out to Dublin, which is only a few stops on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport), in other words the, train. First stop was the first pub for a Guinness and then on to some sightseeing. First up was Trinity College, where Sean spent many years being educated and picked up the drinking bug. We later returned to the college bar and were subsequently thrown out. It was after a few too many beers, so were not sure if they remember Sean’s reputation or whether it was too late for the kids. It may not have happened just like that, but that’s how I remember it! Sean said it was the only time he has ever been kicked out of Trinity and he wasn’t even attending the college. How ironic.

After Trinity College we walked to Sean’s old drinking holes, this was where the day became a little unstuck and blurry. Too many pubs to remember and finally finishing back at the Trinity College bar about 8pm. As we had dragged the kids around to every pub in Dublin, we thought it would be child abuse to continue, so we headed home on the DART. We all had a good day and the kids could not have been any better. I get the feeling they have done this before.



Wed 23 April 2014

Dublin, Ballsbridge, Baggot Rath.

A bit of a slow start to the day, can’t understand why? But as usual Cath was up early and cooked everyone a big breakfast. Our tour guide, Sean wanted to show us more of Dublin and we intended to get to the Guinness factory for a beer. Our first stop was Sandymount, a small village within Dublin city, only 10 minutes’ walk from our accommodation. From there we caught the bus to Dublin and then another to Kilmainham Goal for a tour. Steeped in history the tour took us through the early days of Dublin, including independence and the civil war. From there we walked to the Guinness factory and hoped to take a shortcut to the bar, only to be disappointed. To get to the sky bar you have to do the whole tour. This was going to take three hours and would severely cut into drinking time, we decided to give it a skip it as we had been on it before, it was back to doing what we do best, back to the pubs after a short stop through Christ Church Cathedral, the resting place of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, commonly known as knight Strongbow, which the drink was named after. A little history for the book. It was then a tour of Dublin pubs until catching the DART home for pizza and a few more pints.

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Photos

Clodagh and Ciara
At Ballsbridge accommodation

The DART
Heading to Dublin for the first Guinness

Where's the first pub
Sean in a hurry to get to the first pub

The Girls at Trinity
Or Hogwarts, they look the same

Cath and Chantel
Just another pub

Trinity College
Prior to getting kicked out!

Breakfast the next day
Served with hangovers

Double Decker Bus
On our way to Dublin, day two