If you've only got a couple of days in Dublin, the Traditional
Music Pub Crawl which starts in the St. John Gogarty's Pub
in the Temple Bar is a winner, as is the Whiskey Tour at
the Old Jameson Distillery near The Four Courts on the North
Side of the Liffey.
If you like whiskey follow this tip: The tour starts in
an auditorium and the guide will say a few words and then
ask for four volunteers. As soon as the guide finishes saying
"Volunteer" jump out of your seat and furiously wave your
hands.
You will then be one of the four people selected for the
Whiskey tasting at the end of the tour. Not only will you
get your dram of Jameson like all the other tourists, but
you'll also get a set of 8 or 10 wee cups of different whiskeys,
Glenlivet, Jim Beam, Paddy Power, and Johnny Walker Red
to name but a few.
A really good stop for those interested in the roots of
Irish Dancing and Music is "Ceol" which is an interactive
museum just opened at Smithfield Market.
Smithfield Market is a well known spot just West of the
Old Jameson Distillery. The West side of the plaza still
houses wholesale vegetable and fruit markets (the potato
warehouse is chock full of spuds). On the Northside is a
pub that is acquiring a name for good trad sessions amongst
the locals (the name escapes me now). The East side of the
plaza is a modern looking building, half devoted to new
(and pricey) apartments, and the other half houses "Ceol",
Chief O'Neills bar, and a traditional music shop.
The "Ceol" exhibit features interactive video presentation
booths of the different periods in Irish Musical History,
individual listening booths where you can hear excerpts
of some of the best players of all instruments in Irish
music, from the bones to the Uileann (pronounced "Illin")
pipes.
The second floor has a very good display of tap dancing
that runs on video monitors suspended from the ceiling just
above your head. The footage is taken from a under a plexiglass
stage so it appears as the dancer is dancing on top of you
and you can see the foot movements very well.
Behind that is a small dance floor with mirrors on two
sides and two projection screens. You select a dance and
the dancers appear on the screens and you can follow along
(great fun for a couple or a group of 4.
The last stop should be the auditorium which features a
very informative 18-minute presentation on Irish Musical
Heritage. Cost is about 6 Punt.
Doable day trips from Dublin include Newgrange
neolithic grave site to the North (near Drogheda) and Glendalough
(prounounced "Glendalock") to the South.
Glendalough has the better scenery (two lakes in a valley
carved by glaciers) as well as some good hiking. If you
are interested in hiking, the Wicklow Way meanders for 120km
along the Wicklow mountains from Marley Park to Aghavannah.
There are numerous day hikes that one can do along the way,
and the Tourist Offices sell maps and guidebooks.
If you have a car, a visit to Johnnie
Fox's in Glencullen is a good spot for a pint. It claims
to be the highest pub in Ireland and was established in
1798 and served as a meeting place for Irish revolutionaries
throughout the centuries.
Evenings sometimes feature a "hooley", but the place can
get packed with tourists. To see it with just the locals
around, get there before 2 or 3 PM, they have excellent
seafood and on sunny days the view from the outdoor patio
is great.
The oldest pub in Dublin is the Brazen Head at 20 Lower
Bridge Street, although the actual date is a subject for
debate.
If you like a bit of physical fitness with your beer, try
giving the local chapter of the Hash House Harriers a call. The HHH is commonly
referred to as "A Drinking Club with a Running Problem"
and exists in over 184 countries with over 100,000 members.
More HHH stuff at this site in Odds'n'Ends.
