A weekend in Dublin, Ireland with #LoveDublin

Dublin is a city that many friends and fellow travellers have visited and often talk about. Its the beating heart of Irish culture, sport, history and of course Guinness. Its been firmly on my bucket-list for years now and finally I got the chance to visit thanks to Tourism Ireland as part of their #LoveDublin festival season campaign. A full weekend exploring the city, experiencing sights, sounds and activities only Ireland can offer and finding out just why all my friends say this is such a great city. Here's how I got on.

Flying to Dublin from England

My journey to Dublin was short and sweet. A quick flight from my local airport of Bristol in the South West of England where there are daily flights to the Irish capital. There's plenty of flights to Dublin's International Airport from every major and most minor airports in the UK and with lots of competition prices are pretty reasonable too. As I was only going for the weekend I didn't need to check any luggage either so I was out of the airport in no time and on to a city centre shuttle bus called "Airlink". Almost every bus I travelled on during the weekend had free wifi which meant I never needed to buy a local SIM or pay expensive overseas data charges. This proved invaluable for downloading maps, checking our tourist websites and sharing photos of my trip on Instagram!

Staying in the heart of Dublin's city centre

My accommodation for the weekend was the luxurious Morgan Hotel right in heart of Temple Bar, an area famed for its nightlife, bohemian shopping market stalls and for its proximity to a lot of great tourist attractions. Definitely in the "Boutique" category, my room was plush and well styled as well as compact and cosy. Even with the busy nightlife outside the room was quiet, but for the extra sensitive earplugs are supplied which was a nice thought. With a wifi router in every room I had plenty of opportunity to check out some local tourist attraction websites and plan my route for the next couple of days. The bar at the Morgan Hotel was very inviting too and the best place to start an evening out. Planning the best route to the restaurants and bars.

Eating out in Dublin

Dinner had been arranged at a couple of very special restaurants in the city. Firstly the Fade Street Social, located of course on Fade Street, another great area for dining and nightlife. It was an easy walk from the hotel and a very busy venue when we arrived a little early. A quick drink in the bar upstairs before being shown to our table., there restaurant seems to go on and on with various rooms, steps and dining areas. Our table was in the largest room which was wonderfully styled and near to the bustling kitchen. It's definitely the kind of venue you visit for the entire evening rather than just a meal. The menu was eclectic and definitely hard to choose just one of each course, always the sign of a good menu I think. The entire meal was divine, easily one of the best I've had in a long time, a wonderful atmosphere and great service too. I could have happily eaten there every night but I had more of Dublin to explore!

We were also invited to check out The Woollen Mills, a very cute and uniquely styled restaurant along the banks of the river Liffey. Situated, as the name suggests, in a very historic building, the huge windows and warm interior looks so inviting from outside. The place was packed with happy diners and I soon found out why! The food was excellent and the restaurant prides itself on honest and simple meals with a quirky twist. Just reading the menu was entertaining. With options like "Ox tongue fritters" and "Lamb neck ragu" (which I had) and who could resists a dessert that's simply named "A plate of nice treats". I really enjoyed the Woollen Mill, its quality, its atmosphere and its quirky menu made it one of the best places to start an evening out on the town.

Exploring Dublin

Thanks to the city's many narrow streets, hidden alleyways and impressive buildings there's a lot to see and do in the centre of Dublin. All of it was very walkable from our hotel at Temple Bar. The landscape here is thankfully very flat so walking a few miles in a day is pretty easy. Temple bar is situated right next to the picturesque river Liffey that flows through the heart of the city. As it's festival season here in Dublin I visited some open houses that were free to the public all weekend. The Lord Mayor's Residence was my favourite with it's beautiful grand exterior. I joined the queue for the timed guided tour and visited a number of rooms within the building. Considering the country's turbulent history of government and independence from Britain less than a hundred years ago, there was lot to learn and soak up during the tour. It's always great to get an insight in to buildings you wouldn't normally get to see.

I also visited a number of other buildings and public areas while out walking. Trinity college is a great place to start with its impressive buildings and recreational parks. There was even a university team rugby match on which was fun to watch. I'm a sucker for a free museum so couldn't resist visiting the Natural History Museum as well as the National Museum of Ireland which are near to each other and a short walk from Trinity. Old museums hold a sense of grandeur that modern museums fail to replicate. Elegant buildings playing host to all manner of antiquities and oddities in equal measure. Definitely worth checking out to understand more about the history of the country right back to prehistoric times.

Gaelic Games Experience

One of the highlights of the weekend was trying my hand at a few Gaelic sports thanks to the "Experience Gaelic Games" activity. Just a short bus journey from the city centre up to the Na Fianna GAA Club and much more than just a place to try a bit of Hurling. While I knew of gaelic sports I had no idea how integral they are to the culture and history of Ireland. Their ability to bring communities together, sharing the wealth of communal support and experience rather than trading it with other clubs. You play for the district, town and county you're born in, you give back to community and represent them when playing other counties, culminating in the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship.

The sport is so popular in Ireland it's watch and supported by the entire nation and the final sees attendance levels that would make even a World Cup Final seem mediocre. I headed out to the training fields with a group of Swedish tourists and my friend Emma from the brilliant blog Ladies What, to have a go at Hurling and Gaelic Football. I have to say I really enjoyed Hurling, what seems like quite a violent and full on contact sport to us outsiders turns out to be a game of skill, dexterity and respect for your fellow players. We were taken through some simple moves and practiced some great ways to improve our skills. It was so enjoyable I was a bit disappointed when we had finished. Gaelic Football was more familiar in some respects, part soccer, part rugby with a few Hurling rules thrown in, we had the chance to play a short game which made me realise just how unfit I am! Sadly my team lost but we had a great time in doing so. Experience Gaelic Games is a great and very different way to spend part of your short stay in Dublin but I can highly recommend it. I was surprised how much I learned from it, not just about sport but about Irish Culture, with great staff and a well equipped setup. We even got a chance to chat with the guy who lovingly creates and repairs the Hurley (or camán). I'll definitely be checking out more Gaelic games in the future as its quite a noble and highly skilled collection of sports.

Guinness Factory fun

Its not often that such a commercial tourist attraction is recommended by everyone but it seems the Guinness Storehouse is definitely the place to go in Dublin. I'd heard so many good things but was keen to find out just why this is Ireland's most popular tourist hotspot. While the tickets are 18 euros its actually well worth the money and you could easily spend the best part of a day there. Situated about a 20 minute walk from the city centre, or a short bus ride, the Storehouse is part of the original Guinness factory complex. The huge and immaculately maintained buildings are your welcome before entering the efficient ticket office area. You can save 4 euros if you book online and you can pick up your tickets when you're there. The Storehouse is situated over 7 levels with plenty to see and do. The building has been modified heavily for the purposes of the museum but has kept much of it's original character as a factory. Pipes cling to the steel beams and disappear off at right-angles all around you giving you a sense of its original industrial purpose.

There are several interactive displays and video presentations explaining the history of Guinness and its impact on local communities as well as global business success for over 200 years. There's even 3 bars here and 2 restaurants to choose from with some fantastic food. There really is no rush to leave here and its the only museum I've ever seen where people are walking around with a pint of stout in their hand! The tour concludes at the rather busy but astoundingly scenic "Gravity bar" on the 7th floor. A pure glass surround bar where you'll get a free pint of Guinness and amazing views of the city, the hills and the coast too. Worth the price of admission alone! I really enjoyed the Guinness Storehouse and I can see why it comes so highly recommended.

See you again soon Dublin!

My all-too-short weekend in Dublin was quite a surprising experience. Learning more than I ever thought I would about Irish life, culture, sports and history. My hands on experience of Gaelic Games was an education in so much more than sport. The open houses were a window in to the history of this proud nation and dining experiences were the perfect treat to wrap up a each day's sight-seeing. With easy flights to Ireland's capital and such a friendly welcome from everyone I met, I can see I'll be returning to Ireland in the not too distant future. There's plenty more to explore and I'm keen to head out in to the surrounding areas too and soak up more of Ireland's culture.

Thank you to Tourism Ireland

A big thanks to Tourism Ireland for arranging my weekend in Dublin. For a wealth of useful information on Dublin and the rest of Ireland visit their website. You can also follow them on Twitter at @GoToIrelandGB. Flights from Bristol to Dublin take just 45 minutes and cost between £55 and £100 depending on whether you check baggage. There are plenty of daily flights from Heathrow and Gatwick too starting at around £95 and taking just 1 hour.