OT: Ireland (especially Dublin)

Ed, Ego and Superego · March 13, 2006, 12:13:10 AM

Hey folks,
At the risk of being labeled with the v-word my wife and I are celebrating our 4 year aniversary in Dublin this year (mid-April). We're spending a week there. Does anyone here live or have lived there? How about visited? I'm just looking for coolness in things to do. We're into history, food/drink, and outdoor activities like day hiking and kayaking. We will have a car for a couple days. Touristy stuff is not 100% necessary, I know where the Guiness brewery is and we're experienced European travelers. But I will take suggestions on anything.
Thanks!
-Ed

dean · March 13, 2006, 01:00:50 AM

Don't know a thing about Dublin or Ireland in terms of what is cool to do there, but I thought I'd say congrats and good stuff!

Holidays are always fun!

Maybe you can find and watch some B-Grade Irish TV or Movies and tell us about them.

Ash · March 13, 2006, 01:01:16 AM

What's the V word?

As for Ireland...I've never been there myself but here are a couple of links that might help:

IRISHTOURISM.COM

VISITDUBLIN.COM

LilCerberus · March 13, 2006, 02:07:22 AM

You could try Frappr Local http://local.frappr.com/
Just find Ireland on the map, then zoom in on Dublin, and you'll find up to fifty places that the locals think are worth noting. Try using the little check boxes one at a time to get the most out of it.

There's also Frappr People http://people.frappr.com/
I dunno, I guess if you don't mind making people think you're kinda creepy or something, you could find some folks & ask 'em about what to do in town.

ulthar · March 13, 2006, 08:11:51 AM

ASHTHECAT Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What's the V word?
>
>

"Vacation"

trekgeezer · March 13, 2006, 08:40:47 AM

I was in Nothern Ireland back in 1975. My brother married an Irish girl when he was stationed there in the 60's. We were stationed together in Scotland and I took a vacation to Londonderry to see his in-laws.

They had a cottage in the country down in the Replublic of Ireland near the beach. It was one of those postcard kinda places with a thatched roof and the works. I can tell you one thing don't go swimming unless you like freezing your ass off.

This was during a time when they were having a lot of problems with the IRA and there were British troops everywhere. They wouldn't allow any private vehicles in downtown Londonderry and they had 12' high chainlink fence around the downtown area. But, you know that was 30 years ago and it has changed a lot.

The country there is beautiful and if you golf they have some very good courses. I'm sure you'll enjoy the people. Everyone was very friendly (just like the folks in Scotland).

I think you'll have a great time.

The Conqueroo · March 13, 2006, 10:29:27 AM

My Two Favorite Movies About Ireland:"The Quiet Man"and"The Commitments".Being of Scots and Irish Descent,I'd Love To Visit Bonnie Scotland and The Emerald Isle One Of These Years!!Hell,I Was Listening To Johnny Cash's "Forty Shades of Green"A While Back And It Broke Me Out In Tears!!

Ed, Ego and Superego · March 13, 2006, 02:53:42 PM

THANKS! I'll check out the links provided. I also like dthe stories. Trek, I was in London about 12 years ago and a friend of mine was stuck on a train for 8 hours due to an IRA Mortar attack. I'm glad things have calmed down on that front. I plan to really enjoy myself. Now to just wait out the month until we leave.

-Ed

Neville · March 13, 2006, 06:36:58 PM

My sister married an Irishman and they live in Clondalkin, one of the residential areas nearby the city center. Been myself over there a few times in short visits, but haven't been much outside Dublin. I wish I had, the countryside is fantastic, and the coast is specially beautiful during spring and summer. My advice would be to ask around and take a short trip to any coastal village, if only to see something different to Dublin.

If you go downtown, there's (or used to be) a small company in O'Connell's, near the post office, that offers programmed bus trips to the countryside and several places of interest, you can check it out and do several trips. Since the distances are relatively small, most of them take just 2-3 hours.

Ed, Ego and Superego · March 13, 2006, 08:11:12 PM

Thanks Neville, thats the kind of goods I was looking for. We're basing out of Dublin, and doing some day trips into the country.
-Ed

BoyScoutKevin · March 16, 2006, 08:16:44 PM

I've been to Dublin and Ireland three times. The last time was three years ago, when I finally got up to northern Ireland. I'm with Neville. If you can, then take a number of day trips out of Dublin, but I'd see about renting a car and doing my own driving.

And I'd see about getting up to northern Ireland. I finally got up to Belfast, where the biggest change is that they are now making buildings out of glass. And they couldn't do that before, because of all the bombs being exploded. I have two other specific memories of Belfast. One is the big screen they had on one side of the police station, which was to protect the station from rockets fired from Falls Road, which is one of the Catholic areas of Belfast. The other is, when we drove past the Falls Road Library, there were bars and metal screens on all the windows of the library. Which were there to protect the building from Molotov cocktails from being tossed into the building. I've seen alot of libraries, both here and overseas, but that is the first time I've seen a library that had to have bars and screens over their windows. Imagine trying to work under conditions like that.

trekgeezer · March 17, 2006, 08:33:15 AM

I remember that I left Londonderry before my brother and I had to take a train to Belfast to fly back to Glasgow Scotland (we made the trip over on a ferry in my brother's car). Anyway, I was quite nervous about the train ride and didn't feel much better when I got to the airport at Belfast.

You know we gripe now about having to take our shoes off at the airport and they just xray our carryons. How would like to have to open your suitcase and let some soldier rifle through your stuff, then board the plane with armed soldiers guarding the entry. I was amazed at how the people just accepted it and went about their daily business.

I did have an awful good time there. My brother and I got in trouble with his wife because we went up to the pub close to the beach we were at and met some old timers who started thanking us for the Americans getting into WWII and reminiscing about those times. We got pretty plastered from these old guys buying us beers.

I hope to get back to Scotland one of these days.

plan9superfan · March 17, 2006, 05:12:04 PM

I always wanted to visit the British Isles. Ireland would be a nice place to start.

raj · March 17, 2006, 06:54:33 PM

You're right Trek. When my family went to the Netherlands in '91 I was shocked to see the airport guards were like actual soldiers, carrying M1 carbines. Then we got back to the US and it was as though we had WWII vets (old guys) carrying nothing.

I'm still p**sed, though, that I have to leave my Swiss Army knife at home.

OT: Ireland (especially Dublin)

plan9superfan