3 Irish Adventures

Two weekends ago Aaron and I went to Dublin for his 21st! We made sure we got up to a few of the Dublin Musts. The photographs aren’t the best, however the experiences really were and they definitely hugged us with Irish greatness. And all three experiences presented to us how friendly and lovely the Irish are!

I booked a trip to the Guinness Storehouse as part of Aaron’s gift. When I realised I booked the trip too early considering our flight time, I easily changed it. This simplicity carried on when we turned up earlier than our slot (oops!) and they were completely okay with it- booking online definitely helped. It’s essentially a self-guided tour  where we found out how Guinness is made, the history of the Guinness family with a free pint and a tasting session. I also pre-ordered two engraved Guinness pint glasses as an extra present for Aaron which I had a hard time keeping secret. They really are quite special! The afternoon at the storehouse was brilliant; we learnt a lot and got to soak up a lot of Irish-ness!

Stereotypical, but rightly so: Temple Bar was our favourite experience. Temple Bar is popular with tourists- a bunch of bars and pubs that produce the liveliest, most bubbliest nightlife. On Saturday night, after our dinner, we headed out to be greeted by some merry (Guinness might just be the suspect) nightlife. It was the authenticity of it that just made Aaron and I grin. As we walked along the cobbled streets there were buskers- way into the night, too!

Although we got the impression locals aren’t #1 fans, we bundled into The Auld Dubliner, falling in love immediately. We tested out Jameson Whiskey, ticking off another Irish must. The Auld Dubliner created a favourite memory that I hope never fades. Every – or it seemed to be the case – pub showcased live music. The pubs get crowded and, for me, that was what made it so lovely. Lots of people adoring the atmosphere, music and the perfectly pulled Guinness. As we listened to the performer in The Auld Dubliner singing songs sung by Irish acts, the man with the guitar sang The Fairytale of New York. The whole bar helped him out and not only did it create the most festive feeling, it really showed us the good nature of Temple Bar.

On the Sunday night we finally got ourselves a Guinness in the place we waited too long to experience… The Temple Bar pub itself. The atmosphere was electric. It was as busy as the crowds we experienced the night before- so busy we only had one seat between us. And the live entertainment, once again, was incredible. We fell in love so much that we went back in our last hour in Dublin, this time to soak up a performer who performed Irish songs. So brilliant.

On the Sunday morning Aaron and I took a trip to a place that made us giggle when we found out about it: National Leprechaun Museum. It was a brilliantly unique experience. Completely silly and completely captivating all at the same time. We had a wonderful tour guide who explained the folklore and stories of the leprechauns who didn’t originate as the little green men with bears we picture now. We also got to muck around on super duper large furniture so we felt like little(r) people! It was so much like a theatrical experience and it made it super exciting and different.

I will definitely be returning to Dublin in the next couple of years- there were so many more places I wanted to visit! The city itself is so vibrant and pretty but I know we were only a bus trip away from some stunning places we definitely missed out on. However these three trips most certainly lived up to expectations!

~ Kat ~