24 Hours in Dublin | Dublin Day Guide
After over ten hours in transit, a bomb scare, the last ham and cheese baguette I would have in France, and a long conversation/debate over noughts and crosses with a very good-looking yet astonishingly right-wing Frenchman, I bid au revoir and boarded a flight to Dublin.
I'd heard countless stories about Ireland from other travellers and my own family. My own grandmother always talked about the overwhelming sense of coming home when she visited - we found out later her biological father was an Irishman. So when I realised I could get there from Paris for €10 the day I arrived back from Portugal, I jumped at the chance.
I had left my au pair placement a month earlier than I initially planned and to be honest, was still reeling from the decision. I was almost broke and had no idea where I was headed or how on earth I was going to get there. At this point, in what was fast becoming some kind of bizarre voyage of self-discovery, I was just back from a week in beautiful Lisbon, eating seafood and drinking cheap wine; spending my days by the ocean and admiring the Moorish tiles.
On the plane to Dublin, I had an aisle seat. I was disappointed about the prospect of the tea and coffee cart banging into my elbow and fellow passengers trampling all over my feet for the next few hours until I realised I was sitting next to a young Irishman. At some point he started talking - and he didn't stop until we landed two hours later. So before the plane had even left the landing strip, I learned the fondness the Irish have for conversation. I never did find out his name.
For the next few hours, I heard all about the young Irishman's life. I heard about his time in the military spent in the baking hot deserts of the Middle East, his relationship with his ex and the baby they share - how when he was 18, all he wanted to do was drink and fook. We talked about travel and Ireland and Europe and Brexit and the Sinn Fein and his distaste for the IRA, as well as why I was backpacking and my job in the call centre and New Zealand Summers. My love for the ocean and how much he would love to just take off but couldn't because of his little girl. Even as we got up and collected our luggage he was still asking me questions and telling me anecdotes about his life. So it's fair to say by the time we landed, I already felt well acquainted with Dublin.
The name Dublin is derived from the Irish Gaelic word Duiblinn meaning black pool, so-named because back in the day the infamous Irish rain would flow off the mountains and form dark muddy pools around the city. I arrived sometime after 11 pm. Dazed and confused I staggered from the airport and boarded a bus that would take me into the city. Twenty minutes later I found myself walking down a dark road to my hostel.
Faintly, drunken yelling and hooting drifted in from the centre of town on the cool breeze, and occasionally the odd patron stumbled past. My pack weighed down heavily on my shoulders, and the damp air seeped into my clothing and pack. It chilled me right down to the bone and a few minutes after disembarking the bus my hands were frozen and I was soaked in a cold sweat. After living in Wellington for almost five years, I like to say I'm used to the cold weather - but in Ireland, it's a different kind of cold. It’s a wet cold that weasels its way into your pack and runs rampant through all the thicker denim clothes your mother told you to leave behind. Before long, my accommodation came into view. Isaacs Hostel is an old brick building with red windowsills and flowers hanging from the planter boxes.
24 Hours in Dublin
I was only in Dublin for one full day, so I rose early and a few hours later found myself on a free walking tour. Our guide looked like Colin Farrell, but he was smaller and his ears stuck out in the cutest way. I soon found out that while a lot of Irish people look dark and brooding, most of the time you'll find when they open their mouths to speak they're actually wise-cracking and cheeky with a wicked sense of humour, not to mention the beautiful Irish lilt blends beautifully with their mild sarcasm and tendency to drink most other cultures under the table. I was in my happy place.
Dublin Castle
During the tour, we wandered around the city exploring historical landmarks as well as the best places in the city to see live music or eat traditional Irish fare. A highlight was Dublin Castle and the two stone figures you'll find there - the Statue of Fortitude and Lady Justice.
Lady Justice is usually depicted with a blindfold, paired with a set of scales to symbolise blind justice. You'll also find her sword is usually pointed downwards. She is a symbol for the moral force of the judicial system. However, in contrast to how she is usually portrayed, Lady Justice at Dublin Castle is not blindfolded. She can see her scales and the people standing before her awaiting trial. Her sword is also pointing upwards, almost raised in defiance and anger.
Close by The Statue of Fortitude stands with a lion behind him - but instead of a brave and fearful lion, the lion is conveyed as a cowering animal. Our guide literally pointed at the creature and cried,
What the hell is that?!
To add salt to the wound, both statues have their back to Dublin. The Statue of Fortudide and Lady Justice have quickly literally turned their back on the Irish. All of the above made perfect sense when our guide told us Dublin Castle acted as the seat of the English, and later British rule during the colonisation of Ireland. The castle remained a symbol of English rule over the country, until it was handed over to Michael Collins in 1922 after the Irish War of Independence - a conflict that split the country quite literally in two but ended 800 years of brutal British colonisation. The two statues still stand almost as a reminder, not only of a turbulent political past but of the continued peace that remains at present.
Meeting Brianna
It was at Dublin Castle I met Brianna - another backpacker who'd been through three au pair families, before finally giving up and deciding to travel permanently. We bonded over our mutual experience as live-in child care and when I drank an Irish coffee on an empty stomach she looked after me. She’d also been in Dublin for a few days and knew all the best spots.
Later we inhaled a huge feed of fish and chips and I finally started to feel somewhat sober again. Dublin was fully decked out for Christmas. There were brightly-coloured fairy lights on every building and tinsel in every shop window. The streets were crowded with families in thick woollen coats. The crisp frost intermingled with the thick smell of roast dinners and mulled wine that drifted from warm corner pubs. The chitter chatter of small children excited for Christmas echoed down the cobblestone streets, couples walked hand in hand and perhaps best of all, the occasional smashed Irishman stumbled out of his local pub in front of us - or was thrown.
Temple Bar
Later that night I ventured out for dinner and ended up at a donut shop outside the infamous Temple Bar Pub. I had been warned earlier to avoid Temple Bar at night because the area becomes a bit of a tourist trap so instead of drinking away my hard-earned cash, I stood outside in the icy cold FaceTiming a friend back home and munching on my doughnut. I watched the tourists careen from the warmth of one of Dublin's most iconic pubs into the street - headfirst into the garbage bags stacked outside.
Meeting Doris
The next morning I rose early and headed for Heuston Station. I was bound for Athenry, a small country town just out of Galway on the West Coast of Ireland - the family of a friend had graciously offered to take me in until I worked out what I was doing. I still had over a month before my flight flew out from Heathrow and like hell was I going to be sitting around for that time. On my way there I made conversation with another local, who talked to me for about forty minutes about his new 75-watt LED light. When he tired of talking about his new toy he told me about the time he went to a stag party in Spain. He was still talking to me as we bid our farewells.
Fair play to you, fair play
The conversation with random locals continued when I got to Heuston and found myself talking to an older woman called Doris. She expressed concern for my well-being and asked what my parents thought of my voyage. I told her I was doing just fine and she needn't worry. Doris was a delight.
You're young and beautiful
She gestured her long wrinkled finger in my direction.
Now's the time to do what you're doing
The Irish really do love their talk. Eventually, I bid farewell to Doris and boarded my train to Athenry. Aboard the train was a stag party and before long the motley crew of misfits, a merry band of buzzcuts and beautiful Irish song, were singing and hooting - throwing back cheap cans and beating the crap out of each other. The landscape that streamed past outside didn't seem so unlike home, with her rolling hills and lush green fields. I sat back in my seat and watched in amazement as the fences outside turned from wood to ancient stone. Livestock grazed in and around abandoned buildings overtaken by the lush undergrowth, and occasionally the sun streamed in through the fog and mist and bounced off the windows of the train back into the flowing wilderness outside.
Grandma was right - I was home.
A Quick Guide to Dublin
What to see in Dublin
As with any city, the best way to see Dublin is to wander and go where the wind takes you. In saying that, Ireland has a long, politically and socially turbulent history, and there are a number of significant places throughout Dublin you can explore.
The area around Temple Bar is absolutely beautiful, and the cultural hub of Dublin. Back in the day around the 14th century, the riverside neighbourhood was frequently attacked by Native Irish tribes. A little while later it became a wealthy area populated by English families, before becoming the Red Light district of Dublin. Falling into disrepair, Temple Bar was almost destroyed to make way for a bus station - the plan was eventually cancelled, and the local council began overseeing the reconstruction of the area. These days Temple Bar is much alive with plenty of bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes, not to mention theatres and live music venues. The Temple Bar Pub is a sight to behold - especially at night when the fairy lights are up. However, the area is also very touristy so you should be on your guard for tourist traps.
Where to stay in Dublin
I stayed at Isaacs Hostel. For a few nights, this hostel was great. The staff were friendly and the facilities were adequate. The only downside was walking back at night - but in saying that, I've stayed in far dodgier places. If you can get past the needles and puke on the sidewalk you'll be fine.
What to try in Dublin
Make sure you try Irish Coffee - but not on an empty stomach unless you want to be one of those tourists. If you're paying more than €6 you're being ripped off.