Hi all -

I have tickets from Boston to Dublin for 5 nights (first is on the plane ) in December. What is your favorite off the beaten path site? Anything specific to December? Special (cheap!) restaurant, pub, tea location?

We will take a day trip to the southern towns/mountians, by coach, but will spend the other 3 days in Dublin - aside from the Brewery, Gaol, Castle, Churches... what should we do?

Please and thanks in advance!
-Kristy

PS - to anyone following the Dun Leary (sp??) post, my work computer will not post messages to the Fodor's board - so thanks for the info, but I couldn't respond! We decided to stay right in Dublin, and I have some enquiries out now. Is anyone else having this issue with posting? It has happened for 3 days now.

The Walk of the 1916 Easter Rising conducted by Lorcan Collins is worth doing. For 2 hours you will trace the various sites of the rebellion. Mr. Collins is witty, informative and courteous. For 10 euros it is well worth attending. It leaves from the International Bar near the Tourist office twice a day. Check hours at the Tourist office.

Browne's restaurant on St. Stephen's Green is a great place for dinner..

Good luck.

I enjoyed Marsh's Library, which was built in 1701 as the first public library in Ireland. The interior of the library still looks much much the same as it looked 300 years ago. Check out http://www.marshlibrary.ie/library.html for photos and more information about the library. It's very close to St. Patrick's Cathedral, so you could easily combine a visit to the library with a visit to the cathedral.

Farmleigh,the former Guinness family mansion and now the government guest house in the Phoenix Park is usually reserved for foreign heads of state.It will have several free concerts and other festival events in December.Details should appear shortly on www.farmleigh.ie

Couple of suggestions

1) Trinity University - walk around visit the campus. Take in the museum with the "Book of Kells" in it.

2) You said brewery but the Jameson's Distillery is better tour IMHO than the Gusiness beer factory. You might want to include it in your tour.

3) St Michans - right around the corner from Jameson's distillery - see the burial chambers with allegedly 700 year old crusader. Might be able to touch his finger for luck.

Great Pub - St John Gogarity in the Temple Bar area. Go upstairs and listen to the Traid music. Great time. Also look at O'Neils right near the Trinty university.

Not sure you can go into the 4 Courts - closed when I was there but could give it a try.

There are tons of other pubs - walk awhile and pub crawl back - I did it on St Patrick's day a few years back and met tons of cool people.