Hi there, my partner and I will have two full days and nights in Dublin before heading to Lisbon in early November 2009.

I would very much appreciate Foderites' suggestions for a two-day itinerary, accommodation and restaurants.

I have been to Dublin before (years ago) but it's my partner's first time. And my partner's of Irish ancestry (County Cork)

We don't much like those 'could be anywhere' international chains so we are all ears to hear your recommendations for well-located, reasonably-priced locally owned and operated hotels as well as B&B's. Asking a lot, I know.

As for things to do, we are not much on shopping or clubbing...but do like theatre and live music (we would really like to participate in the action at a singing pub if possible). We are also big on museums, historic sites and interesting architecture.

We would very much appreciate recommendations for restaurants that are patronized by locals. Any suggestions?

Fodorites have supplied excellent advice for our other trips and I look forward to hearing from you experts about what you suggest for this one.

Many thanks

Different timescale, but this thread covers a great deal. You can select what interests you. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35169873

thank you - a great link. I appreciate it

If one of your days is a Sunday, I found the Irish-Jewish Museum very interesting. It is walking distance from St. Patrick's and Shaw's birthplace.

There was also a tour company that arranged a one-day train/bus trip from Dublin to Cork, Cobh, and Blarney Castle. You can check at the TIC to see if they are still in business. You get to see a lot of the scenery on the train ride and the trip out to Blarney Castle by bus.

For a shorter trip, you can take the DART north to Malhide and see their "castle." It's cute. You can purchase food at the grocery in town, walk to the castle, and have a picnic, if the weather permits. The castle grounds are now a city park and mostly laid out in football pitches (soccer fields), the there is a small patch of scary woods to walk through.

The National Art Gallery is really wonderful; much better than I had expected. Trinity Library and the book of kells is interesting as was a student lead tour of the college. Depending on the exhibit, the National Photography Collection might be exciting. Some of the exhibits are quite amazing.