We are here! We are here! We are here! - almost had to cancel..... there's back story here. For the last two plus years every trip we've tried to take has fallen apart - mostly because of medical issues (really sick in Mexico, trip to ER before Costa Rica - even had to cancel a trip downtown to Philadelphia). this was our third attempt to get to Ireland - and we made it! (despite an unusual severe attack of vertigo the day before the flight)
Flight out of Philadelphia on American went easily. Got there three hours early, regular wait at TSA (they had combined pre-check and regular lines, but separated them out at the actual checkpoint). Flight was smooth, very nice steward, arrived almost an hour early.

We are staying at the College Green Hotel very near - well the college green at Trinity College. I would recommend for location alone. Staff are lovely, room large and very comfortable. Luckily the room was ready when we arrived so we unpacked and went down for second hobbit breakfast. I'm usually unable to nap so just lay down on the bed when we got back to rest a little and fell utterly deeply asleep and then woke up four hours later refreshed. What a gift. (Steve can sleep anywhere so he also got a nap in).
I'd pre-purchased tickets to the Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity for day one figuring it wasn't that high on my list of things to do so if we were too tired I wouldn't mind missing it. But lo and behold, we were refreshed from the nap - awoke at noon with plenty of time for the 2 pm tickets. It was a five minute walk from the hotel, easy to find. And I was so glad we went. The Book of Kells is fascinating for its story alone, and beautiful of course. The immersive experience is breathtaking, albeit a bit nauseating for someone still recovering from vertigo. But for me the part that I'm so glad we experienced was being in the ancient library, seeing the stacks of books preserved through time, the accumulated knowledge of the ages. And the most moving of all was one of only a few surviving copies of the 1916 Declaration of Independence.

The stacks at Trinity

1916 Declaration of Independence
The whole experience only took an hour. We had tentatively planned to go to Iveagh gardens afterwards but that would have been an 18 minute walk, and wanting to not overdo it we opted for the National Gallery which was open and free! We stopped for coffee and a pastry on the way. I always imagine doing this but often have a hard time finding a cafe on our line of travel, so was delighted to find this one. Then realized as we walked on that it was only one of many on the street along with book stores - I think I'm going to like Dublin. We enjoyed the National Gallery - especially the wing devoted to Irish artists, most of whom I wasn't familiar with.
By the time we got back to the hotel my burst of energy was gone, as were my knees. It was the only night in Dublin I hadn't planned a dinner reservation not knowing what we might be up for. Don't laugh at me - we opted for Indian/Nepalese food at Katmandu, a restaurant we had bookmarked while researching. It was a 10 minute walk, food lovely, service great - and fast. Don't worry - we have many Irish centric meals to come.
Utterly collapsed when we got back. Today we leave in a bit for a guided tour to the Battle of the Boyne battlefield, Malahyde Castle and Howth.
I'll try to report in every day.
A few words of strong advice. Read up on Irish history before you go - it is complex and there's a lot to know. I've been rereading Leon Uris's Trinity which still stands up. And just because she is one of my favorites (not history, but sense of place for sure) I'm also reading Tana French's latest.
Off to learn more about King Billie at the Boyne

Day 2. We had booked a tour to the north of the city through Tours By Locals. Our guide had forgotten that we wanted to see the Boyne battlefield site and she said that there wasn't much to see there so we decided to stay with the simpler itinerary. I'll be honest. My response to Malahide castle was "meh". Maybe I'm jaded by too many castles and stately homes over the years, maybe the recent reading I've been doing about the Famine took away any curiosity I had about the lives of the rich and sort of famous. I mean I'm happy for Lady Rose Talbot that when she couldn't keep the house because of inheritance taxes she was able to retire to her estate in Tasmania. the most interesting part of the house for me was the 14th century original tower. It was fun learning about where the phrase "mind your own beeswax" and he's "plastered" come from. (according to the guide, the first was because the ladies wore beeswax makeup that would melt if you got too close to the fire, and being plastered has to do with the alcohol used to make plaster, and the supposition that the craftsmen drank as much as they put into the moldings). I did really enjoy the tranquility of the gardens - reminded me a bit of Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. They have a tropical element, and a lot of whimsey and a delightful butterfly house.

butterfly on Lantana at Malahyde Castle

Garden pathway at Malahyde

Kangaroo at Malahide garden

After Malahide we drove to Howth, a fishing village on the Irish sea. We stopped along the way at a lookout point that had a lovely vista onto the Irish Sea and Dublin around the curve. And I learned what Gorse looks like. We didn't see enough of Howth to really appreciate it - but I was starving by that point and we choose one of the little seafood restaurants. I anticipated sort of mediocre beach fare, but the fried shrimp i had was perfect as was Steve's squid.
All in all, I wish I'd investigate a bit more - I think I would have preferred going further north into the countryside and seeing more of the land itself - we never quite got out of the suburbs.
Perhaps thte best part of the trip was the far ranging conversation with our guide about history, culture and politics. I'm still cramming trying to get a better understanding of the country's complex history.

Irish Sea

Gorse by the sea

After a nice late afternoon rest, we were able to walk down the pedestrian Grafton street to our dinner at Glovers Alley which is right on St. Stephen's Green. I was a little nervous about this one - the menu online is adventurous without a lot of choices - but I've learned that the risk is usually worth it. And this was totally amazing. We did the 6+ course tasting menu. We're off alcohol these days so I had a lovely thyme elderberry mocktail, and Steve had a non-alcoholic Riesling which he said was actually quite good. Here's a link to the menu - it's hard to describe it. My husband is has a bunch of dietary allergens and they made up special courses for each step of the meal. Suffice to say that we literally licked every plate totally clean. The flavors were complex, intriguing and incredibly innovative, and the presentation and service were impeccable. Restaurant Menu in Dublin, Ireland | Glovers Alley Menus
The pictures below are for the lobster dumpling, scallop, and two desserts.
Today is an easier itinerary - Kilmainham Gaol and the Johnny Fox's for dinner

lobster appetizer Glover's Alley

Scallop Glover's Alley

passionfruit sorber

Looking forward to reading more !

Hi lauramsgarden!
So sorry to hear about the vertigo episode. That must have been scary, especially the day before your flight. That would have been so disappointing if you had to cancel.

Love all your photos and you are certainly whetting my appetite for Ireland. We saw a lot of gorse in Scotland.

We have our tickets for Kilmainham Gaol and Book of Kells. Looking forward to having dinner with you and Steve on Friday night!

Also want to add I admire you for writing a trip report while traveling.

I'm reliving the four wonderful years of our DD's undergrad at Trinity College Dublin through your reporting. We never missed an opportunity to visit her, of course.

We, too, have stayed at the College Green. Lovely hotel, though our room was booked with points and was a bit on the small side. The afternoon tea made up for it, however.

Safe onward travels!

Laura,
How did you get from the airport to your hotel? I know there is a public bus from the airport to Dublin Center, but at our ages, we prefer to take taxis from airports to our hotels. I think I read somewhere that Uber/Lyft doesn't exist in Ireland, but one can use the Uber app to reserve taxis. But I can't find my notes on this. I assume there must be a taxi rank at the airport.
Thanks!

Ireland was one of our favorite trips, especially since I studied in an Irish missionary school. We rented an apartment at the top end of Grafton Street, just across from Trinity College, we had a good view of the entrance quadrangle from the living room window. Such happy memories, I would love to go back!

I will confess - after all the health problems I've had, and knowing that we would get little sleep on the plane, I booked a car from the hotel before we came. But I know there are taxis at the airport and shouldn't be a problem.

Re "uber" they have two apps which I downloaded before we came and put in credit card info - Bolt and Freenow. Unlike uber, they are actual taxis, the app just lets you call them and pay in advance. I had a little trouble the first time figureing out where to meet the car and the driver gave up and cancelled the trip and we ended up walking which was fine. the second time was coming back from Kilmainham and it worked perfectly. Last night the doorman hailed a taxi for the trip to Johnny Fox's and the guy was super nice and arranged to come back and meet us after we were done. we talked so much on the ride it felt like we were friends by the end.

Mostly we've ended up walking everywhere which is a wonderful experience of being able to do that again after years of being hampered by health stuff.

We arrived at Kilmainham Gaol early as instructed. After the tension-laden ticket process, everything there was quite laid back. We had time to walk through the gardens and peek at a very old graveyard, across the street (in front of Museum of Modern Art). We saluted the magpie we met as instructed by yesterday's guide. I've never seen a magpie (do we have them in US? I don't know). they are beautiful birds with bright white and blue feathers underneath a black topside.
There were about 40 people in our tour, the guide was very knowledgeable and presente4d the information with a well honed combo of facts and stories. I've visited old prisons before, but this felt different, perhaps because I grew up in the era of "the troubles" and so it doesn't feel like old history. The conditions for the prisoners were horrific, sadly made worse by the reforms based on Quaker principles during the 19th century which meant that prisoners were kept in essential solitary except for a few hours a day of outdoor exercise. Similar to the conditions in Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia (my home town area). The jail held both men and women as well as children - including a three year old who was sentenced to 2 weeks for begging. The most powerful stories were of the political prisoners, including a jailhouse wedding the night before the husband was to be hanged.
I'm going to insert one tiny tiny political observation - I know the forum is not the place for such but I don't think you can engage Irish history without some political awareness. As the guide was describing the overcrowded conditions in cells meant for one person I couldn't help but make the connection to today's ICE detainees who are by all reports kept in similar if not worse conditions, and felt sick to my stomach.

Kilmainham Gaol gates

Joseph Pluckett's cell

flowers in the execution yard
We went back to hotel to rest afterwards. I treated myself to a lovely afternoon tea in the room

Afternoon tea
At 6:30 we took off for the 45 minute drive to Johnny Fox's - the highest pub in Ireland. Truly the highlight of my trip so far. This was the journey we met the delightful taxi driver from Nigeria I referenced above. The pub was built in 1798 - two years after Kilmainham was opened, and was a center for Shin Fein and Irish patriot gatherings. the food was really good with portions big enough for three people. I had a venison dish, Steve had sea bass, I finished with whiskey cake. we were near enough to other tables to chat and laugh with them (I almost knocked over the lady's Guiness but was saved by Steve's quick reflexes). We were right next to the music which suited me just fine. He somehow managed to play many of my favorite songs by a wide variety of artists, even Joe Hill, and I was in music heaven. It was also just a taste of Irish countryside which was lovely. Off to Wicklow soon.

sign outside of Johnny Fox's

musician at Johnny Fox's

This was maybe the best day of the trip so far. We had booked a tour through Tours by Locals with Dairiene who has lived in Wicklow her whole life. She had a lot of good information and insights into the sectarian violence of the late 20th century and modern Irish politics as well. Our first stop was Powerscourt Gardens. If you love gardens it is a must - incredible beauty and history and layout. I love the fact that the director of the gardens and the head gardener are both descendents of the family that owned Powerscourt for years and their love for the estate really shows. Dairiene's children went to school with them at the local primary school!

Japanese garden at Powerscourt

it is also an arboretum

Powerscourt grotto
We grabbed a really nice lunch at the little cafe - fresh salads and sandwiches - and then drove through the Wicklow mountains a bit, stopping at an overlook to see a lake and house below and the beach where the Kattegut scenes from the TV series Vikings were filmed (much smaller in real life)

Kattagut?
Then on to the ancient monastic site of Glendalough - beautiful peaceful place, lots of birdsong - a lovely stop to just wander

graveyard at Glendalouch
It was now that I broke the first rule of tourism: always use a bathroom whilst you can. Dairine asked if we needed one and thinking it was only an hour back to Dublin I said I was fine. hah! the drive was smooth until we got to town and then we got stuck in one of those traffic jams where a car moves a few feet every five minuts. Dairine thought it might be people heading to a show at a nearby theater. After sitting for half an hour in the traffic I was desperate. When I glanced at google maps and it said we were 30 minutes from our destination I knew I wasn't going to make it. It was here that Dairine became super guide. she swung into a parking space, leaving Steve to guard the car, and took off power walking with me through the streets of Dublin in search of an available potty. It took a good ten minutes but we finally found a coffee shop where the waitress was very kind. Whew.
The burst of energy entailed however, did me in for the rest of the day. We had planned to go to Mak, a recommended Chinese restaurant, but it would have entailed another taxi ride and we just weren't up for it. We made the mistake of going to the first restaurant that we found - Mulligans - it was dreadful in every way. Neither of us wanted to finish our food and we hightailed out of there as quickly as we could. Luckily, our guide from the prior trip had recommended that we check out Murphy's icecream which happened to be right around the corner, so the day was saved with a double dip of Sea Salt Kerry and Chocolate Whiskey.

We're taking it easy this morning, but I guess I really should get dressed.....

we were exhausted after the previous day's adventures and misadventures so gave ourselves permission to sleep in. We missed our 11:30 ticket for GPO, but when we called they said it was fine, and so arrived at 12:30 - very few people there and had no problem getting in. It was just as well as it really only took an hour to take in the exhibit which was compact, fascinating and well laid out. I think we are finally beginning to understand the timeline and events of the struggle for statehood. We are a quick lunch at the little cafe there - lots of cakes but not a lot of other options. Then walked to EPIC. Even though we were early we were able to walk right in (you really only need the timed ticket for the "famine ship" which we decided to skip as I could tell my feet were giving out and wanted to enjoy EPIC. It is really amazing, one of the best museums I've ever been to. It is carefully laid out in rooms that you follow with your "passport" - wonderful mix of audio visual displays, recordings, stories, info. The first half takes you through the history of the waves of emigration and the suffering and struggles of those who went and those who stayed. The second half then pulls you out of the sorrow with a wonderful display of all the accomplishments and contributions of Irish immigrants to other nations - even the criminal exploits of pirates and mobsters. I got way too excited playing the game of which bad guy were they describing. I just knew Mrs. O'Leary was framed! Bottom line - you don't really need advanced tickets for either GPO or EPIC - both are well worth it and close to each other. one hour for GPO and then take as much time as you like for EPIC.
I didn't really take much in the way of pictures that day - I wanted this trip to make sure I let myself just be with where we are and not see the whole thing through the lens of my phone - it's a work in progress. here are a few:

poster for 1916 rebellion

Revolutionary headquarters but still a post office


We were excited for our dinner plans that night - we were finally going to meet Fodors friend from many trip planning adventures, Karen Woo and her husband Ed. We had decided in advance to go to the Pigs Ear - a Michelin restaurant that specializes in Irish food like grandma would have made. I was responsible for making the reservation. And I thought I had. Really. I even had the printed confirmation. We met Karen and Ed at the restaurant and they said the owner told them there was no such reservation. Whatttt? I showed him the printout. He looked at it and shook his head with disgust. "That's for the Pigs Ear in London." Oh No. I pleaded, and luckily they did have an extra table and we had a delightful dinner with our new friends. So much in common, so many adventures. we hope to meet up with them again on future journeys.

Today we took it easy. Rested, packed and did some shopping. We found a nice little Lebanese restaurant for lunch around the corner then meandered to Grafton street. Oh my heavens, Saturday in Dublin is obviously the day to be out and about - it was thronged. We picked up some gifts for grandkids and progeny, and beat a retreat back to our room.
Dinner tonight was the gustatory high spot of our trip - long anticipated - at Patrick Gilbaud at the Merion Hotel. Absolutely phenomenal food - every bite was delicious - service was impeccable - and it was a perfect end to our time in Dublin. I'll post a few pictures tomorrow. And tomorrow we are off to Kenmare.

The mini-GTG must have been so much fun. At a Michelin restaurant no less.

it was - so fun to get to know someone you've been talking to for years! They are masterful travelers!

Entrance to EPIC

Molly Malone of course

GPO Witness Revolution

Amuse Bouche at Patrick Guilbaud