December 2023

It’s been a number of years since I have been away for Xmas – obviously it is summer in New Zealand which means longer holidays are possible with all the public holidays, so this year I thought I would take advantage of that and head north, way north … in hind sight, probably not the best idea going from summer to winter and travelling at the busiest time of the year … but, someone’s got to do it!

We had a fairly long walk from the plane to immigration and baggage claim but that meant my bag was already out – all so quick and efficient.  I headed straight out the doors into some fresh air (finally) and then on to the Aircoach to the city centre.   Unfortunately, my hostel room was not ready, so I dropped my bag and headed out. Now the struggle really started – to stay away!

I wandered the streets, stopping to enjoy some of the many buskers along the famous Grafton Street,  including one I had often seen videos of on social media – I didn’t even know she was from Dublin so it was a nice surprise to see her live.  (Her name is Allie Sherlock and she has over 2.3M followers on Instagram along – check her our.)

I stopped in pub for some food and there was a musician playing, he started playing Fairytale of New York by the Pogues.  It was probably very corny and touristy but to me, it could not have been more perfect.   

With still more time to kill, I joined a walking tour.  If things had gone to plan, I would have done a tour at 11am and be napping by 2pm, but the flight delay meant that was not possible so here I was 🥴.  The first stop of the tour was Dublin Castle where the guide, Kieran, gave us brief rundown of Irish history 101.  I should probably mention that he started off by telling us the Irish saying “you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story” – so some of what he told us may not be based on fact lol!

First stop Dublin castle where we learnt about the “arrival of strangers” as the arrival of the Vikings were known.  Historically, the Vikings were marauders, coming in to pillage Irish settlements and then leave, until around 800AD when a group of Vikings created the earliest and longest lasting Viking kingdom in Ireland.  They named it Dyflin, which then became Dubh Linn, the Irish for Black pool, a black water pond, part of the River Poodle, near their camp. 

Dublin Castle itself, was initial built on the same area as the Viking settlement in 1171 just after the Anglo Norman invasion began 800 years of English occupation, with the castle being the seat of English power.

In its life, the castle has been a military fortress, a prison, a treasury and law courts.  Following Ireland’s independence in 1922 Dublin Castle handed over to the new Irish government and it continues to be a key government complex.   Most of the original castle was destroyed in a fire in the 1600’s and has been rebuilt steady over the centuries. 

Kieran told us an interesting story about the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels that had been kept in safe, in a strong room.  They were discovered missing in July 1907.  They had just vanished without a trace.  Despite an extensive investigation, including the use of physics and Arthur Conan Doyle (because he had written the Sherlock Holmes stories), and a hefty reward being offered, to this day they have not been found.  Another fun fact, Bram Stoker (of Dracula fame) used to work in the castle when it was part of the Treasury. 

Speaking of fun facts, did you know St Patrick was not Irish???  He was actually Welsh! He was kidnapped by Irish pirates as a teenager and spent 6 years in Ireland as a slave.  He returned home for some time where he found God,  before returning to Ireland as a missionary to convert the then Irish pagans to Christianity.  To top it all off, Americans invented St Patrick’s day and it was first celebrated in the USA in 1932, before spreading back across the ocean to Ireland. 

We talked about the Gaelic language.  Ireland became official a bilingual country in 1922.  Prior to this, the ruling English had done a pretty good job of eradicating the language.  At one time it was illegal to speak it, resulting in a lot of local Gaelic speakers ending up in jail with no idea why (as every time they asked what was going on, they broke the law by speaking Gaelic).  Today about 40% of the population speak with competency, and it is mandatory for government workers including the Garda (Police). 

We passed the beautiful Christ Church, one of three cathedrals in Dublin.  This protestant cathedral was initial build in 1028, but most of what we see today is from 1875.  One of it’s biggest claims to fame is that Handel’s Messiah was premiered here in 1742.  After the concert they were cleaning the pipe organ and found the dead bodies of a cat and a rat – the original Tom and Jerry of Dublin.   Apparently, their bodies are preserved and on display inside the church, along with the heard of Laurence O’Toole, the patron saint of Dublin, who died in 1180.

We strolled through Temple Bar, enjoying the Christmas lights before crossing over to the banks of the River Liffey, the river that runs through the city.  There are a number of pedestrian and road bridges across the river.  The most famous foot bridge is the Liffey Bridge, better known as Ha’penny Bridge due to the toll that used to be paid.  It was actually built by the same company that built the Titanic and it almost collapses a couple of times, before they replaced the wooden planks. 

The tour ended at O’Connell Bridge, this time a road bridge and the only bridge in road that is as wide as it is long.   I was grateful that it was also right near my accommodation so I could finally check in to my room around 5.30.  My room was ok, a 4 bed female dorm, with a little ensuite bathroom which had what must be the smallest shower room I have ever seen 🥴.

One thing that will take a day or two to get used too is how early it gets dark- when it got dark I was thinking it must be really late, but it was not even 5pm!!  Great for enjoying the Xmas lights though.

Not surprisingly, I was up at 4am – jet lag and time zone differences suck!  I managed to sleep a little longer before I headed out just before 8am, and again it was still surprisingly dark.  I headed to a nearby supermarket to  stock up on food for the next couple of days when most things will be closed and I will be on the road.

Shopping done, I was out for another walk before meeting my friend Suzanne for a lovely afternoon catching up.  Enjoying good food and drinks in local pubs – some very old and one that had the smell of mulled wine filling the air.

We then went and joined the crowds at the “The Busk”.   Organised by Irish singer and actor Glen Hansard, the Busk is a Christmas Eve traditional and is a fundraiser for a homeless charity.  In previous years, the likes of Bono (from U2) have turned up, but this year, my bladder got the better of me before too long, so we escaped the crowds and headed to another pub for a last one for the road. There was a lovely atmosphere around the city and in the pubs and in each one we got chatting some of the other punters but I couldn’t believe how early everything closed.  By 7.30 the pubs were closing, I couldn’t even get a hot chocolate on my way back to my hostel as all the cafes were already closed.

Christmas Day dawned and everything was quiet in Dublin except for Church bells ring out around across the city.  Suzanne came and picked me up and we did a little tour through some of the beautiful seaside suburbs of Monkstown, Dun Laogjaire, Sandy Cove and Dalky.  We managed to find a park amongst the crowds at Sandy Cove – a famous spot for a Christmas Day swim.    There was so many people enjoying a dip in sea – not me though, I don’t swim in the sea in New Zealand so I definitely not going to do it in Ireland lol. 

After a wonderful full Irish breakfast (ok, it was lunch time) and mimosas at Suzanne’s, I needed another walk lol.  This time I walked down along the river to enjoy the Christmas lights projected on to the Custom House and those on Samuel Beckett Bridge.  It was a great way to end my first few days in Dublin.