Advice from a friend and Trip advisor told us we had to visit Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison which now hosts as a museum. Many leaders of the Irish rebellions were held, imprisoned and killed there, playing an important part in Irish history. We took a bus from the city centre and it only cost a couple of euros each to get into the Gaol itself. The tour was amazing and our tour guide taught us all about the conditions the prisoners had to face. We were shown the execution holding room and the courtyard where the Irish leaders were executed by the firing squad. It was quite eerie but both me and mum are obsessed with anything to do with crime & punishment! After the tour we had tea and cake in the cute little cafe at the top of the museum to warm us up before heading outside into the cold!
My mum thought it would be a great idea to head over to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, which was just over the road and was free to enter. We knew it might have some strange paintings and models but we just didn't get anything, especially the cat cut in half with barbed wire?! We spent the next twenty minutes having an awkward look around, trying to appear like we were really interested (to be polite) before heading outside to get the bus back into the city centre.
We decided to have a walk around the Temple Bar area and stumbled upon the Temple Bar pub, the traditional and well-known pub in the heart of the city. We fell in love with the Irish music and it felt so christmassy! The food was gorgeous - we had sweet chilli chicken skewers and home-made farmhouse bread and stayed for ages, soaking in the atmosphere and people-watching. In the evening, after some souvenir shopping, we headed over to Lanigan's again for drinks before packing our things ready to check out the next day.
We decided to make the most of our last morning in Dublin and headed to Trinity college to see the Book of Kells. It took me a while to get my head around what the book actually was - it's a gospel manuscript handwritten in the 9th century by monks and is famous throughout the world. Although neither of us are religious it was interesting to see and something we could definitely tick-off our bucket lists. The Old Library adjoins the museum which showcases 200,000 of the libraries oldest books in it's oak bookcases.
We took a walk around a Christmas market, did a bit of shopping and then headed back to Temple bar which, as many visitors of Dublin have, we'd fallen in love with. We loved listening to the traditional Irish music whilst enjoying our last Pint of Guinness!
Our tips for a short stay in Dublin
- If you have a student card keep it on you as you can get into many attractions at a much cheaper price.
- Visit the Guinness Storehouse early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
- The atmosphere in Temple bar is just as amazing during the middle of the day - plus it's much less crowded.
- Plan your bus routes before you go - we were sent in all directions by locals.
- As in any major cities, there are still beggars, particularly near O'Connell St.
- Filling up on a meal at lunch time for cheaper will stop you spending so much money on dinner later on.
- Take the guided tour at the Guinness storehouse, it's well worth the wait.
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