Dublin, Ireland
Being part Irish(albeit a very small part)makes me embrace my heritage and gives me the desire to know everything I can about the Irish people. It even gives me the desire to one day visit the great capital of Dublin and to see the rolling green hills and the amazing castles and the famous Irish pubs that people hang out and share a drink and a laugh.
One thing that you won’t be short of in Dublin is entertainment. Dublin is a small city and no one is anonymous. People pass the time of day and talk as if they have known you all their lives. Whole areas of the city, like Temple Bar, buzz with energy and creativity. Dublin has many things to offer, but most of all it offers the visitors a sense of hope, freedom, and excitement. It is the city that spreads its dreams under your feet. Just walk around the streets and you’ll see the diversity; cool bars, all pale wood and aluminium, alongside traditional old pubs complete with the snug for secrecy; the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the distinct smell of hops from the Guinness brewery; traditional craft skills wrought in a thoroughly modern and stylish way; fine dining worth every single award, good old-fashioned fish and chips, sushi bars and Victorian tea-shops. You won’t want to miss a thing and you won’t want to leave.
Music in all its forms is very accessible in Dublin and often experienced with its natural accompaniment, dance. The recent popularity of “Riverdance” has re-ignited interest in traditional Irish dancing, which visitors can try their hand at in numerous venues around the city and county. Or if this is not to your taste, why not dance the night away at one of the many trendy nightclubs that carry on well into the morning hours.
But sometimes it’s the citizens themselves who provide the best entertainment. On Bloomsday many dress up in Joycean costume and march around the city. They will cavort for garden parties in Trinity, or maybe just brush up their quiffs to stroll around Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s Green. All of the city is a stage, and the best entertainment is often spontaneous: someone breaking into song in a pub, a mime artist sending everyone into convulsions, or a street artist painstakingly chalking great works onto pavements themselves.
The Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year and promises to exhilarate, challenge and dazzle the world as never before. The 50th Anniversary of the Festival is a major cultural event of national and international significance. Established in 1957, the Festival is the oldest dedicated theatre festival in Europe, and one of the last surviving English language theatre festivals in the world. The 50th anniversary programme is an unprecedented celebration of the performing arts, unlike anything that the city of Dublin has experienced in the past.
Dublin is a modern, cosmopolitan city, something that is reflected in vast array of restaurants on offer. Whatever your taste or budget; there is a wide variety of restaurants to choose from during your stay with us here in Dublin. Wherever you eat, portions will be generous, especially in pubs. With its coastal location, it’s not surprising to find so much seafood on offer in Dublin, in particular smoked salmon and oysters are a favourite and are usually consumed with a Guinness.