International Destinations

Enjoying the pleasures of Dublin’s fair city

By Toni Dabbs

Photo by Toni Dabbs

Guinness is a name that has been identified with Dublin since 1759, when an optimistic young Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on a disused brewery at the city’s St. James’s Gate and began producing a relatively new style of dark beer known as porter.

The ultimate success of that venture allowed Arthur’s descendants to perform many philanthropic acts for Dublin, among them: restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral; contributions to Trinity College; landscaping of St. Stephen’s Green; donations to hospitals; creation of trusts to provide homes for the poor; and construction of a covered market for street traders. In addition, Guinnesses became lords, mayors and members of Parliament.

Having arrived in Dublin at mid-day, I decided to spend my first afternoon in Ireland’s capital at the epicentre of the Guinness empire, the brewery at St. James’s Gate. Guinness has taken its storehouse, built between 1902 and 1904 and used as a fermentation facility until the late 1980s, and converted it into Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction. Several floors of exhibits tell the company’s story and take visitors step by step through the brewing process.

I wasn’t one of the 100 lucky visitors each week who get to press the button that sets in motion the brewing process for a batch of stout, but I did make good use of the tasting laboratory, where staff teach visitors how to properly pour and savour the rich, creamy beverage.

I put my tasting lesson to the test when I arrived at the Gravity Bar at the top of the building. Here I sipped a complimentary pint of Guinness while admiring the 360-degree view over Dublin and planned how to make the best use of my limited time in the area.

Dublin has a compact core, so many of the sights I wanted to see were within comfortable walking distance of my hotel, the Westin Dublin. The Westin is a five-star property incorporating two heritage structures, the Allied Irish Bank and the Pearl Building, dating from 1863. Even had I not been staying there, I would have wanted to pop in for a peek at the former banking hall, now an elegant ballroom, or to have afternoon tea in the refined Atrium.

The Westin concierge directed me to the Dublin Tourism Centre by telling me to "take a right at Molly Malone," the statue of the fair fishmonger celebrated in song. At the centre, I asked a few questions, picked up a detailed map, and began my self-guided walking tour.

I headed first for City Hall, where an exhibition on the lower level tells "The Story of the Capital" through archival films, costumes, models, manuscripts and artifacts, such as the old city seal and the original mayoral chain of office.

Built as the Royal Exchange in 1779, the building was a financial centre for merchants until 1851, when it was purchased for use as the City Hall. The main floor rotunda features a circular mosaic depicting the Dublin coat of arms and 12 murals illustrating the city’s early history. Tall columns with ornately carved capitals support the coffered dome.

Just a step away is Dublin Castle, a label that endures although only a single tower of the original 13th century fortress remains. Structures seen today date primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries. Set around a spacious courtyard, they include Bedford Tower, with its second-story portico that has served as a stage for military bands, and the State Apartments, still used for ceremonies and official entertaining.

After a guided tour of the Versailles-like State Apartments, I took a moment to visit the castle garden. A body of water known as Dubh Linn, or "black pool," once occupied the site and gave the city its name.

I thought I might have misunderstood the directions I was given when I entered the Bank of Ireland on College Green. It’s a magnificent Palladian building with a colonnaded forecourt built in 1729, but the modern business of banking is conducted inside.

However, when I asked about the former House of Lords, I was pointed to a quiet chamber away from the offices and tellers. The bank, it seems, has taken over Ireland’s old Parliament House but preserves the House of Lords for those who care to visit. The chamber, with its barrel vaulted ceiling, was designed to accommodate 120 peers. Its side walls are draped with locally made period tapestries, one portraying the Battle of the Boyne and the other the Siege of Derry. Other original furnishings include a carved wooden mantel and an Irish glass chandelier.

Across the street is Trinity College, which was established in 1592 and ranks among the great universities of the world. Like most tourists who visit the campus, I was there to see the Book of Kells.

This lavishly illuminated copy of the four gospels of the Christian scriptures is believed to have been produced by Celtic monks around the ninth century. It was presented to Trinity College in 1661 and is displayed in a room especially constructed for that purpose in the Old Library. Before entering the room, visitors pass through an exhibition providing information about the book and the techniques used to create it.

After viewing the Book of Kells, I climbed the stairs to the building’s Long Room, where I felt as if I had entered a real library for the first time in my life. Rows of two-storey-high wooden bookcases extend outward beneath both sides of the vaulted ceiling. White marble busts of scholars and statesmen stand at the end of each row, with the shelves of leather-bound volumes rising behind them.

Egyptian papyri, Greek and Latin manuscripts, and old and rare books including a first folio Shakespeare are housed here.

Over the next few days, I explored the grand houses along St. Stephen’s Green and the museums and galleries around Merrion Square, shopped along Grafton and O’Connell Streets, and admired places of worship as different as simple St. Audoen’s Church and ornate St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

I wanted to spend one day in the nearby countryside, so I arranged for a car and driver from Ganters Chauffeur Company to take me to County Wicklow, south of Dublin. We drove briefly along the coast then turned inland into rolling green hills with patches of golden gorse, where woolly sheep, shaggy ponies and fat cattle grazed. I wondered where among them was Lady’s Well, which I had learned at the Guinness Storehouse was the source of the brewery’s water.

Our first stop was Glendalough, a remote and serene setting chosen by hermit priest St. Kevin as a retreat during the sixth century. Followers of his teachings soon built churches and living quarters nearby, and a monastic village developed that existed for about 700 years.

At its height, it was one of the main religious universities in Ireland. My Ganters guide led me among tombstones in the surrounding cemetery to visit the few stone buildings that remain.

We continued to Enniskerry for a stroll through the gardens at Powerscourt Estate. The 47 acres of gardens date from 1731, but the central terraced Italian garden was constructed between 1843 and 1867. It features statues of mythological figures, fountains and a lake. Beyond the lake is a Japanese garden installed in 1908.

Back in Dublin, I decided to end my stay as I had started it, with a Guinness. I walked through the Temple Bar district, the centre of the city’s night life, until I came to a bright red pub of the same name. I quickly discovered that the Temple Bar pub, established in 1840, was named "Traditional Irish Music Pub of the Year" in 2004, 2005 and 2006. So I sipped the final Guinness of my visit while enjoying some lively Irish tunes.

INFO TO GO

Chapter One Restaurant (18/19 Parnell Square, 353-1-873-2266, www.chapteronerestaurant.com) has created an elegant modern atmosphere in an arched Georgian basement beneath the Irish Writers Museum. The menu is a blend of classic French cooking with fresh Irish influences. Reservations are advised.

The Exchange Restaurant (Westin Dublin, College Green, 353-1-645-1318, www.westin.com/dublin) features a subtle Art Deco decor, with tables in intimate corners or overlooking busy Westmoreland Street. Its eclectic dishes are based on classic cuisines but prepared with innovative twists.

Gaelchultur (Filmbase Building, Curved Street, 353-1-675-3658, www.gaelchultur.com) offers one-day workshops on subjects ranging from Irish history to sean-nos singing to ceili dancing to Celtic mythology. Tourists are welcome. Information and registration are available online.

Pat Liddy’s Walking Tours of Dublin (Liffey Voyage Kiosk, Liffey Boardwalk, Bachelor’s Walk, Beside O’Connell Bridge, 353-1-831-1109, www.walkingtours.ie) explore the city’s rich diversity of heritage, from Viking days to the 21st century.

Tourism Ireland (2 Bloor Street West, Suite 3403, Toronto ON M4W 3E2, 416-925-6368 or 800-223-6470, www.discoverireland.com) provides information to help plan a visit to Dublin.