Travel: Half a day in Dublin

How to spend six and half hours in Dublin. After catching the 10.45 am fast ferry from Holyhead (we were visiting my parents in Anglesey) we were standing outside Connolly train station in Ireland's at lunch time. Here's what we did:

Walking along the Liffey - Samuel Beckett Bridge, or, the "Harp Bridge"

The beautiful Georgian doors of Dublin.

• A day trip (return within 24 hours) to Dublin will cost you £35 per person with Stena Line. Tip: eat something on board the ferry so you have maximum sightseeing time. The ferry drops you off at Dun Laoghaire so hop onto the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) for a 15 minute journey into the city centre (cost €2.80). The DART station is literally just outside the entrance to the Ferry Port and trains run at regular intervals.
  
•  Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Get off the DART at Tara Street and spend 45 minutes gazing at one of Ireland's great treasures, the Book of Kells.  This extravagantly decorative 9th century gospel manuscript is truly a wonder but wait till you clasp eyes on the absolutely gorgeous Old Library. It is pure book porn for bibliophiles P.s. you can view the whole of this magnificent manuscript digitally here.

•  From here walk towards Temple Bar but first take a picture with the "tart with a cart" - a statue of Molly Malone. Dressed in seventeenth century attire, apparently the 'boobs-popping-out' look would have been quite common as women breastfed their babies in public at this time. Ha! What a good excuse I say.
  
• Temple Bar is the colourful cultural quarter of the city- seething with bars and pubs but also art galleries and craft shops it certainly has a more bohemian air about it. Think of it as being the Celtic version of Paris' left bank. I had the most wonderful hot chocolate at Brick Alley Cafe before searching for new Irish authors at the Gutter Bookshop.
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A little troublesome to find.. it is tucked down a sidestreet. Ask young men with glasses for directions NOT Italian waiters on their cigarette break.

• Wander along the banks of the River Liffey taking in the public art along the boardwalk. The  life-like bronze "The Linesman" commemorates the history of the Dublin docks before the age of container ships.

  

  The Ha'penny bridge - almost free of love padlocks.

  
• If the weather is nice you could head into St Stephen's Green and wander along Grafton Street, the principal shopping of Dublin. There is always something going on there - buskers and street entertainers.
  
• Most important, spend some time in a REAL Dublin pub. We really enjoyed a Guiness and whisky in an atmospheric traditional pub that has bags of character- Long Hall Pub.
  
  
  
  

New whiskey love - Bushmills 10 year. It brings the "oo" to smooth.

• After this, just time to stroll down to Westmoreland Street and catch the coach back to Dublin Ferry Port (2.50 Euros for a single ticket).

  

  Goodbye Ireland, see you again.

NOTE 1: Don't forget your umbrella!
NOTE 2: Brits and Irish citizens don't need a passport but still some ID is required. Luckily I had my driving licence. Everyone else needs their passports/EU identity cards.