Weekend in Dublin!

13 Février 2023

A weekend in Ireland:

I took a weekend trip to Dublin!

This trip to Ireland was a rollercoaster. I am of Irish descent and actually have roots that trace back to Enniskillen. In fact our family castle is in Northern Ireland making it still part of England. My families clan was in charge of protecting the river and was one of the last to fall to England. This trip is so much more special knowing that I can visit a space where my ancestors once inhabited and I was excited to become a little more culturally aware of where part of me comes from. Although I was unable to visit Northern Ireland I was still able to take part in Irish dance, Irish cuisine, and learn about the rich Irish culture and history.

To start my morning I took a trip from Paris to Beauval aéroport. When my friend and I booked this trip we did not realize how far out we needed to go to get to the airport we were flying out from. We started our day off at 4 am since our flight was at 8 am and the bus there was two hours. We made the most of it though by planning our days on the bus and getting some extra sleep in so that we could make the most out of our first day there. Upon arrival at the airport Beauval aéroport we were turned away from check in since the airport was small and we were only allowed to check in an hour before take-off. The airline we used was Ryanair. As an airplane they have mixed reviews. Although you can get dirt cheap prices for travel, they catch you with the additional baggage costs. By booking with them you are only allowed one small personal item making a good airline to book with for a simple weekend trip but probably not the best to book with if you wanted to spend a longer time away.

Upon landing we were crazy hungry and craving some traditional Irish food. We heard of the infamous Temple Bar strip and knew that our journey would begin there. Almost every pub, bar, and kitchen was highly ranked but we headed to Oʻniells Pub and Kitchen after some locals recommended their Traditional Guiness Stew. It was just perfect. Their Beef and Guinness Stew was tender and flavorful with a great gravy base, large pieces of root veggies that melt in your mouth, and warm soda bread to dip in the gravy. The portions are the polar opposite from those in France, the bowl it was served in was the size of a large plate and it was almost overflowing with stew. Overall it was well worth the price for the quality and quantity. In addition, we were lucky to get there at the time we did, around 11:30 am, allowing us to beat rush hour because by the time we finished our food they were turning people away at the door. This is definitely a hot spot that I would recommend.

Next we headed to a dance class we booked last minute. Honestly, I was very nervous about this because not only was I extremely stuffed from lunch but I am definitely not the most coordinated person. With some back and forth, my friend made the decision for us and snagged the last two tickets for the class. Definitely a top highlight of our trip. The class was located at The Merchants Arch, a pub on the Temple Bar strip so it was just a few minutes away from us. This place was stunning and was an awesome blend of watching traditional Irish dance, learning moves, and making friends. The dancing skills of these girls were so incredibly impressive and it was interesting to see how each one had their own unique style and approach to the dance. When it was our turn to learn how to dance, a small group of men asked us to be their partners and we all hit it off. Turns out they are also students in Paris who flew down to Ireland for the weekend. It was fun learning and struggling with them.

That night we agreed that this Dublin trip would not be complete without a pub crawl. We first of course headed to the The Temple Bar. This is a world renowned pub in the heart of Dublin. Its roots trace back to some of the original Viking settlers, specifically, the Temple family. There is music 24 hours a day that people from all over enjoy. We jumped around and visited a few different places on the strip, our favorites being the Dublin Inn pub and the Temple bar. I think the Temple Bar was so loved by us purely because of how iconic it is. Although we loved it, it was extremely crowded and rowdy. On the flip side, the Dublin Inn pub was still packed but the vibes, dancing, and music there was just amazing. My friend and I whipped out some dance moves we learned the morning of. One of the best things that we had come to realize was how refreshing it was being in a country that had majority English speakers. This was also reflected in the music. I loved being able to dance and sing to music I grew up listening and rocking to.

On our last day we decided to take it easy and allow ourself to sleep in a bit because of the packed night we had prior. To start our morning off we had to get a traditional Irish breakfast at Keoghs Cafe. This breakfast consisted of two pieces of sourdough bread, 3 sausages, 2 pieces of ham slides, white pudding, black pudding, a poached egg, 2 roasted heirloom tomatoes, a grilled portobello mushroom, side arugula, and a cup of ketchup. I could honestly eat this every morning. It was the perfect blend of nutrient filled food that was refreshing and filling. I was the perfect amount of full and ready to tackle the new day.

We had to head to Trinity College after this. Just our luck that there was a Rugby game just starting. This was my first Rugby game and I was just in awe with the sport as a whole. Through watching them play, I was able to figure out the general outline and rules of the game. This sport is so much more aggressive than any sport at home, no padding and the same amount of roughness at football back home made it the perfect hot spot for black eyes, bloodiness, and bruises. I was impressed with the ability of these players to continue playing after being absolutely roughhoused. The determination and passion for their sport was inspiring to say the least.

After agreeing how much we missed the ocean, my friend and I decided to take a short trip to the ocean. Although it was way too coild to swim, I wanted to visit the beach because I missed the oceans that usually surround me at home. 3O minutes from The Temple Bar is Dollymount Strand. The sunset here was insane. The moon was rising as the sun set and it was in the Hōkū phase, a full moon. Golden, orange, yellows, purples, pinks, blues, and whites smeared across the skies. The colors blended beautifully like the paintings I saw at the Louvre this past week.

We ended the evening with another traditional Iris dish, cottage pie. It hit the spot after our trip to the cold sea. Into the evening we had another round of pub crawls before bidding adieu to Dublin and returning home to Paris.