dublin

Issue #44

Last Update March 2, 2006

Reviews Dublin by David Katz Walking around in a city you haven't visited before is one of the great pleasures of life, and Dublin, Ireland is a rewarding city to walk around in. Bisected by the river Liffey, Dublin is both scenic and serious; it is a place where real people live, work, study and worship. Its history, dating back to Viking incursions, is supplemented by the modern changes wrought by membership in the EU, an infusion of cosmopolitan culture generated by the freedom the EU has given its citizens to work or live anywhere in the European Union.

For all its newfound cosmopolitan sophistication, Dublin still retains a quintessential Irish flavor, with friendly people, easily available Celtic music, good pubs and a celebration of famous Dubliners that have contributed to Irish and world culture. Center city shares architectural characteristics with London, with Georgian row houses on garden squares, and granite government buildings next to museums and office blocks; city areas corresponding to New York's outer boroughs tend to look like Queens with nicer pubs. Commuter rail and an extensive bus network will get you around the Greater Dublin area, but walking is best for central Dublin.

The Alexander Hotel, where I stayed while attending a business symposium, is a comfortable, modern hotel near Merion Square, close to Trinity College, the National Gallery, and the Museum of Natural History, and walking distance from the Temple Bar area, with its pubs and music, Grafton Street shopping, and the Liffey bridges. The Alexander is part of the O'Callaghan hotel chain, which has two other hotels in the immediate area and a third a short walk away. It has a pleasant bar, a good restaurant, and free wi-fi internet access from all of the public areas and meeting rooms. The staff is pleasant and attentive. Special rates can often be obtained over the internet.

Nearby Merrion Square is a picturesque residential square surrounding a lovely park with flower gardens, sculpture and shaded walkways. Oscar Wilde's residence is at one corner of the park, and a splendid statue of Wilde, reclining sprawled along a slanting boulder, graces the park near his house. Directly across the park is a building where Erwin Schroedinger lived. The commemorative wall plaque announcing this makes no mention of his cat.

Along one side of the square can be found the National Gallery, the Museum of Natural History, and the seat of government. The National Gallery is a large, sprawling museum devoted to Irish painters, but with a substantial European and American collection as well. At the time of my visit, a special exhibition of Dutch masters was being held. A block away, the Pearl Brasserie provides excellent lunches and dinners. I especially recommend the black sole on risotto with asparagus.

Leaving Merrion square and walking along the Trinity College campus, which houses the Book of Kells, a medieval illuminated book of Gospels well worth visiting, you reach Grafton Street, the heart of a major shopping and dining area. Department stores, specialty shops and pubs vie for attention, as do the street musicians and sidewalk salesmen. The Euro (worth about $1.20 at the time of writing) is now the currency of Ireland, as it is in most of the EU. Irish woolens and tweeds are particularly lovely.

Heading North towards the Liffey you reach the Temple Bar area. This picturesque locale houses a large number of pubs, hotels and restaurants and is a center for celtic music. Most of the pubs in the area have sessions in the late afternoon, and in the evenings from nine o'clock on. I especially recommend Oliver St. John Gogarty's for the quality of its musicians. A few blocks away, on the Liffey, is the Ha'penny Bridge Inn, across the street from the charming Ha'penny Bridge, a wrought iron confection of a foot bridge spanning the river. The Ha'penny Bridge Inn has open mike night for standup comics and singers on Tuesday nights.

Finally, crossing the Liffey on the O'Connell Street bridge, we have the O'Connell Street shopping area, and the structure know locally and sardonically as The Spike. Officially known as the O'Connell Street Spire, the Spike is a recent replacement for the Nelson Pillar, blown up by the IRA in 1966. It is a 40-story high needle that tapers from 10 feet wide at the base to a point 6 inches wide at the top. It is also very silly.

Dublin has something to please every visitor: pleasant parks, interesting walks, pubs, music, restaurants, museums, tourable breweries, churches, medieval castles, even theater (though not on London's scale). It is a pleasant place to be.