Tourism in Dublin

Rugby World Cup 2007

2007-09-06T19:08:00.000+01:00

The Rugby World Cup 2007 will kick off on Friday September 7th 2007 in Paris. A total of twenty teams will compete for the World Cup. There will be four pools of five teams each. From each pool, the top two teams will go through to the knock out stages.

Pool A - England, South Africa, Samoa, USA, Tonga
Pool B - Wales, Fiji, Japan, Australia, Canada
Pool C - New Zealand, Scotland, Romania, Portugal, Italy
Pool D - France, Ireland, Argentina, Namibia, Georgia

Ireland is included in the pool of death as there are three of the eight top sides in the world. This means that one of them will not reach the quarter-finals.

Southern hemisphere countries (specially New Zealand) are favourites to win. However, France as a host nation as Ireland because of the good results at recent Six Nation tournaments will be tough opponents, so why not can Ireland win the World Cup?

Setanta Sports will show live all 48 games of the Rugby World Cup 2007, but for those of you that don't have Setanta at home, TV3 will provide live coverage of all Ireland matches plus the opening ceremony (France V Argentina), two quarter-finals, both semifinals and the final.

The question is, how will you enjoy the 2007 Rugby World Cup? The answer is easy, in front of the TV at your local pub enjoying a nice pint of Guinness.

Riverdance

2007-08-19T21:39:00.000+01:00

Riverdance returns to the Gaiety Theatre from June 26th to August 25th for forth summer in a row. It combines Irish music and dance, although that is not all. It also includes Jazz tapper, Flamenco as well as dancers from the Moscow Folk Ballet Company.

Tickets can be obtained from €22.50 to €55 at the Gaiety Box Office (no service charges), by telephone at +353 (0)1 677 17 17 (service charges apply) or online at Ticketmaster (service charges apply).

If you are in town and wish to go to the show on the same day, just walk in at the Gaiety Box Office and ask for any cancellation.

The Gaiety Theatre is in South King Street, in front of the St. Stephen´s Green shopping center.

Best Paella in Dublin

2007-07-08T21:35:00.001+01:00

Best paella in Dublin can definitely be found at Da Pino's. This Spanish/Italian restaurant, located in the heart of Dublin, is famous for its pasta and pizza. However, Paella is absolutely fantastic and for a very reasonable price (14 euro per person, min 2 person) you will enjoy a very nice meal.

Paella tastes even better if accompanied with wine. The house wine (Faustino VII) is a pretty good option, although of course there are several other choices.

Finally, if you still want to go for the more traditional option of pizza or pasta, don't worry as you won't be disappointed. However, I would recommend that you give it a try.

Special Dinner Menu (Mon-Fri, 6 to 11pm): Salad + Paella + House rioja wine. €18.90 x person (min 2 person).

Best to reserve a table (01 671 93 08) as it gets full pretty fast in the evenings and weekends.
Address: Parliament Street, on the corner of Dame Street.

"I have nothing to declare..... but my genius"

2007-04-21T16:31:00.000+01:00

Statue of the famous Irish writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) on the corner of Merrion Square Park, opposite his childhood home at 1 Merrion Square, which is currently occupied by the American College.

Surrounded by Georgian houses, Merrion Square is one of the most beautiful parts of Dublin. If you want to know how Georgian houses looked like, the one located at 29 Lower Fitzwilliam Street (Dublin 2) has been restored to its original shape and it is open to the public.

At the weekends, local artists exhibit their works on the railings of Merrion Park.

National Gallery

2007-04-09T17:45:00.000+01:00

The National Gallery of Ireland opened in 1864 and currently holds over 2.500 paintings and over 10.000 other works including sculptures and drawings.

Impressive collection of paintings of the masters, including works of Caravaggio, Vermeer, Picasso, Velázquez, Turner and many many more. There is also an excellent and comprehensive display of the Irish artists, including Jack B Yeats (brother to nobel prize winning W B Yeats) and William Orpen.

There are two entraces, one on Clare St., which leads to the new Millenium Wing and the second one on Merrion Square. Opening hours: Mon to Sat 9:30 to 17:30, Thursday 9:30 to 20:30 and Sunday from 12 to 17:30.

Free admission

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival

2007-01-31T22:41:00.000Z

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, currently on its 5th edition, is one of the most important events in Ireland. The festival runs from Friday the 16th to Sunday 25th of February and screens over 100 film premieres and hosts many popular forums throughout 10 days. There will be also shorts, discussions and special guests.

There will be 4 screening venues: Cineworld at Parnell St., Screen at D'Olier St., Savoy Cinema at O'Connell St. and finally the Irish Film Institute (IFI) at Eustace St.

Tickets are available online at the webpage of the Jameson International Film Festival or at the Box-office located at Curved St. in Temple Bar.

It is highly recommended to book in advance to avoid disappointments.

If you are or planning to be in Dublin these dates and you like cinema we do strongly recommend that you check out the Festival's program.

Further details regarding film information and schedule, are available at Jameson International Film Festival web page.

Driving in Ireland

2007-01-27T17:46:00.000Z

Motorists drive on the left in Ireland, as in the UK, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Japan and Cyprus, and all cars are right-hand drive, so if you rent a car and you are not used to driving on the left, remember to be extra careful as driving on the incorrect side of the road can cause serious road accidents.

When entering a roundabout, remember the following: Yield to all vehicles coming from your right and always turn left on entering the roundabout.

In the republic of Ireland, the speed limit is:
- 120 km/h on motorways
- 100 km/h on national roads
- 80 km/h on regional and local roads
- 50 km/h on town areas.

As a pedestrian you have to remember that driving is on the left so remember that when walking around Dublin. In city centre, most of the intersections have very useful signs painted on the street ("Look Right" and "Look Left" ) to ensure that you look the correct way for traffic.

At intersections, ensure that you always look the correct way for traffic.

What to see in Dublin

2006-12-17T18:02:00.000Z

Dublin has a large number of nice places to visit. Here are some suggestions.

Trinity College

The University of Dublin, Trinity College, was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the most famous and oldest university in Dublin. Impressive alumni which include Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett.
Visitor attractions include:

The Book of Kells - Manuscript dated from around 800AD and believed to be the work of monks from the island of Iona in Scotland. They moved to Kells in County Meath to escape from Viking raid. The book was eventually give to Trinity College by the Bishop of Meath in 1654.

Walking Tours of the Campus - Carried out by students, provide visitors with an inside of Trinity's history as well as interesting anecdotes about its most famous graduates. The tours run from mid April until October from inside the front gate. Tours commence every 40 minutes from 10:15. There are around 9 turns a day.

Historic Buildings - Campanile, Chapel and Dinning Hall.

Ha'penny Bridge

Opened in 1816 with the name of Wellington Bridge however it is widely know as Ha'peny Bridge. It acquired its unofficial name from the toll paid to cross the river - half penny.

Ha'penny bridge was the only pedestrian bridge on the Liffey until the new Millenium bridge was open in 2000.

O'Connell Street

Located in the heart of Dublin it is one the most important streets in Dublin. O'Connell Bridge has the particularity of being wider than longer.

The Spire of Dublin (also know as the Spike) is a 120 meter-high pin-like monument located on the site of the former Nelson Pilar on O'Connell Street which was blown up by republican activists in 1966. Completed on January 21st 1003.

Transport

2006-12-17T17:43:00.000Z

Bus

Dublin Bus services Dublin city from 6:00 to 23:30h. Buses operate on an exact change policy so you cannot use notes and you will not get any change from the bus driver.

Nitelink operates at late night hours, you will recognize them as they end with an N (e.g. 7N). Operation hours: Monday to Thursday from 00:30 to 2:00. Friday and Saturday from 00:30 to 4:30 with a 30min frequency. There is a standard fare of €4.00

Click here for details regarding routes, tickets, fares and timetables.

Luas

Luas is Dublin's tram system. There are two tramlines, the Green line connecting St. Stephen's Green to Sandyford in a journey time of around 25 minutes, and the Red line connecting Henry St. and Connolly train station to Tallaght in a journey time of 50 minutes.

Click here for further details regarding tickets, fares and timetables.

Dart

The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is Dublin's main train service covering the full length of Dublin bay, from Moahide in North County Dublin to Greystones in County Wicklow.

Click here for further details regarding tickets, fares and timetables.

Dublin Pubs

2006-11-30T19:43:00.000Z

With over 1000 pubs, Dubllin is probably the world's most famous driking city. There are many different pubs in Dublin, from the small quiet traditional pub to the modern and sophisticated pub. Most pubs provide with food and a large number of them offer live music.

There are different areas, Temple Bar is filled with pubs and bars serving up food and drink as well as live music.

Another suggestion, although quite far from town is Johnnie Fox's pub. However it is highly recommended.

In Dublin there is a tradition called the pub-crawl which consists of visiting one pub after the other and of course having a pint in each of them so the more pubs you visit the more changes you will end up drunk. Normally this is organized among friends, making a list of between 6 to 10 pubs . The aim is to complete the list although this may be tricky after few pints, so a high level of concentration is required.

There are also some organized pub-crawls with a specific subject. These are The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (click here for further details) and The Musical Pub Crawl (click here for further details).
Now some useful info: The legal age to buy alcohol is 18. Opening times: Most pubs open at 10:30am. Closing times are: Monday to Thursday 23:30, Friday and Saturday 00:30 and Sunday 23h, with half an hour drinking up time given. Most nightclubs and late nite bars will serve alcohol until 2:30. Pubs in Ireland are open every day except on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Price of a pint varies depending on the pub and the brand you drink. Guinness and Smithwick's are the local brands so they are the cheapest although not much cheaper. Anyway, you should expect paying between €4.5 and €5.5 for a pint.

It is simply not possible to make a list with the best pubs in Dublin. However our highly dedicated team has done a very intense research and these are some suggestions:

O'Donoghues on Baggot Street.
Rody Bolands on Upper Rathmines Road.
O'Neills - Traditional pub also serves very nice food.
The Porterhouse - The brew their own beer so you won't be able to get any of the usual brands on tap, live music most nights.
Messrs Maguire - Another brew pub although you can get any brand on tap.
Mulligan's - Best pint of Guinness in Dublin? Check it out.

and finally ... The Gate Clock Bar at Dublin's airport (Terminal B). Last chance to have a nice pint of Guinness in a traditional Irish pub before your departure.

Any other suggestion is more than welcome.

General information

2006-11-29T20:46:00.000Z

Location

Ireland is an island in North West Europe. Its nearest neighbour is Britain to the east, separated from it by the Irish Sea. To the north, west and south is the Atlantic Ocean. Ireland is dividen into 4 provinces Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulter (which is Northern Ireland). These are again divided again into a number of counties (Connacht 6, Leinster 12 (including Dublin), Munster 6 and Ulster 9 (6 of them are in Northern Ireland)).

Located on the east coast of Ireland, Dublin is the capital of the Republic and is Ireland's largest city. The Liffey is the main river running through the city. Dublin is split into four administrative units. These are Dublin City, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin.

Climate

Dublin's climate is mild, wet and very changeable. Winter temperature average 4 - 7 ºC (39 - 44ºF) and in summer between 16 and 20ºC (60 - 67ºF). There are about eighteen hours of daylight daily during July and August, only getting trully dark after 23:00. However this also means that days are quite short during winter time, getting totally dark at around 4:30 in December.

Currency

The Euro is the only currency officially recognised as legal tender in the Republic of Ireland.

Language

English is the spoken language throughout Ireland. Irish (or Gaelic) is the original native language of Ireland. Place names and singage are usually in both languages.

Population

The population of Dublin City and County is approximately 1.1 million

Public Holidays

New Year's Day - January 1st
St. Patrick's Day - March 17th
Good Friday - It is not a public holiday, however it is observe as such for many business in Dublin
Easter Monday - Monday following Easter Sunday
May bank holiday - First Monday in May
June bank holiday - First Monday in June
August bank holiday - First Monday in August
October bank holiday - First Monday in October
Christmas Day - December 25th
St. Stephens Day - December 26th

Gaelic Games: Hurling and Gaelic Football

2006-11-27T15:23:00.000Z

Gaelic football and Hurling are probably the most divisive and unifying interest in Irish culture but hold a unique place in the hearts of the Irish people.

Hurling is the fastest and one of the most field games in the world. Its is played by 100,000 people in Ireland which makes it the third most popular sport in Ireland. It demands extreme skill, speed and absolutely no fear. It is played with a hurley and a leather ball (sliotar). Hurling playing by women is known as camogie.

Picture of Croke Park where Dublin teams play they home games. Also, All-Ireland Hurling and Football finals are played at Croke Park. With a capacity of 82,300 Croke Park is the biggest stadium in Ireland and one of the best and more confortable statiums in Europe.

Gaelic Football is played by 250,000 in Ireland making it the most popular sport in Ireland. All-Ireland Football Final at Croke Park every September (the third Sunday of September).

Click here for fixtures and further details regarding Gaelic Sports.

Dublin Events

2006-11-27T15:10:00.000Z

Rugby Six Nations Championship

Ireland will play its Rubgy international fixtures at Croke Park during the redevelopment of Landsdowne Road.

RBS 6 Nations 2007 (fixtures)

04/02/2007 - Wales v Ireland (venue Milennium Stadium)
11/02/2007 - Ireland v France (venue Croke Park)
24/02/2007 - Ireland v England (venue Croke Park)
10/03/2007 - Scotland v Ireland (venue Murrayfield)
17/03/2007 - Italy v Ireland (venue Rome)

Click here for further details.

UEFA European Championship Qualifier

Ireland will play its Soccer international fixtures at Croke Park during the redevelopment of Landsdowne Road.

24/07/2007 - Republic of Ireland v Wales (venue Croke Park)
28/07/2007 - Republic of Ireland v Slovakia (venue Croke Park)

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is one of the most important events in Ireland. It screens over 100 film premieres and hosts many popular forums throughout 10 days.

Festival runs from the 16th to the 25th of February. Click here for further details.

St. Patrick's Festival

March 17th is Ireland´s official national holiday. Parades are organized around the world to celebrate Ireland. Events start on the 15th to the 19th of March. Events include music, dance, street theatre, street performances, treasure hunting, ... .

Click here for further details.

Dublin Airport

2006-11-26T20:42:00.000Z

Dublin Airport is located about 6 miles north of Dublin city centre, near the M50 and M1 motorways.

Dublin Airport webpage provides live information regarding departing and arriving flights.

New EU aviation security regulations took effect on 6th November 2006, security is even more strict than before so we would strongly recommend that you arrive at the airport 2 hours before your scheduled flight departs. Click here for further details regarding new EU security regulations.

Transport options from and do Dublin airport are: BUS, COACH, TAXI or CAR.

Bus Services

Airlink 747/748 - The Express Service to Airport. Airlink service will bring you direct from Dublin City Centre or Rail/Bus Stations to Dublin Airport.

Click here for further detais: 747 and 748

Dublin Bus - There are several regular Dublin Bus services to and from Dublin Airport (16A, 41, 41B, 46X, 58X, 230, 746). Click here for further details regarding these lines and their schedule.

I would not recommend using normal Dublin Bus routes unless you are heading towards specific areas covered by these routes as there is almost no space for luggage and the journey takes forever due to the large number of stops. If you are heading to city centre, I would recommend using Airlink or Aircoach.

Coach Services

Aircoach - 24-hour luxury coach service between Dublin airport and Dublin city.

Click here for details regarding routes, stops, schedules and fares.

Although it is a little bit more expensive if you are heading to city centre or south Dublin, I would recommend using Aircoach as they are confortable and very reliable.

Taxis

Taxis are available for hire at the taxi rank located in front of the Arrivals building. Prices depends on different factors (where are you heading to, time, traffic, ...) however if you are heading to town expect paying betwen €25 and €35. Click here for Taxi fares details.

Car

Dublin Airport is located about 6 miles north of Dublin city centre, near the M50 and M1 motorways.

Main issue when using your own car is car parking as it is not cheap. Dublin airport offer s 24 hours parking in its short and long term parkings.

Long-term parking rates: €8.50 per day (24hours from the time of entry)
Short-tem parking rates: €3.00 per hour (€1.5 per 30 min)

A free shuttle bus runs continuously between the terminal building and the long-term parking.

If are planning to have your car at the short-term for more than 3 hours, consider using the long-term instead.

Click here for further details regarding parking at Dublin Airport.

Alternatively, you can use the QuickPark parking facilities located at Santry Road (Dublin Airport).

QuickPark fares: €1 per hour or €6 per day (24hours from the time of entry)

QuickPark offers online and telephone booking however these are currently out of service. The only problem is that it has small capacity so changes are the it will be full however it is worth it to give it a try.

I would recommend trying QuickPark first and if it is full, go to the long-term parking.

A free shuttle bus runs every 5 minutes between the terminal building and the QuickPark parking. Click here for further details regarding QuickPark.

Grafton Street

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Grafton Street is probably Dublin's most popular and upmarket shopping street.

Grafton Street is basically a shopping street. Although it is a short street it contains a large number of shops. The most popular ones probably are HMV and Brown Thomas. St. Green shopping centre is located on top of Grafon St. and contains a very large number of shops from hair dressers to sports shops, including an Argos. Book lovers will be happy to know that there are several book shops on Grafton Street and on the surrounding streets.

Surprisingly, there are no pubs on Grafton Street. Instead, the surrounding streets contain some of Dublin's most famous pubs.

St. Stephen's Green is a beautiful nine hectare Victorian park located at the top of Grafton Streen.

Although it is located in the heart of Dublin, you will feel as if you were in the middle of the forest as it is a wonderful park.

It is the perfect spot to have a sandwich and to enjoy the free lunch time concerts organized during summer time, and why to not to enjoy the Irish weather as people coming from continental Europe will find it refreshing.

Kilmainham Gaol

2006-11-09T20:55:00.000Z

Kilmainham Gaol is Ireland's most famous prison. Located in Inchicore, it opened in 1796 and it was abandoned as a prison in 1924, it is currently a museum. Kilmainham Gaol has played an important part in Irish history as many leaders of Irish rebellions were imprisoned and some executed in the jail. It is a highly recommended visit to get an inside into Irish history.

Former president Éamon de Valera was imprioned there and setenced to death although it was not executed because of his American citizenship.

Several films have been filmed at Kilmainham Gaol, inlcuding The Italian Job (1969), In the Name of the Father (1993) and Michael Collins (1996).

Johnnie Fox's Pub

2006-11-04T18:24:00.000Z

Situated in the Dublin mountains, Johnnie Fox's pub is one of the oldest and most famous pubs in Ireland. It is also known as it is the highest pub in Ireland.

Sessions of traditional Irish music and dance 7 nights a week. Food is served daily from 12:30 to 21:30. Food is nice, however it is a little bit expensive.

The only problem is how to get there as it is located in the Dublin mountains, 30 min drive from Dublin city centre.

On a sunny summer day, there are not many but there are, it is higlhly recommended to sit outside with a nice pint of Guinness and enjoy the superb views.

Click here for further details.

Temple Bar

2006-11-04T17:59:00.000Z

Temple Bar is famous for its nightlife and is also Dublin´s cultural quarter. The area is a charming mix of old and new with cobbled streets. It is filled with pubs, restaurants, hotels and shops. Most of the Pubs offer live music on a daily basis. The area gets totally packed after 7 from Thursday to Sunday so do not expect to see it like this.

The Temple Bar is problably the most famous Pub in this area. It has a fantastic atmosphere with live traditional Irish music. It is usually crowed so try to get early if you want to grab a seat.

The Ha'Penny Bridge links Temple Bar to the north side of the river. The bridge is the oldest pedestrian bridge in Dublin. Erected in 1816 as the Wellington Bridge, however it gets its nickname (Ha'Penny Bridge) from the half penny toll levied on bridge users up to 1919.

Useful information

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Emergencies

In an emergency, call 112 or 999.

These numbers will alert the relevant service: Gardaí (police), Fire, Medical Emergencies. Tourist Victim Support Service is at Harcourt Square, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2. Click here for further details or call +353 1 478 5295 (01 478 5295 from Ireland).

Telephone

The international code for Ireland is +353. The local area code for Dublin is 01. Click here for Ireland's city codes.

Smoking

Dublin was Europe's first smoke free city. Since 29th March 2004, smoking is banned in all enclosed places of work in Ireland. This includes, banks, office blocks, public buildings and of course pubs and restaurants.

Electrical current

220/240 volts (50 cycles) is the standard electrical current in all over Ireland. Plubs are 3 pin flat so adapters are required for 2-pin appliances (continental Europe).

Business hours

The majority of businesses open Monday to Friday from 9 to 17.30h. Shops are usually opened Monday to Saturday from 9 to 18h and from 12 to 18h on Sundays. Also, shops stay open until 20h on Thurdays evenings.

Dublin Pass

Click here for further details.