Just got back. It was pretty awesome, but I think we managed to hit most of the big sights, so I'm not sure there'd be much of a point to go back.
Day-by-day:
D1 - Dublin - didn't do much. Our original flight was cancelled (the Buffalo to JFK leg) so we had to reschedule. We got to Dublin around 7:30 AM and spent most of the day just wandering aimlessly with our host - aka my girlfriend's good childhood friend - St. Stephen's Green, Grafton St., the post office from the Easter Rising. We were too dead tired to go out drinking, so we had a few beers at her place and went to bed. We did manage to stop at Temple Bar after lunch for a Guinness - they have a line straight from the factory I guess, it was super fresh - she recommended we go there during the day before it gets super packed with tourists at night.
D2 - went to Newgrange and Knowth, which took up most of the day. Got back to Dublin in the mid-afternoon and hit up the
Porterhouse. Very cool place. It was Sunday night, and she had to go to work in the AM and we had to get up early to take the bus to Galway, so again, no shenanigans.
D3 - bus to Galway. Very cool little town right on the water. Narrow pedestrian streets. I think it was cooler than Dublin, actually, although less to see. Did a walking tour, got some fish and chips at
McDonagh's - looked like a tourist trap, but EVERY PERSON we spoke to recommended it. It had a line out the door at 7:30 PM on a Monday night, so it had to be good...and it was. We went to
Tigh Neachtain for some beers. Nice old pub right on a street corner in the city centre. I guess they play traditional music there, but no one was playing on Monday night.
D4 - went to Cliffs of Moher and The Burren and then took the bus back to Dublin. Simply incredible places to visit. No drinking really this day as we spent all our time on the road. I'll post some pictures.
D5 - went to Belfast. Fascinating city, possibly my favorite part of the trip. Took a walk into the Catholic and Protestant ghettos and took a bunch of pictures. Really interesting history. Took a walking tour through the city center as well, but for obvious reasons, they didn't get into the political stuff. Stopped off at
Bittles Bar before heading back to Dublin. Really cool little place on the corner that is apparently in the world's top 100, according to that site. They had a huge selection of local beers, I wish I had more time there. Back in Dublin, we went to
Messrs Maguire for some of their craft beers and to watch the Ireland/Argentina soccer game. Place was pretty packed, but we managed to get some room on the 3rd floor. Beers were very good too.
D6 - kinda wasted this day as we woke up too late and didn't make it to Guinness in time. Although we did get to
Leopardstown at night for some horse racing. Apparently it was a pretty big event, as Sky Sports was there and broadcasting live. They had some traditional music playing afterward so we stayed for a few beers.
D7 - Saw Kilmainham Gaol (a really somber scene) and the Guinness Tour (a really happy scene). The Guinness "Gravity Bar" aka the top floor of the building had an exceptional view and the Guinness really is better when it's so fresh. Lunch at a cool little place called Queen of Tarts, and then we took our hostess and her boyfriend to dinner at
The Exchequer. Apparently it's the "hot spot" in town and we were lucky to get a table. Food was pretty good, but the beer selection was underwhelming. Went to a few places afterwards...Hogan's (real sausagefest there) and Shebeen, which was pretty cool. All sorts of mismatched furniture, varied crowd, real laid-back. Closed that place down and called it a night.
D8 - Saw the national art gallery and national history museum. Went to The Barge for some drinks at night (watched some of the PGA Championship on TV live at 10 PM
) followed by a bunch of other places that I can't remember and ending at Flannery's, which apparently we went to as a joke just to people watch all the rednecks dance to Lady Gaga or something. Got some donner kebabs, which were unbelievably good, and called it a night.
All in all a good week. The beer selection was pretty disappointing overall, but we managed to hit some of the better spots. Belfast seemed to have a better beer selection, but that could've just been the places we visited. The Guinness is certainly better there though. Also, they apparently serve it with black currant juice if you ask for it. My girlfriend tried it...they pour maybe 1 oz of black currant juice into the bottom of the pint glass and then fill the rest with Guinness. It tastes literally like ice cream. Tastes nothing like Guinness. Way too sweet for me to finish a whole pint though.
