South West Dublin
Despite its wealth of ancient buildings, such as Dublin Castle and Christchurch Cathedral, this part of Dublin lacks the sleek appeal of the neighbouring streets around Grafton Street. Redevelopment in recent years has
rejuvenated the area, especially around Temple Bar, where the attractive cobbled streets are lined with shops, arts centres, galleries, bars and cafes.
If you are interested in history, Dublin Castle is an absolute must - take one of the guided tours and learn about the early settlements, the Vikings etc. and you’ll be brought right up to date with a look at the table on which the Good Friday Agreement was signed. If you are travelling with children, they might enjoy the Dublin Viking Adventure, a multi-media reconstruction of life in Dublin during the 9th century. This is situated next to Wood Quay, where the Vikings first settled. The tours start with visitors boarding a boat which runs on rollers through a ’storm’ before docking at a Viking village, complete with re-created houses and actors dressed in period costume. The special effect are authentic, right down to the smells!
One of the attractions in this part of Dublin is the Covered Market, between Drury Street and South Great George Street. This is a popular spot for buying second hand clothes and antique jewellery. If you are after fashionable accessories or arts and crafts you might want to head towards Powerscourt Town House. This was completed in 1774 by Robert Mack, this grand mansion was originally built as the city home of Viscount Powerscourt, who also had a country estate at Enniskerry, just south of Dublin. Today the building houses one of Dublin’s best shopping centres. Inside it still features the original grand mahogany staircase and finely detailed plasterwork by stuccodore Michael Stapleton. The building had been turned into a drapery warehouse in the 1830s, but after its restoration in the 1960s it was turned into a centre of specialist galleries, antique shops, jewellery stalls, cafes and other shop units. The central courtyard topped by a glass dome is popular with many Dubliners for lunch, snacks and coffee.
Temple Bar is extremely popular with the younger set who come in search of the many restaurants, bars and pubs in the evening. The Temple Bar Pub is right in the centre and huge and there are some good live traditional music acts to be heard. Temple Bar is best enjoyed early in the week when it is much easier to get a table at a restaurant and a place in a pub. At the weekend Temple Bar is packed and is a popular haunt for stag and hen parties from the UK.
It is well worth to take a walk along the Quays beside the river Liffey. Drop in for a drink at the Octogan Bar in the famous Clarence Hotel. Take a stroll across Ha’penny Bridge and if you are a U2 fan, there is a little record shop on the Quays where you might just find some U2 CDs that you don’t already own.
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