When my Irish friend invited me to go see her in Dublin recently for a long a weekend, I jumped at the chance to see this wonderful city through a local’s eye. I was lucky enough to pick up some cheap flights on Flybe last minute and before I knew it I was sitting down in an Irish pub with my friend sampling the local brew. When visiting a city with your very own local tour guide you get to see the city in a whole new way. Here are some of my favourite things I did there, that you wont find on the tourist route.
Having a picnic at Dun Laoghaire Pier.
This is a suburb south of Dublin that can be easily accessed by either train or bus. We sat and drank a few local beers from the bottle store, whilst nibbling down on a picnic overlooking Dublin Bay back towards the city.
Take in the views on a coastal cliff walk.
Head north of Dublin to Howth and you can spend a beautiful day taking in the stunning views of Dublin Bay and the city on this scenic coastal cliff walk. Pack a jacket though as it can be windy and cold, even on the sunniest of days in Dublin.
Go to a Gaelic Football or Hurling Game.
If it’s the right season then you need to join the locals and support their teams at one of these traditional Irish sports. Hurling is one of the oldest field games around. So get your screaming voice ready and put your drinking hat on, and go experience a sporting game experience you aren’t going to get anywhere else in the world. I didn’t have a voice for a few days after.
Drink like the locals.
The Irish definitely love to drink and I’m not going to lie, I did spend a lot of my long weekend drinking in all the local watering holes. I was told by my friend to avoid the tourist trap of Temple Bar, and instead we spent our times at Brazen Head (oldest pub in Ireland), Against the Grain, McDaids and the Dame Tavern just to name a few. If you want to find some good local spots, then stop and just ask one of the very friendly locals. You’ll probably get some good stories thrown in there too just for good measure.
Shop at Loft Market.
I was in shopping heaven at this market that is filled with all up coming artists and designers. It’s definitely a hidden gem and a must see when in Dublin. Just be prepared to empty out your wallet a bit.
