It's estimated that some 80 million people around the world claim Irish heritage. Of course, that number expands greatly around St. Paddy's day. I myself
have always touted that I am 50% Irish by descent and 100% by desire, or my middle name isn't FitzGerald! Actually, my bond with Ireland, other than by
descent, goes back to two formative years of my life in my middle teens, when we lived in Belfast. They were transformative years, a time when I discovered
the real me.
I've revisited Ireland many times since. It's one of those places I never tire of, and I periodically need my Irish "fix." There is just something about
the Irish people, their friendliness, dry wit, and sense of humor--not to mention the beautiful countryside, history, and traditions--that keeps drawing me
back. So when we planned a visit to Scotland this spring, it was natural and very convenient to route through Dublin and also pop up for a visit to
Belfast. It had been some 10 to 12 years since I'd visited both, and I was anxious, and even somewhat apprehensive, to see how they had changed.
Dublin Today
Dublin once had the image of a sleepy, backwater capital city. Not anymore! In fact, that hasn't been the case since the mid-1990s, with the advent of the
"Celtic Tiger" economic boom. I can't say that Dublin felt very different from when we last visited, certainly not in kind, but perhaps in degree. Having
suffered through the crash of 2008 and its fallout, the Dublin we experienced seemed to be relatively booming, or at least on the comeback. If anything, it
seemed more cosmopolitan and more international.
It's interesting to note that many of the denizens of Dublin, especially those in the service trades--hotels and restaurants, and those running small shops
and businesses--hailed from Eastern and southern Europe, no doubt driven here by greater job opportunities compared to their native lands. And just as
interesting to note was that these folks seem to have assimilated the best of Irish traits--an outgoing friendliness and even the "native" Irish sense of
humor.
What do you do with two days in Dublin when you've already been there a half-dozen times? You've taken in Trinity College and its library, and admired the
Book of Kells; you've walked the galleries of the National Museum of Archeology, marveling at the mummified bodies of the bog people and the beautiful gold
jewelry of the early Celts; and you've learned what you need to know about the production of Guinness, Ireland's official national drink.
With all those under your belt, you can just relax and enjoy Dublin with no pressure to see the de rigueur sights. And that's exactly what Gail
and I did! Our time was spent strolling around this eminently walkable city and soaking in its atmosphere, along with shopping, pub-crawling, and enjoying
some of its smaller museums.
Dublin actually reminds me very much of Paris, only on a smaller, more intimate scale. It is low-rise, with beautiful architecture dating back to the 19 th and earlier centuries, and it has nice green spaces and the River Liffey flowing through it. Also like Paris, Dublin is quite cosmopolitan, a
bastion of museums large and small and the decorative and performing arts.
Dublin, Full Circle
Even though I felt I knew the city pretty well, we started our explorations with a ride on one of the "Hop-On Hop-Off" double-deckers run by Dublin Bus
Company (www.dublinsightseeing.ie). It was an excellent way to recall the lay of the land, see its most
touristic sights and attractions, and get some helpful history about the city. The most popular stops along the way were, of course, the Guinness
Storehouse, where that malty dark elixir has been brewed since 1759, and the Kilmainham Gaol, the infamous prison that, from the 1780s to the 1920s, was
home to many an Irish patriot incarcerated in the strife for Ireland's freedom from England.
We chose to do almost the entire tour, hopping off only to stroll the banks of the Liffey and cross over to Temple Bar, Dublin's cultural quarter, on the
vintage and romantic Ha'penny Bridge. This pedestrian bridge was built in 1716 to replace decrepit ferry service connecting both sides of the river, and
got its name from the toll that was charged to cross it.
Temple Bar is the home of many Irish cultural institutions, including the Irish Photography Centre, the National Photographic Archives, the Ark Children's
Cultural Centre,Temple Bar Gallery and Studio, the Gaiety School of Acting, and a plethora of artsy-crafty
stores and studios. The area, which presumably got its name back when it was but a river sandbar that was owned by the Temple family, was the center of
prostitution in Dublin a hundred or so years ago. Now it's a major center for nightlife, with many tourist-focused nightclubs, restaurants, and vintage
pubs. The bars are hopping even during the day, and after some window-shopping and gallery visits, we stopped in for a Guinness and fresh local oysters at
The Temple Bar, one of the area's most popular establishments.
Strolling back toward The Westbury Hotel, our elegant home while in Dublin, we happened on the Irish Whiskey Museum ( www.irishwhiskeymuseum.ie) and decided to pop in to learn more about uisge beatha--Gaelic for
"water of life"--which, when Anglicized, became whiskey. The tour was a fun multi-media show that combined history, folklore, and technology with ample
Irish wit and storytelling. We thought it was fantastic, and we grinned and laughed our way through it, all the way to the tasting session where we
examined, quaffed, sipped, compared, and finally polished off three very different Irish whiskies. We even got a certificate proving we are now
"Ambassadors of Irish Whiskey."
On past visits we'd heard good things about Dublin's Literary Pub Crawl, so this time, at dusk--which is pretty late in Ireland come summer--we joined
about two dozen other visitors, mostly from the U.S. and Europe, to get a little insight into Ireland's famous poets, authors, and playwrights. As we
learned, these literary giants often were inspired in their work by a wee dram of Irish whiskey. While strolling the narrow cobblestone alleyways and
passing through the gorgeous central courtyard of Trinity College, the two professional actors conducting our tour wove together skits, quotes, tidbits of
history, and lots of wit to make what could be a rather dry topic come to life. Of course, stops into historic pubs for a few "pints of" provided
additional sustenance and "oil" to keep the evening rolling. You will hardly come away from this experience an expert in Ireland's extensive literary
history, but you will be well entertained and a little smarter about it all (www.dublinpubcrawl.com).
The
Place to Stay
We chose the Westbury Hotel in part for its very central location, just a half-block off bustling and elegant Grafton Street, Dublin's pedestrian way for
upscale shopping. No other five-star hotel is more central to everything Dublin offers. St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful 20ish-acre park surrounded by
Georgian townhouses, is a mere five- to ten-minute walk, as are Trinity College, Temple Bar, and most of the city's major museums. Beyond its convenient
setting, we also were impressed by our bright, spacious, and luxurious room, the hotel's overall ambiance, and staff service that was above and beyond
attentive. As an added bonus, the big Irish breakfast and buffet included with our stay certainly kept us going through the day's escapades.
Our last day in Dublin was spent shopping along Grafton Street, with it many boutiques and international name-brand stores, followed by a stroll through
St. Stephen's Green. On this beautiful and sunny May day, I would have sworn that every Dubliner was relaxing amid its verdant lawns and colorful flower
beds, or sitting by the lazy duck pond. We also spent some of the day in The Little Museum of Dublin, a funky exhibition set in a Georgian townhouse on the
edge of St. Stephen's Green. In succinct and eclectic fashion, it tells the story of Dublin in the 20th century. This new museum, just founded
in 2011, already is winning awards and accolades for its perspective and collection of memorabilia.
No visit to Dublin would be complete without enjoying a formal Irish tea, and high tea at the Westbury is a Dublin institution. We were served in The
Gallery, considered Dublin's drawing room and the place to see and be seen. While having tea, we also enjoyed one of the city's finest private art
collections.
We left Dublin confident that, in spite of its growth, modernity, and hip vibe, it has lost little if any of its Irish charm. And, while we added to our
knowledge and appreciation of the city, we also left knowing there are lots of attractions yet un-experienced and stones unturned to draw us back.
Belfast Bound
One of our favored ways to experience Ireland is driving its scenic country roads and staying at elegant country house hotels scattered along the way.
However, on this occasion we had a mission and were on a schedule, so we took the train between Dublin and Belfast. It was a piece of cake, whisking us
comfortably from one city center to the other in about two hours. We enjoyed great scenery: quaint villages, rolling fields dotted with sheep and bordered
by yellow gorse and flowering hawthorn hedges, beautiful estuaries and open seascapes, and even the Mountains of Mourne. For the ticket price of about $25,
it was a bargain.
Matter of fact, train tours of Ireland are becoming a popular way to experience this beautiful island and its heritage. In 2016, one of our partners,
Belmond, is launching its Belmond Grand Hibernian series of elegant two- to six-day train journeys around Ireland. It's something to consider for
our next visit.
The New Belfast
If you've never visited Belfast or it's been a few years, you'll be surprised by its new look, vibe, and attractions.
At the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, Belfast was the most industrialized and prosperous city in Ireland. Its primary trades
were shipbuilding, tobacco, linen weaving, and heavy manufacturing. Grand architecture followed affluence, creating a cityscape of marvelous Victorian and
Edwardian buildings. And guess what? Most of that architecture is still in place, due to intervening events like the war years (even though Belfast was
bombed), followed by the decline in Belfast's economic base and then the "Troubles" that plagued Northern Ireland from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Yes,
Belfast escaped the dreaded era of rampant modernization and wanton redevelopment that many cities experienced from the 1960s to the 1980s. And it is all
the better for it!
When we last visited Belfast in the early 2000s, it seemed the "Troubles"--the near-constant ethno-nationalist war between Protestant/Loyalist and
Catholic/Republican--were a thing of the past. Belfast was already undergoing a major rebirth, with intelligent redevelopment and restoration of some of
its downtown. In spite of a few setbacks in the political situation and a history that keeps those wounds alive just below the surface, a fairly solid
peace now prevails, and Belfast is absolutely buzzing. If you were ever concerned about the safety of visiting this city, there's no longer any cause to
be.
In fact, Belfast has turned its past "Troubles" into a tourist attraction. You should definitely take a "Black Taxi" tour with a good guide who will escort
you through the still quite segregated Catholic and Protestant working sections of the city to view their extensive murals and memorials to the "Troubles."
Our guide recited to us page and verse about the personalities, the bombings, and the incarcerations in the Crumlin Road Goal, which you can visit. You'll
probably learn more than you want to know or can absorb about the evolution of the political situation. The tour also will take you to some of Belfast's
other impressive wall-art districts, where murals honor many famous musicians, artists, and even politicos. Along the way, you'll visit some of the city's
famous vintage pubs.
Of course, it's always better to go pub-crawling on your own. We had a blast meeting locals in any number of Belfast's traditional watering holes, and
there is no shortage of them: the Duke of York, nestled along a cobbled alley in the historic Half Bap area; Robinsons, right across from the Europa Hotel; and Kelly's Cellars, dating back to 1720. Go around four in the afternoon and they are absolutely packed with locals and
overflowing with craic--the Irish term for gossip and fun--as well as live music, Irish wit, and sparkling humor. And the party goes on into the
wee hours of the morning. But don't be shy. I spent a fun and very educational hour tippling with a young man I had asked to explain the game of rugby. Or,
just step up to the bar and order a drink; the locals will pick up on your "Yank" accent, and soon you'll be famous friends. In fact, while Dubliners may
be very friendly and welcoming, I'd say the Northern Irish are even more so.
We stayed at The Fitzwilliam, a smallish contemporary hotel in a convenient downtown location on Great Victoria Street, next to the Grand
Opera House. It's pretty much within a 15-minute walk of most of the shopping and sights of Belfast. We did do a lot of walking in Belfast, which, with its
compact center and many broad pedestrian ways, is a very walkable city.
If you're visiting around a weekend, I'd definitely recommend stopping by the St. George's Market. Operating Friday through Sunday in a vintage 1800-era
building, it is one of the best markets in the U.K. for local produce, fish, cheese, bakery goods, art, and handicrafts. It's a great place to find a
special souvenir for your dog sitter back home, and is tres picturesque. You can even grab lunch there from one of the many food stalls.
We also stopped in for a free, guided tour of Belfast City Hall--the best free tour you'll probably ever experience. The building is a grand Edwardian
"wedding cake" once referred to as "the stone Titanic." Our guide's narration gave us a fantastic perspective on the development of Belfast from its
heyday, around the early 1900s, to the present.
The pièce de résistance on the Belfast tourism scene--and something new since our last visit--is Titanic Belfast, the all-encompassing story of
the RMS Titanic. Housed in a shimmering and dramatic ship-like building on the exact site where the Titanic was built, the attraction's
multi-media displays set the scene of Edwardian "Boomtown Belfast" and take you through the various stages of the ship's short life, from concept to
building, launching, commissioning, its fateful first transatlantic sailing, and even its rediscovery in its watery grave. Along the way, you'll get a
sense of what it was like to work on building the ship, with its construction techniques and working conditions--even the noise of the riveting. You'll
also experience a somewhat dizzying but very cool, 360-degree, IMAX-like tour of the ship, from top to bottom, and you'll hear the stories of those who
built her, those who sailed her, the survivors, and the heroes of that "Night to Remember." The story and presentation are so well done and involving that,
by the end of your visit, you might find yourself wiping your eyes.
It probably goes without saying that revisiting Belfast was an emotional experience for me. It certainly had changed from the sleepy, easygoing backwater
city of my youth. But most of those changes have been for the better. More important, it was good to see and feel the sense of peace and prosperity
pervading the Belfast scene. And best of all, it was heart-warming to once more feel that genuine Irish welcome and enjoy the famous sense of humor we
experienced at every turn. That has not changed!
An Irish State of Mind
A good place to start your dreaming and planning for a visit to Ireland is at www.Ireland.com. Also, be sure to visit
our website at www.Hideaways.com/TraveltoIreland for even more of Mike's Irish insight and tips,
plus slide shows, videos, and in-depth hotel reviews and recommendations.
July/August 2015