No time for jet lag and there will be drinking
Birthday time again – this time I planned a trip to Ireland with my two travel buddies. I like to travel at a faster rate than I earn PTO at work so this would be a quick trip with weekend travel. Additionally, my two friends and I were all flying from different areas with different schedules. The plan was simple – take a direct overnight flight and arrive in Dublin on Sunday morning. Meet up with one travel buddy in the airport, drop off our bags at the hotel and go explore Dublin using the Dublin Pass. My other travel buddy would meet us at one of our tour points in Dublin once they arrived. On Days 2 and 3 we would take tours to Blarney Castle, and the Cliffs of Moher, and explore Dublin’s nightlife. Day 4 would be an unguided tour of Dublin street art before boarding our flights back to the states. The unofficial theme for the trip was “No time for jet lag.”
The plan was simple but allowed for no issues. Unfortunately, issues arose. My overnight flight was delayed so my planned Sunday morning arrival was pushed back to much later in the afternoon. The Dublin Pass I purchased through Expedia needed to be picked up in person before I actually arrived in town, and the hotel was a much further ride from the city center than I fully anticipated. Nevertheless we made some schedule adjustments and made the most out of our time.
Day 1: The Real MVP
The initial plan for Day 1 was to tour Dublin using the Dublin Pass which gives you access to 30+ attractions including skip-the-line tour access of the Jameson Distillery, Teeling Distillery, and Guinness Storehouse. Unfortunately, due to my delayed flight I was unable to pickup the pass and arrived in town just in time for the last Whiskey Tasting Experience at the Jameson Distillery.
Since my travel buddies and I headed to the Distillery directly from the airport, we had to figure out something to do with our luggage. Luckily, around the corner from the Distillery was Generator Hostel where you could rent lockers for a nominal fee.
Honestly, prior to my trip I wasn’t the biggest Jameson fan – to me it has a licorice taste and I don’t like licorice – but in Ireland the whiskey grew on me. Before the Tasting Experience at Jameson Distillery, we kicked off our drinking experience with a Jameson, Ginger and Lime. Definitely a recommended way of drinking Jameson. The tasting experience itself involved a flight of 4 types of Jameson – Original, Crested, Distillery Edition, and Black Barrel. Original and Crested were my preferred choices. The benefit of having the last tasting experience of the day meant less people and therefore more Jameson available for tasting.
Following the experience we went back to Generator to pick up our luggage and try what we believed would be a shot of Guinness. The bar menu at Generator advertised 3 “Baby Guinness” for 12 euro. Since none of us were that sure we liked Guinness- 3 “shots” seemed liked the best route to go. Thing is, a Baby Guinness is not Guinness at all but a delicious combination of Kahlua and Baileys. The real MVP for Day 1 was Baby Guinness.
Once we left the Generator we boarded the Luas(Dublin’s tram system) and ventured to our hotel in one of Dublin’s outer areas.
Expenses:
- Taxi Ride from Airport to Jameson Distillery (3 people): 25 Euro
- (1) Locker Rental : 6 Euro for 4 hours
- (2) Jameson, Ginger and Lime: 12 Euros
- (3) Baby Guinness: 12 Euros
- (3) Dublin Luas Tram Tickets: 21 Euros
Day 2: Stones and a Blind Pig
Remember the unofficial theme of the trip was “No time for Jet Lag.” Day 2 was my birthday and the plan for the day involved a day trip tour to Blarney Castle, and dinner and cocktails at a speakeasy in Dublin. Additionally, we would find a pub to have a proper Guinness since we were in Ireland after all. The day trip left at 6:45 am and was scheduled to return to Dublin by 7pm. Because our hotel was in the outskirts of the city and we were traveling by public transportation, that meant leaving the hotel at 5:30 am. Luckily, the tram stop was directly across the street from the hotel and required no transfers, just a short walk to the tour meeting point.
The Day tour began with a drive to Cashel where we got to tour monastery ruins and a cemetery.
We then continued on to the Blarney Castle where we had two hours to tour the grounds and kiss the Blarney stone. There are several legends behind the stone which are posted on your walk to get to the “kissing point”. It is said that if you kiss the stone, you will receive the “gift of gab or eloquence.” So, following a morning beverage of hot cocoa, coffee and Baileys, we made our trek to the castle and up to the top of the tower where the stone is located. Apparently climbing narrow, spiral staircases in towers has become a recurring theme of my travel life. Kissing the stone is a process in of itself. It requires lying on your back while holding on to two iron posts all while arcing back to kiss the bottom stone on a small ledge. Not sure I kissed the right spot or if the gift of gab has befallen me, but I at least walked away with a story to tell.
Following the tour of Blarney Castle and grounds, we had lunch, did some light shopping, and returned to Dublin to engage in some birthday festivities. The plan for the evening was to return to the hotel, shower and change, and head back to Dublin for dinner and cocktails at The Blind Pig – a hidden speakeasy in downtown Dublin. Transportation by tram would take longer than the time we had to make our reservation so we ended up taking cabs to and from the hotel.
Although we had a name and address, actually finding The Blind Pig was an arduous task. The cab dropped us off at what should’ve been a 30 second walk from our destination. After walking several blocks in a circle, and asking for directions at another bar called Pyg, we stumbled upon our actual destination 20 minutes later. For anyone looking for the main entrance to the speakeasy you’re looking for this signage:
After undertaking additional steps to get inside we were finally ready to enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, the kitchen was closed by the time we actually found the place, so we enjoyed some delicious cocktails while listening to live music. The search was then on to find food. It was late in the evening so most restaurant kitchens were closed. My birthday dinner ended up being at Eddie Rockets which is very similar to Johnny Rockets back home. We then went to a pub to experience a true Guinness.
Expenses:
- Cork & Blarney Full-Day Tour: $67/person (booked in advance through Travelocity)
- (3) Dublin Luas Tram Tickets: 21 Euros
- Cocktails – Blind Pig: 14 euros each
- Taxis to/from Dublin to Hotel : $25-35 each ride
Day 3: Should’ve packed a wetsuit
Day 3 began with another full-day tour that required leaving the hotel at 5:30 am. This time we were going to explore the Cliffs of Moher. Not only was it raining as we walked from the tram stop to the tour meeting point but it continued throughout the tour at the Cliffs.
The Cliffs of Moher were also covered in fog upon arrival, and the rain was the annoying misty variety that soaks you and wouldn’t be abated by the use of an umbrella. By the time we walked from the Visitor Center to the path to get to the first viewpoint, my jeans were soaked through. So, we took a few photos from the side opposite the Cliffs and opted to go back inside the visitor center to warm up and hopefully dry out. Inside the visitor center they have a CG photo area where you can take a pic at the Cliffs “in optimal weather conditions.”
Despite the rain, Day 3 was a good day. We concluded the day with cocktails and dinner at Fire, a restaurant we’d discovered but was closed the night before. The host was extremely helpful and friendly, and the food and cocktails were delicious. Fire is definitely recommended as a place to eat when visiting Dublin. Following dinner, we also wandered around Dublin to the Temple Bar area.
Expenses:
- Cliffs of Moher Tour: $40/person (booked in advance through Travelocity)
- Dinner at Fire: 45 Euros/person ( Tasting Menu) + Cost of Cocktails
- Taxi from Dublin to Hotel : $28
Day 4: Final Steps
Day 4 concluded our trip theme of no time for jet lag. We even “slept in” and didn’t depart the hotel until 9 in the morning. The plan for our last day was to scope out Dublin’s street art scene before heading to the airport for our flights. If you’re heading to the U.S. from Dublin, you actually go through customs or United States Pre-clearance in Dublin’s airport rather than when you arrive back in the states. This means that you need to arrive at the airport for your departure flight a minimum of 3 hours in advance to ensure you make it through security and pre-clearance before your flight.
Keeping all that in mind, we checked out of the hotel and took the tram with our luggage in tow back to The Generator Hostel so we could rent a locker for our things while we explored the street art. We also ended up walking over to Trinity College to visit the Book of Kells Exhibition and Old Library. The exhibition displays the Book of Kells, a 9th century manuscript that documents the four Gospels of the life of Jesus Christ. Additionally you get entrance to the Long Room, a library, that houses 250,000 of Trinity College’s oldest books; a definite must see on your Dublin travel itinerary. We spent about 20 min in the exhibit before making the brisk walk back to pick up our luggage and head to the airport.
Expenses:
- (3) Dublin Luas Tram Tickets: 21 Euros
- (1) Locker Rental : 6 Euro for 4 hours
- (3) Admission Tickets to Book of Kells Exhibition: 42 Euros (14 Euros each)
- Shuttle Ride to Airport: 25 Euros
Final takeaways from the trip – 4 days in Dublin is a decent amount of time to spend, especially if you embrace the “no time for jet lag” theme. Even if you don’t, Dublin is a very walkable city, has a navigable public transportation system, and had we stayed closer to the city center 4 days would still be a decent amount of time to spend. Would I go back – Absolutely!
A Memory and a Conversation 