48 Hours in Dublin
On Grafton Street in almost November...
I often find in capital cities the eyes of the vagrants and vagabonds to be brighter and smilier than the eyes of the department store assistants. Funny that.
Dublin is no exception to this loose rule, and it is on the return leg of a brief trip to the fair city that I bring you today’s post.
Why the brevity of visit? Well, once upon a time, when working remotely was but a wild notion I found that when I wanted to, or my body demanded that I relax, I had to leave the country and put oceans between myself and my place of work to stop myself from trundling on. I would burn out, recharge, then climb back on the merry round until I could next get off. In time, I decided a life goal was to ‘create a life I no longer needed a holiday from’… a rudimentary way of identifying that I should really look into that whole work/life balance malarkey.
I did that, sort of, for a while, but in the latter stages of this year the former me has been reincarnated. It has once again become hard to switch off. So, this was an attempt to do so. I wasn’t fully removed - more plugged in than out, really, but it was enough to break up the rhythm, and so the trip did feel like quite the treat.
Let’s hope that I master the relaxation without changing physical space thing at some stage, but, forever a work in progress.
So if you came here for a tourist guide, this is not that. I’ve spent so much time in the capital over the years that it is familiar to me, and when I do visit I have a solid routine of things to do and places to visit, changed up according to my mood or time of year. Here are some of them.
Half pint of Guinness and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps
Always my first stop, and I’m not fussy about where. I realise this is not the most nutritious of lunches, however much the Guinness marketeers tell you that it is good for you. A half pint of the black stuff is complimented by the savouriness of the crisps and just just tastes like Dublin, to me.
Siopa Ella
Always, and I mean always, my first port of call for pre-loved items. You can peruse and stroke the pieces without any of the stuffiness of the luxury boutiques. It feels like a glamourous haberdashery, hidden away behind the swankier department stores, like an illicit secret to be kept. Go go go.
Brown Thomas
The Irish Harrods. I always pay a visit - this time seeking inspiration to seep into my mind as I work out what I want to look like, sartorially, over the next few months. I accidentally made a purchase - blame 25% off, a favourable exchange rate, and a teeny tiny professional milestone to be marked. There is a tax loophole for those living in “the wee six” (how the six counties in Ireland that are still ruled by GB law are colloquially known), so good value for higher ticket items.
Grafton Street in November…
Raglan Road is a beauty of a poem (a proper poem, not like my anger charged ones) by Patrick Kavanagh, that speaks of his heartache following a love affair with a dark haired woman. Written in 1946, it was later set to music, but it is forever the words that maketh it, me thinks. On the rare occasion that I find a man taken with me, the words “…her dark hair would weave a snare, that I would someday rue…” come to my mind. Read here.
Anyway, my point here is that strolling up and down Grafton Street, where this poem is set, with the crowds, buskers, and history that the street harbours, it is hard not to unlock some joie de vivre.
Dawson Street and Drury Street also have a buzz, especially if you find yourself sandbagging dinner reservation, and hungry.
Dublin theatre scene : The valley of the squinting windows, Gaiety Theatre
It was the run of the dramatisation of this book “The valley of the squinting windows”, first released to public outcry and literal burning in 1918, that really inspired my trip down south. I first read it as an adolescent, and it was one that stuck with me, so I heartily recommend.
The writing deals with all that was - and often still is - wrong with rural Ireland. It touches upon all forms of social currency: relationships, shame, guilt, repression, the classes, glee over another’s demise, hippocrasy and eventual self implosion. It was a beautiful production - an agile videographer followed the cast around the stage and the footage was played on the large screen behind them. However, the audience was stiff, which did make me wonder if the subject matter still cuts just too close to the bone for many, even now, more than a century on. Sigh.
The Shelbourne
I am not a cocktail lover, with very few exception. I am more a cold glass of champagne, or hearty glass of red, kinda gal. I’m reliably informed that the cocktails here are terrific, but my enjoyment here is more from the elegant respite offered from the outside world here. There is a choice of two bars - the No. 27 to the left as you enter which caters for those who favour the bright and airy aesthetic. Alternatively there is the darker, old worldy feel to be enjoyed in the The Saddle bar, where you imagine much classified information has been shared over an old fashioned over the years.
A half dozen freshly shucked oysters, a class of wine and some fries here were the perfect pre theatre bite.
Where to stay?
Time was when I would have said “just stay in the Gresham!” as a response to this question, but it has changed hands, and hasn’t been what it once was for some time now. The past few times I’ve been in Dublin I have stayed in Stauntons on the Green, a townhouse style hotel, by iconic St Stephen’s Green. It is understatedly luxuriant, small, but what they do, they do well. I’m into that. EXCELLENT breakfast.
Powerscourt Town House
Only worth a ramble around when it is not horribly busy, so choose your moment. It wasn’t a priority visit on this trip, but I am including it because it is indeed worth stopping by.
Kilkenny Design Centre
If it’s some high quality Irish gifting you’re after, look no further. Here is where I bought one of my most loved prints many years ago, by an artist called Anna Nielsen. They no longer carry her stuff, but they do carry lots of other really good bits - their woollen throw selection is exceptional.
https://annanielsen.com/product/against-the-flow/
After all that, I am not really sure that I can say the trip was restorative, but it seems thats not what I am being served at the moment, and I may have to wait for the winter sun in a few weeks time.
Let me know your Dublin hotspots - I’d be delighted to mix it up next time.
Back on Sunday for the monthly round up. As ever, thanks for reading, and thanks for being here.
Big Love
Una
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