Dublin Things to Do

Travel is increasingly facilitated by smart phone. Forget dragging an unwieldy travel guide around in your backpack, you can slip your phone into your pocket and have so much of what you need to know right there at hand. The Temple Bar Cultural Trust in Dublin has seen the way of the future and developed an app for a culture trail in Dublin.

Launched in 2011, it features 16 of Dublin’s top cultural venues including Trinity College, the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin City Hall, The Hugh Lane Gallery, Christ Church Cathedral and Project Arts Centre, some outdoor markets and other places in Temple Bar which is the heart of Dublin’s contemporary arts scene.

Is your name Pink, Patsy, Tricia, Paddy? If it’s Patrick or any of its world-wide and gender variations you’ll gain entry to the Guinness Storehouse for free on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th. There’s nothing new there – they extend this handshake to Patricks every year.

What is different this year is that they are aiming to set a new record for the Guinness Book of World Records. No, it’s not the greatest number of Patricks in one place, though perhaps it should be, it’s the World’s Friendliest Day record. It makes sense. Ireland has always had a reputation for being friendly, they’re known for their welcome to tourists, the craic in their pubs.

In 2010 Dublin was named one of UNESCO’s Cities of Literature (of only five) which is hardly surprising given the rich literary scene, both past and present.

Each year in April, the city holds One City One Book, a festival during which they encourage everyone to read the same book and they hold events to celebrate that book and author. This year the book is Dubliners by James Joyce. This collection of early short stories is by far his most readable work and gives a great insight into the characters of Dublin.