Dublin

Day 1
We left the Dayton International Airport on July 18th, arriving (with some serious jet lag) on July 20th in the AM. Downloading some movies on the iPod before the flight really helped pass the time. A tip we got from some friends was to spend the rest of the day doing sightseeing and going to bed with the rest of the country. It makes for a long first day, but adjusting to the schedule is much easier after it.

The first challenge was getting our car, which we needed in order to get from the airport to our B&B. In hindsight, we would have taken a bus to our B&B and only gotten a rental car after our stay in Dublin, as we only used it on day 3 to go out and see Malahide Castle. We stayed at Cashel Lodge, a great bed and breakfast run by Mary and Pat McManus. It was here I fell in love with the traditional Irish Breakfast of eggs, ham, black and white pudding (sausage really), and a cooked tomato, with toast and coffee. This was one of the great things about the B&Bs--we ate so much for breakfast that we could get by with a light snack and a Guinness for lunch. Cashel Lodge is a great place to stay, and one we would both recommend.

Following our friend's advice, however, we arrived in Dublin and drove to our B&B to drop our stuff off, then got on the bus (Cashel Lodge is crucially located along a bus route, a "must" for us, along with having free Wi-Fi) and headed straight for Dublin Castle, Trinity College (to see the Book of Kells), and then over to Christ Church Cathedral for a tour around the abbey, including seeing Strongbow's effigy (read your Irish history). From there we went over to the Chester Beatty Library/Museum, which has some of the oldest Bible manuscripts in the world and a diverse collection of artifacts and interesting exhibits (including one while we were there profiling the surprisingly large Sikh community in Ireland).

Day 2
The second day we went to see the greatest tourist attraction in all of Ireland: The Guinness Storehouse. While somewhat gimmicky, this is an amazing museum, of sorts, for all things Guinness. We found out how it's made, why the location was chosen, and all of the ingredients that go into making Guinness (well... almost all of them, still some trade secrets). There is an amazing "Sky Bar" at the top where you can get a pint of Guinness and look out over all of Dublin, the best view in the city, in fact. Apparently they have a new app, which I didn't get to try, but looks pretty cool. Don't pass up learning how to pour the "perfect pint" while you're there at their educational bar, it's not as easy as it looks, and you'll always be able to tell your bartender whether or not they do a good job. The Dublin Pub in Dayton is the only place in the area I know that prides itself on actually doing this the right way.

The Guinness Storehouse wasn't our first stop that day, however. We took the bus down to the National Museum of Ireland, which (among other things) tells the long and troubled history of the Independence of Ireland. Knowing the history of Ireland beforehand made this stop well worth it (which, because the museum is free, only costs your time and bus fare). There are so many exhibits here (many totally unrelated to Irish history) that this was a no-brainer stop. There's also a great little cafe in the museum where we stopped for lunch and tea, and a nice outside seating area where you can have a great deli sandwich and sit and enjoy the architecture of the museum, which used to be the Collins Barracks and has seen more housing of troops throughout its history than artifacts. There's a great scene of the British leaving Ireland at this very museum in the movie Michael Collins, a great movie for an intro to the history of the independence movement in Ireland.

That afternoon we took the Laus over to St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful park in the heart of Dublin close to the shopping district and Temple Bar. Don't miss walking over the historic Ha'Penny Bridge, or checking out the many street performers who like to frequent the area.

We ended the night at ONeill's Bar and Restaurant, less flashy than the famous Temple Bar, but a great pub where you can get bangers and mash, a pint of Guinness, and hear some great live music. This was the kind of pub we were looking for when we came to Dublin. Finding the right pub for you is another useful service that provided by the Lonely Planet app.

Day 3
Our last day in Dublin we were traveling up North to the UK (not part of the Republic of Ireland-read your history and bring some British Pounds). Before we left, however, we managed to head out of Dublin city a bit to see Malahide Castle, a beautiful estate that began when Richard Talbot accompanied Henry II to Ireland and stayed in the family until 1975, although with a brief change in ownership after Cromwell's invasion when he handed it over to Miles Corbet. It's now operated by the Irish State, although as of January 2012 was under renovation, so check the website before visiting.

Before leaving Dublin we went to St Michan's Church, where you can shake hands with a Crusader's mummy and see Edmond Burke's baptismal, and then had lunch at the Jameson Distillery, where I found my favorite whiskey drink: a "hot whiskey."

Hot Whiskey
Shot of Jameson
Hot water
Two sugar cubes
Lemon wedge with cloves in it

Our last stop was the beautiful St Patrick's Cathedral, which is a must-see stop. It's almost like visiting a museum, and be sure to take a picture with Jonathan Swift, who used to be the dean of the cathedral.

Next stop: Tobermore.