Travel writer, Mia Lapwood, details her end-of-year trip to the Irish capital, recommending a range of places to have a drink and try delicious cuisine
To celebrate the New Year, my friends and I planned a two-day trip to Dublin, where we knew finding a pub would not be a problem. After an early flight and dropping our bags at the hotel, we started our day at Trinity College Dublin. Trinity College is one of the seven ancient universities of Great Britain and Ireland, and Ireland’s oldest university. It is a beautiful campus and easy to get to, so I would recommend visiting if you’re in Dublin. Unfortunately, during our visit, the Campanile bell tower was under construction, preventing us from seeing it. From the university, we walked 20 minutes to Anne Street, home to the famous umbrellas which we had seen lots of people visit. We were excited but left very disappointed as there weren’t as many umbrellas as we had expected. They might look better at night when they are lit up, but I wouldn’t put ‘umbrella street’ on a list of things you have to see. However, just around the corner is St Ann’s Church which is stunning. After this we went to Dublin Castle and the gardens. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a good view of the castle as they were setting up for the New Years Eve’s festival, so we spent most of our time in the gardens.
“Trinity College is one of the seven ancient universities of Great Britain and Ireland, and Ireland’s oldest university
We walked past St Patrick’s cathedral which was beautiful and surrounded by a garden, offering a nice break from the city. We tried to find a spot for brunch but nowhere seemed to be open, so I would definitely plan ahead. Eventually, we stumbled across ‘Goose on the Loose’ which was a lovely independent café with delicious food. From here we walked to St George’s Arcade which was full of cafes and stalls selling souvenirs and art. The next stop was Love Lane, a cute lane filled with art and tiles with writing on the walls from people signing their names and writing romantic lyrics. It’s part of an initiative to ‘brighten up’ Dublin’s alleys and lanes and it makes for a great photo spot! By this point we had seen most of the things on our list, so we headed to the famous red Temple Bar for a few drinks. The outside was incredible as it was decorated for Christmas, with bows and Christmas trees lining the walls outside. Inside was just as beautiful with decorations all around, creating a cosy atmosphere. The pints here were very expensive so do keep this in mind.
“The next stop was Love Lane, a cute lane filled with art and tiles with writing on the walls from people signing their names and writing romantic lyrics
In the evening, we stopped for a drink at another pub before heading to dinner at Bovinity, a fantastic steakhouse. We all had steak which was cooked to perfection; the cocktails here were also incredible and our waitress was great at recommending which drinks to get. It was very popular so I recommend booking in advance. We had also booked a table at Peruke & Periwig, a beautiful cocktail bar with a unique interior lined with art that makes you feel like you are in an art gallery. On our way to the bar, we stumbled across the New Year’s Eve festival which was open to the public for free on the 30th. There was live music and food stalls, and it was a great way to see a bit of the castle that we couldn’t see before.
On New Year’s Eve, we spent the day doing a pub crawl around the Temple Bar area. All of the pubs were heavily decorated for Christmas which created a warm and cosy atmosphere. I was surprised to see that every pub had live traditional music playing, resulting in a really fun and upbeat vibe. My favourite pubs were Gogarty’s Temple Bar, the famous red Temple Bar, and The Auld Dubliner. Again, all the pubs in this area were very expensive but the atmosphere made it worth it. We started our evening with dinner at ‘The Blind Pig Speakeasy’ which was an incredible bar and restaurant that is hidden inside another restaurant. To enter you have to find the ‘pig’ and push its head up! As it was New Years Eve, we had a set 3 course meal which was delicious. The waiters here were lovely and recommended going to some local bars ‘Disndat’ and ‘4 Dame Lane’ which both had a really cool vibe and were much cheaper than the temple bars! We then headed to our final stop which was Fitzsimons Temple Bar which was hosting a New Years Eve party with live music. Fitzsimons has 5 floors and a roof garden, so it was a great way to ring in the New Year.
“I was surprised to see that every pub had live traditional music playing, resulting in a really fun and upbeat vibe
Overall, Dublin was a great place to celebrate New Years with a never-ending list of options for a pint. All the bars were decorated beautifully for Christmas, so it would also be a great place to visit to get in the festive spirit too. The sites can all be seen in a day so to save money as a student it would be possible to fly in and out on the same day. If you’re planning on doing a pub crawl in the temple bar area– be prepared for how expensive it is!
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