/countries/show/ireland/1.rss en-us For most Dubliners, the pub is the centre of Irish society. Every occasion takes place here, be it happy or sad, culinary or alcohol-fuelled, literary or sporting, business or pleasure, family or friends. And no matter where you go in Dublin, you'll find a public house or two or three on every street. As James Joyce wrote in his classic novel Ulysses, “A good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub.” One of the best aspects of Dublin pub life is that it's a culture open to all, locals and visitors alike. Everyone is welcome to sample the charm, “craic” (fun in Gaelic), music, drink and conversation. Whether you're after a quiet pint, a rock music bar, cocktails, traditional music and dancing, food or a simple suburban bar (known as a “local”), you will find it right across Dublin. Of course, for the classic and most authentic Irish pub experience, you'll want to stay away from Dublin’s many modern bars and go for the older, cozier establishments. There you'll find a better pint, better atmosphere and better conversation. Better still, take a day off from conventional sight-seeing and have one drink in a series of different pubs. This way you'll experience the very best of what Dublin pub culture has to offer. This can be done without leaving the environs of Grafton Street, Dublin’s busiest shopping area. Starting from St Stephen's Green, a popular city park, you'll find your way to Peter's Pub—a tiny establishment on Johnson's Place that has great stout if you can fit yourself in the door! Circle back towards Grafton Street and you'll come to Neary's—another classic spot with cozy red interior that has a back door that joins up with the stage door of Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Come after a play and the actors you've just seen will be at the bar already! On nearby South Anne Street you'll come to Kehoe's—a cavernous old bar where it's easy to get lost and where you'll see sports fans drinking out on the street after a big match. Across the road you'll find McDaids, where the drinks are good but standing is compulsory; and Bruxelles, the home of Irish rock ‘n’ roll, where you can let your ear guide you between two basement bars with sharply contrasting musical styles. Slightly further down is The Duke—a well-known footrest halfway through the Grafton Street area on Duke Street. Davy Byrnes, famous as a location in two of James Joyce's books, is on the same street. If you continue on down you'll come to O'Donoghues on Suffolk Street, formerly known as the Thing Mote and one of the city's airiest wooden pubs. Further up you'll hit O'Neills—a large and welcoming green pub that takes up one whole corner of Suffolk Street. By now you'll have visited many of Dublin's best pubs, and this is without even reaching Temple Bar—the city's cultural and nightlife district. Inside this cultural quarter you'll find dozens of bars including the Palace Bar, where there's always a great traditional music session upstairs; the Auld Dubliner, a nice warm bar that's frequently overlooked; and the Temple Bar itself, which is the best place to find other visitors to team up with. Choose whichever takes your fancy to round off the evening before taking a short stroll back to your guest bed happy in the knowledge that you've seen and done the best of Europe's coolest drinking city. Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:20:17 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/pubs-dublin http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/pubs-dublin One of the world's oldest and most beautiful books, The Book of Kells has become a must-see for any visitor to Dublin. The Book of Kells is on display in Ireland's oldest and most picturesque university Trinity College, whose campus represents for many Dubliners the very centre of the Irish capital. This remarkable book contains the four Gospels of the New Testament in Latin written on vellum (treated calfskin), and was meticulously illustrated by Irish monks around the year 800 BC. The history of The Book of Kells is almost as remarkable as the precision craftsmanship it contains. The Book of Kells' first home was the Abbey of Kells in nearby County Meath, where a long-running campaign to get the famous book back continues to this day. However, its roots lie deeper still in Saint Columcille, also of Meath, who moved to the now Scottish island of Iona (then part of Ireland) around the time the book was made and established a scriptorium for the creation of holy books. Attacked by Vikings in AD 806, Columcille and his fellow Columban monks fled back to Kells, where the Book of Kells was either created from scratch or completed after being started in Iona (nobody knows for sure). The Book of Kells remained in the town after it was created until 1654, when it was taken to Trinity College for safekeeping amid English leader Oliver Cromwell's political and religious campaign in Ireland. It has remained there ever since. As for the inside of the book, prepare for a feast for the eyes. The Book of Kells is more lavishly decorated than you would ever think possible for a 1,200-year-old book painted by monks using ink, with only daylight and candlelight to guide them. Every single page is richly illustrated, with tiny animal or human figures drawn into ornate capital letters that grace the beginning of each principal section. And even though each page was roughly the size of a modern A4 sheet of paper, more drawings were added to anywhere else on the manuscript that they could be fitted. Any visit to the Book of Kells would not be complete without a walk around the Old Library where it is housed in Trinity College. The library's 19th-Century Long Room is famous in its own right as one of the world's prettiest bookrooms. Here you will find many of the oldest books in Ireland, as well as busts of famous Celtic writers. The harp of Brian Boru, a historical king of Ireland, is also kept here, as well as an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:51:33 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/book-of-kells http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/book-of-kells The St Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland is a unique event that unites locals and visitors in a carnival atmosphere of music, dancing and partying; and leaves the world green with envy. Expanded in recent years from a one-day holiday to a six-day event, the St Patrick's Festival brings people together from all over the world to celebrate all things Irish. The centrepiece of the Festival is, of course, the St Patrick's Day Parade; an event that has been copied the world over. The 1.5 mile St Patrick's Day Parade route winds its way from Parnell Square on the city's north side, down O'Connell Street (the city's main thoroughfare), past the Spire of Dublin, over the River Liffey and up to Trinity College, before heading down historic Dame Street to finish at St Patrick's Cathedral. On March 17th each year, crowds in excess of half a million people line these streets to see thousands of dancers, marching bands, musicians and other performers; as well as parade floats of every colour. The six-day St Patrick's Festival programme is packed with many other events, including street theatre, traditional and contemporary Irish music, dance, comedy, film, a treasure hunt, Irish language events, and all kinds of spectacles for family fun. Keep an eye out for the National Lottery Skyfest, Ireland's biggest and best fireworks display which lights up a different town or city each year during the St Patrick's Festival. Families will be sure to enjoy the Big Day Out, in which Merrion Square, one of the city's prettiest enclosed parks, is transformed into a gigantic play area made up of ten different family-fun zones. City slickers will want to head down to the up-and-coming Docklands area where street performances and many cosmopolitan bars, cafés and restaurants offer a night to remember by the edge of the River Liffey. Culture fans have a host of different events to enjoy around the capital during the St Patrick's Festival, with film screenings, traditional Irish concerts and comedy nights. No trip to the St Patrick's Day Parade would be complete without visiting one of the city's many traditional pubs. Visitors are sure to find a venue packed with good music, good people and good craic (fun) around a pint of the famous black stuff. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:37:29 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/st-patricks-parade-dublin http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/st-patricks-parade-dublin Standing at a majestic 700 ft. tall, Ireland's Cliffs of Moher edge County Clare up to the Atlantic Ocean, creating the country's westernmost outpost. I first went there in 2003 when very little infrastructure surrounded the Cliffs of Moher and it was possible to creep belly-down across the limestone slats and peer over the edge. As one of Ireland's most well-known and heavily visited tourist attractions today, the Cliffs of Moher have been given a new lease on life with the building of a state-of-the-art visitor center that is cut into the side of one of the bluffs, and is totally environmentally friendly. The experience of standing on the bluffs overlooking the Cliffs of Moher is utterly astounding. The harsh Irish wind bats at your back and the surf sprays up hundreds of feet to wash you in a spindrift of freezing Atlantic water. It doesn't matter what time of year you go to the Cliffs of Moher, it's always cold. The chilliness, though, is captivating and the Cliffs of Moher are daunting as they fall in dark masses into the icy water below. The white surf froths around the lower corners of the Cliffs and darts unrelentingly in and out of miniature caves created by thousands of years of the same. The Cliffs of Moher consist mainly of shale and sandstone rock, and most of the oldest rocks are found at the base of the Cliffs, near and below the surface of the ocean. The tops of the Cliffs of Moher are mainly muddy green bluffs covered in the type of emerald-colored grass that gives Ireland its nickname. They are also home to many species of wildlife, including many colonies of Atlantic Puffins (an unusual type of sea bird with a brightly-colored beak). The Cliffs of Moher are maintained by Clare County Council, which has done a lot to maintain the natural appeal of the area rather than overwhelming it with man-made structures. In addition to the eco-friendly visitor center, basic infrastructure such as railing, steps and walkways, have been installed to promote safety and enhance the views of the Cliffs themselves. Most notably, visitors can climb to the top of the northernmost bluff, where sits O'Briens Tower: A round stone watchtower dating to 1835 that marks the highest point at the Cliffs of Moher. From this vantage point, you can get excellent views to the southern cliffs, as well as another series of cliffs jutting out to the north toward the town of Doolin. Though it is very often obscured by fog, on a clear day you'll catch a glimpse of the far-off Aran Islands and Galway Bay; and if you're truly lucky, maybe a whimsical Irish rainbow. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:15:49 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/cliffs-of-moher http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/cliffs-of-moher If you are anything like me, the idea of having infinite conversational skills and the ability to wow friends with your charming anecdotes and interesting musings certainly sounds appealing. High upon the defensive walls of Blarney Castle in County Cork lies the Blarney Stone, that when kissed, is purported to bestow the "gift of the gab" to the smoocher. Though the exact origin of the Stone is unknown, one legend suggests that the Blarney Stone is related to Lia Fáil, or the Stone of Destiny. Others believe that the Stone was a gift from the Scots, and still others hold that Blarney has Biblical origins. Whatever the case may be, the Stone's magic is real to those who kiss it. Make no mistake though, the Blarney Stone makes you work for its gift. Climbing up the heavy stairs and snaking around the top of the castle's fortified parapets, you are nearly two storeys high when you bend over backwards, and let your hair hang down as you kiss the Blarney Stone. That's right, the Blarney Stone only offers its magic to a kisser positioned upside down! Years ago visitors were simply dangled over the edge by their ankles, but these days the proprietors of Blarney Castle have installed iron handles and safety railing to ensure that gab-lusters don't fall. Additional helpers also give you a hand with the bending and obligatory photo-taking while you're upside down in the act. Your magical trip to Blarney Castle isn't complete with the kissing of the Stone though. There are lots of other lucky spots worth taking in around the grounds, such as the Wishing Steps. If you walk up and down the steps with your eyes closed, your wish will be granted within a year! The caves and crannies around Blarney Castle are imbued with all kinds of mystical Irish legends, from fairies to leprechauns! Thu, 07 May 2009 03:23:41 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/blarney-stone http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/blarney-stone Once upon a time, there was a great Irish war hero named Finn McCool. Finn was a huge man - a giant revered by all who looked upon him, the fiercest warrior in Ireland. Finn's arch rival was a Scottish giant called Bendandonner. Upon setting out to greet his foe in battle, Finn realized that there was no way for him to reach Scotland, as no boat was sturdy enough to carry him the long journey across the sea. At that, Finn built Giant's Causeway out of rock and stone, creating a lengthy bridge that spanned all the way to Scotland. After arriving though, Finn saw his enemy's size and ran away back across the Causeway in worry. Followed by Bendandonner, Finn coyly hid in a baby crib pretending to be an infant. When Bendandonner looked into the crib and found a huge man-child, he ran back to Scotland in fear, destroying the Causeway behind him. The remnants of the stepping stone formations along the north coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland are all that are left of Finn McCool's massive bridge. Whether you prefer the legend or the more factual explanation of creation by volcanic eruption, the Giant's Causeway is truly a sight to behold. With over 40,000 cylinders, the Causeway appears an endless array of basalt columns stacked one upon the other, row after row of mystical rocks sprawling out to sea. The angry waves of the North Channel crash upon the hexagonal stones, which stand like stoic soldier statues along the coast. At it's highest point the columns of the Causeway reach up over 40 feet high, and can be up to 90 feet thick in areas. Visitors descend across the rock pillars like pilgrims to the sea, taking deliberate and prudent steps, avoiding the turbulent waters below. Spanning over 15 miles, the Giant's Causeway is lined by foot path taking you through scenic spots such as the Wishing Well, Giant's Granny and the King, Giants Organ, Honeycomb, across the staircase to Benbane, and past Port na Spaniagh where the Spanish Armada ship Girona foundered. The lush cliff scape that rises behind the Giant's Causeway is circled by gulls overhead, calling wandering thoughts back to reality. The long rays of the sun low in the sky reflect eerily off the smooth basalt, giving off an ethereal glow. Gingerly trailing back to land across the stacked stones, with the tide rising and darkness approaching, the only thing left is the sound of the unrelenting waves crashing against the Giant's Causeway. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:35:18 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/giants-causeway http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/giants-causeway