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Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus via James Joyce have the monopoly on day-long treks round Dublin and its environs. Much still remains of the Dublin they knew. and the vigorous hum (one million Dubliners blethering) ofthc city lives on.
It‘s a hard city to write about — despite the fact that so many have
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Kristina Woolnough makes a flying visit to Dublin‘s fair city. where they are celebrating their millenium.
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done it so well - because there is something in the air that eludes definition. Something that Dubliners inhale. and that makes them laugh a lot. chat blithely to everyone and anyone. Something that makes an atmosphere of celebration. for which the haphazardly-calculated Millennium is merely the current excuse. ()ne
thousand years of Dublin will make for an enormous party in July.
Aboard the Ryanair plane. the witty air-hostesses set us on the right track. In the taxi from airport to guest house. the driver explains the blanket 55mph limit on Irish roads. ‘See. we‘re easy-going here in Ireland. We‘re in no hurry.‘ Just so— as all sit patiently in pub after pub. waiting for that velvety Guinness to settle.
Green strikes the eyes. Letter boxes. buses. POSTsigns. railings. benches. flags. trains. tourist guides all done out in various tones of green. Foliage is lush too.
A bucking 19A bronco bus takes us into town. The newsagent has warned us: ‘We‘re expensive here. But the drink is good. It‘ll curl your hair.‘ In the main thoroughfare. O‘Connell Street. we find our bearings c/o the imperative Tourist Information Office. Over the Liffey. past Trinity College and up precinctualised Grafton Street. home of trendy shops and fast food eateries. Young girls skip into burger bars in their white confirmation frocks. We hang a left into Duke Street. location oftwo recommended hostelries. I am keen to avoid the cost of a perm. In the Bailey Bar are more trendies. In the Bailey Restaurant is Bloom‘s front door. Some glasses oquinness later (two half-pints and two bags of peanuts comes to £2) and we head over the road to the Davy Byrne bar.
year or two - history is a
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Immsfihpmolofle; 3 events are on: getthe a" “"3 °' Dublin Millennium Guideto (Edimoublin) and £40.50 5:882:18. lrom the Irish Tourist “We '" “"35"”"9' BOARD (01 493 3201)can Ollices are at 14 North .
. supply you with Bridge, Edinburgh and 180 comprehensive
inlormation: where to stay;
Where to Stay what to do; how to do it;
. where to drink; where to ITOURJST OFFICES w'" eat, and so on. The main put you in touch with all
Tourist Ollice is at 14 Upper O'Connell Street (74 77 33).
Getting There 1 youth hostels in Dublin at78 '" °" I RYANAIR have just i Mo'ehgmpimgflgadys 39 accommodation alike. started a Glasgow-Dublin ; 3””; mg ( 8 536 g; 11 There is a Tourist Otlice at scheduled service. Belore I 0"" m “an” ) the airport too which is open 19 May. flights are £75 and scommnain' on Sets and Suns (the
. kstoun (BO 19 48). To . return. Tel. 041 5531550 9“?" others aren t). lor intorrnation and '°"‘ "‘° Y°""‘ ”°"°' I not ‘IN DUBLIN‘ (95p) resemfions. Flights . Association. contact them m a comma": LisHike operate Mon—Fri. From 20 l at 7 6'8“ crescen" guide to what's on. May. iares will be £52 l SWIM” Otherwise. evening papers Single or £47 single : Thmgs You point you in the direction at Off-Dealt (Tile and Thurs). I Should Know that night's musical ‘Funlares' at £70 return are I entertainment. available to Senior Citizens . I CURRENCY can be I GUINNESS is ordered by and Iamiliestravelling I changed into the Irish ‘punt' the glass, not by 1,‘z-pint. together. Ryanalr also have 1 belore you go. or once you I OLOOMsDAY is on 16 aspecial Dublin l are there. The exchange June, Oyjoining the ranks of Millennium weekend rate is currently £1 .15 Irish Joyce buttins you will be brochure. whereby two punt to £1 sterling.The letting yourselt in lora people can stay lorthree airport has a Bureau de 30-hour non-stop, drink and nights in Dublin lor £134 Change. British cheques are depravity epiphany. each. This includes return notaccepted, but major I NOTORIOUS tor its pubs lllghts. private bathroom. credit cards and (and the writers who lull breaktast. Explorer bus Eurocheques are. Cash will frequented them), some at 0888. "3'18"" '0 and "0'" probably be necessary lor the most renowned are: 3WD" 0'08 "1893. “WWW buying Irish currency. McDaid's. Mulligan'S. 03W vouchers. and tree I 1988 is DUBLIN'S time. the Bailey. “W890” '0 various MILLENNIUM (give ortake a l O‘Donoohue's and the
It has been up-graded since Ibth June. 1904 (and there are many that haven‘t been).
In Harry Street. McDaid‘s is a classical pub. That is — original. with painted brown walls to hide the smoke stains. lovely old tiles and more Guinness. Dublin pubs. sighs my companion. are the best in the world. They make no concession to anything but drink. No chrome. no music. no things new-fangled.
At the top of Grafton Street is an urban Arcadia. St Stephen‘s Green. Courting couples canoodle in the sun. old men pass the time of day and the Guinness waxes lyrical. Just east of here. the Georgian splendour of the city begins in earnest. Along from Merrion Row (to which we shall return) is Baggot Street Lower. The shop fronts are real olde worlde shoppe fronties. Doheny and Nesbitt. which promises innocently that it is a ‘Tea and Wine Merchant‘, does in fact house wooden cubicles. wrought-iron tables with marble tops and still more Guinness. Nearby. Fitzwilliam Square is brick Georgian. fine and exclusive.
Back-tracking. we meet a gentleman called The Fiddler in ()‘Donoghue‘s bar. Merrion Row. which has the genuine sawdust part ofthc spit on its floors. It is packed and covered wall-to-wall with photos ofThe Dubliners. The Fiddler has his fiddle on his knee and has clearly kissed too many blarney stones. He talks on and we are transfixed.
oldest, the Brazen Head. Board can pm'vide you mm :bgLsyllgggggflLtrgous i a restaurantguide which useful ' includes a range of prices. ' ' \ gagzzgéffgég2‘25 05" i Asklocalslorthe hottest db . ' I ti s. DU '8 8 Y c?'°"d'5h “0W3”! 0m" I IpALL-N|OHT smesouss the Irish TouristBoard.
, ' s ontaneousl . but man | LAND has a section on IJOYCE SMARTELLO I pflbsprovide zigmly y Dublin. including history. TOWER MUSEUM are a ; musical accompaniment as CUllUle and IlOliIlCS D'USlhe DART "am 5 "dc away at l a matter of course. usual. Published by Harrap Sandycove. Open Mon-Sat I I no,” FORGET“) buy Columbus 8,2935. mam'w"! and 24pm 3"" - your duty-tree Cork gin and I A NEW CITY GUIDE TO “0'5"” '" "'9 “mm” ' irish Whiskey atDuinn DUBLIN is due out on 19 seam"- airport belore you leave! "37- ll DIOMISBS hard- !"I5 "AT'ON‘IL MUSEUM I PASSPORTS are not hiltingtext. with lull Klldal'e. Street. IS necessary, bl" you be infofmation on history, Wescmmg 000m“ asked lorsomelorm ol pubs. writers. parks. WWW" "‘8 “I'm' identilication at the airport. horse-racing. eccentrics cenlunes- I set AN A-Z streetgulde and more besides.
ITHE VIKING ADVENTURE to Dublin. The standard city Published by Harrell oneol the many Millennium “We map does,“ show 3 Columbus ar £3.50. exhibitions not to be outskmsand ha“ .THE BLUE GUIDE") missed. “m "We . disarming habltolmissing i IRELAND published by “339mm.” 3‘ Audoe" 3 street names where most Slat?" & Nomi at £9.95 Church. High Street. Open immous pubs lurk. covers Dublin r00. 10am-5pm daily. the Viking IPHOENix PARK, towest . ITHE LET'S GO BUDGET Adventure will give you olthe city otters more ; GUIDES to Britain and thrills. spills and smells! greenery. Carriage rides : Ireland and the one on
I CAR HIREis an easy and the zoo aretg he had I Eurtilp: b'ollh coptztl'inat m business. The normal GB here. W93 0 "0W 8 98 0r 8 licence willdo. Uselultor i IOHEOK allopeningtimes l purse-watchingtraveller. At getting outsidethe city. carelully, ; £9.95 and £10.95.
From £15 per day plus I DAY TOURS by bus out at IBSDBCIIVBIV- Publlshed DY petrol (expensive). the city will give youa l Harrap Columbus.
I GETTING AROUND IN change at scene. Bus l I IRISH COUNTRY INNS DUBLIN is easiest by bus or . Eireann gr Gray Line do 9 AND COTTAGES at£5.95 on tool. The AIRPORT is some good ones. ' plots itineraries and
seven miles from the city I DUBLIN THE WRITER'S I sight-seems tours. some at centre and a regular bus CITY literary testlval 13.26 which incorporate Dublin. service provides the June. 5 Published on 26 May by cheapest lorrn oltransport. I THE MILLENNIUM l Harrap Columbus. it
I EATING OUT IN DUBLIN is BIRTHDAY PARTY takes all 3 suggests places to stay at as various as anywhere on 9th and 10th July, various prices.
else. The Irish Tourist l Celebrate withacamlyal, i IMGUIDETO DUBLIN.
62 The List 13 — 26 May 1988