Some tips

I just want to point out a few places that I particularly like in Dublin, that you may not find highlighted in your guidebook. I  also give some other tips which I hope you find useful.

Get the DART train (see www.dart.ie for timetables) to Howth and/or Dalkey. Howth is a lovely fishing port. Dalkey is a lovely village and again has some nice bars. A small castle. Other worthwhile places to go on the DART  are Dun Laoghaire, Killliney, Bray and Greystones.

Also Malahide. You can visit Malahide Castle there. See
http://www.malahidecastle.com/malahidecastle/default.asp. It is also a very nice little town on the sea.

Try also Herbert Park in Ballsbridge - about two km from city centre - possibly my favourite park in Dublin. Walk around the streets surrounding it too.

Try walking the area around St.Patrick's and Christ Church up towards Guinness Brewery. There are some very nice churches, a great atmosphere and history. Be careful where you go though as it not all nice and may not be the safest at times, particularly at night. Nothing too bad but just be careful.

If the weather is nice, you should definitely try to get to Glendalough or Powescourt Estate in Enniskerry. These should be in your guidebook.

If you like museums, try the National Gallery, Hugh Lane Gallery, Chester Beatty Museum - all in the city centre.

Of the places in the Guidebook, I highly recommend Trinity College, Merrion Square  and Stephen's Green. Try a stroll also along the Grand Canal. Visit the Iveagh Gardens, if you can find them - they are behind the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace.

Go to Temple Bar if you want to meet tourists but do try the Porterhouse pub. Avoid at all costs Temple Bar at weekends unless drunken Stag and Hen Parties are your thing. See Lonely Planet 2008 Guide.

Try a stroll also along the Grand Canal.

One place I can recommend to stay in Dublin is the Number 31. It is pretty expensive but location is great and is very representative of the best of Dublin. See  http://www.number31.ie/welcome.html

Concerning places to eat, it is best to eat your main meal at lunch, it is usually much cheaper. You should be able to get a good main course filling meal for 10 euro. Many of the pubs serve this. Try O'Neills on Suffolk Street, Cafe en Seine on Dawson Street, the Old Stand at the corner of Wicklow St. and Exchequer St. You should try a Fish and Chips takeaway and the best place to try this is Burdock's on Werburgh St. - near Christ Church and St.Patrick's Cathedrals. You may have to ask someone how to find it. Beshoff's have a few branches around the place (including one in Howth) and I recommend them too. At the expensive end of the scale, Roly's Bistro in Ballsbridge (near Herbert Park mentioned above)  is very good and does a very good value lunch. At the top end of the price scale,  L'Ecrivain on Baggot St. is highly recommended. The village of Dalkey (see above) is also reputed for its fine restaurants - most at the expensive if not very expensive end of the scale.

For a good snack and excellent  apple pie and cappuccino, I recommend Brewbakers on South Frederick Street, just off Nassau Street, between Dawson and Kildare Streets.

For getting to and from the airport,  it depends on how many of you there are.  If less than three, I suggest you get the Aircoach which costs 12 euro return per person. See www.aircoach.ie. If three, either Aircoach or taxi. If more than three, taxi. A taxi should cost about 20 to 25 euro each way (for the taxi, for up to four people - maybe a bit more if you have lots of luggage. If you are on a budget, there are cheaper local buses but I do not recommend unless you are already very familiar with Dublin. For further information about public transport to the airport, see http://www.dublinairport.com/to-and-from/by-bus/ 

As for getting around, the City Centre is small enough to walk around. If you want to go further, stick to the DART train as mentioned above. It really is worth taking especially on the southside of the city, just for the journey itself as it is along the coastline with some nice views, spectacular between Dalkey and Bray and then out to Greystones. Busses can be OK but the traffic is bad and they can be slow and the timetables are renowned as the greatest work of fiction. Also, you must have the exact change to buy your ticket on the bus. On the other hand, you can buy tickets in many newsagents, convenience stores (Spar, Centra etc).

As to when to come, well you do not come to Ireland for the weather and no matter when you come, there are no guarantees as regards the weather. Even in the middle of summer, it can be just 15 degrees and raining. If it sunny and over 20 degrees, people start to faint and everybody talks of the heatwave. It does not get very cold but it if often very windy. Given the choice, I would come in April/May or September/October.

Much as I love Dublin, all is not rosy here. Things to be prepared for that it can be dirty with lots of litter, the traffic is very bad. Leave plenty of time for the trip back to the airport.  Also leave plenty of time for getting through airport security etc.  In general, it is safe, perhaps safer than most cities, but there are increasing levels of crime and drug use. Tourists are not normally affected by these but be aware and be careful where you go, particularly at night.

Reluctant as I am to recommend that you leave Dublin, I suggest that if you are coming to Ireland for more than two or three days, you should leave it for some time. Dublin is a very nice city but what makes Ireland special is the beauty of its landscapes and the friendliness of its people. The only problem is that it is difficult to travel in Ireland without a car. I will write a separate blog about where to go, if and when I have time. Quickly though, I would say that everywhere is nice though all around the coast is in general nicer than the interior of the country.

If you do not have use of a car, I recommend taking the bus or train to either Killarney, Westport or Sligo. From these places, you will have to walk, cycle or take local buses to get into the beauty of the countryside. Westport is a nice town, Sligo can be so. The town of Killarney is very touristy and tacky but the landcape around makes up for it all and is easily accessible even without a car. If you do have use of a car, I recommend the same areas and also Connemara in Co.Galway, Donegal, Southwest Cork, Kerry, or the Northern Coast of Antrim.

 I hope to add  some more information and  photos and videos here soon.