Dublin, Day One

Or Guinness is better (read drinkable) here...

After a mad dash to Southampton Airport last night for a flight to Dublin, today was my first full day in the city. We started with Tamsin making a lovely bacon and roast tomato sandwich before jumping on a bus and heading into the centre of the city.

First stop was O'Connell Street which is where the post office is, the central site of the 1916 Easter Uprising. It is still a functioning post office, but you can see bullet holes in the wall from the conflict! Just outside is the Millennium Spire, also know as the Stiletto in the Ghetto, a bloody huge needle built for the millennium. Tamsin and I then walked up to the famine memorial, commemorating the great potato famines in the mid 1800's. We walked back towards the city and up to St Stephens Green via the Molly Malone statue. The green was a lovely place in the centre of the city and was full of people (most likely tourists) enjoying the sun.

Tamsin then tried to take me on a tour of Georgian Dublin and the state buildings. But she got a little lost. We did eventually see everything she wanted to show me, but it was a roundabout way! Now it was time for lunch and a freshly made burger at Eddie Rockets.

Following this we did a mad dash through temple bar and jumped on a bus to head to Kilmainham Gaol. The Gaol was operational for most of the time the British ran the show and was where most of the Irish revolutionaries were imprisoned (and most likely executed). It was an eerie place, needless to say being in Gaol in the 19th century would not have been much fun!

We then walked back to Tamsin's place through Phoenix Park. A huge park just outside the central city. This is where the American Embassy and the President's House is, but it also has heaps of sports ovals and deer running around.

After a quick change we headed back into the city to catch up with someone I used to work with in Wollongong. Kirsteen had been working in Ireland for the last six months, and it was good to see her. We hit a couple of the pubs in the city and had a nice dinner at a Japanese noodle house. We then headed back out to Tamsin's where we were going to go to the pub across the road from her house to watch (and most likely participate in our current state) in some di-di-di-do-ing. But the pub was closed so it was a no go!



The Liffey



The Liffey and Guinness



The Famine Memorial



Customs House



Lending a helping hand....



Molly Malone (who has the treasure chest of Ireland apparently)



Georgian Doors.



Georgian Houses



More Houses



Inside the old part of the Gaol.



The exercising yards.



The Victorian part of the prison.