There are so many beautiful places to visit in Ireland, but if you want night life and a lot of beer, Dublin is a great first city to see. We were hesitant to go on St Patricks day, but it was still a blast even though most of the people we met were American or from Britain. We met more Irishmen in Berlin, than we did in Ireland (more on that in my Berlin post..). We stayed in a very small hotel, there were 2 twin sized beds and 4 grown adults so that was fun. But for the price, we couldn’t beat it!
The Guinness Brewery was super cool! You go through a tour of how the beer is made, the entire process from the grain to the final product. There was an area where you could grab a beer and watch some entertainment, all of the acts were super talented and amazing. At the end there is a shop where they sell merch such as sweaters, shirts, beers, etc. There was also a bar at the end where you could hang out and look out these huge windows over the city. Was pretty spectacular, I would not miss this tour!
“When I die, Dublin will be written in my heart.”
James Joyce
We were later told by some Irish guys that Chicago does a bigger St Patricks day celebration, which I guess I believe, I have been there on St Patty’s day before. The city was full of people, bar hopping and eating great food. Dublin is where I tried my first Espresso Martini and to this day that’s one of my go to drinks. One of the most popular bars in Dublin is the Temple Bar, several floors and all different vibes. We had fun meeting people, and the live band on the first floor played old American rock hits, which was a blast singing out loud!
After the Guinness Tour, we had to do the Jameson Tour as well, because well when in Dublin! I am not a huge fan of hard liquor, but the guys wanted to do the tour and I actually learned a lot about the way it’s made! Our tour guide was the best, and by the end we were all great friends. The tour ended up being just our group of 4 and a couple who was also American, the husband was a marine and they were there on vacation. It was kind of cool because we are all Air Force, so we had some things in common. I ended up trying all of the Jameson flavors, and although it still wont be my drink of choice, I now appreciate it more.