First Day and Overall Impressions in Dublin, Ireland

After the crazy adventures and extreme heat of Dubai, I was hoping to relax a little in Dublin. The good news was it was colder but not too cold according to the pilot as he told me we were flying over Wales. I’d like to stop in Wales at some stage, mainly because one of my favorite bands is from there (Lost Prophets). Dean managed to sleep over 4 seats because the plane was pretty empty and I slept over 3 so we didn’t get so jet lagged this time and the time adjustment was slightly less than Melbourne - Dubai was.

It was again 5am in the morning and as we arrived in Dublin I instantly noticed no tall buildings. I remember arriving in Dubai and seeing huge buildings everywhere but Dublin wasn’t like that at all. I later find out that to preserve the way the city looks there are height regulations (fair enough I say). Anyway arriving at the airport was fun for me. I just waved my European passport (thanks Dad for being Irish) and I was on my way. Unfortunately for Maria and Dean they had a few interrogating questions but nothing too drastic. We meet up again at the baggage terminal and I call Clare (my sister for those who don’t know) who has been in Dubbo (Aussie Way of Saying Dublin) for a year now. She sounds different on the phone, not an Irish accent but more of a tinge.

It is 5am in the morning so she’s not overly excited but happy we are here. She tells us to get a shuttle bus to Trinity College (Bram Stroker who wrote Dracula went there and Oscar Wilde another famous writer). We get off the bus and catch a cab to Clare’s place which is not too far away. When we first see Clare she’s very happy to see us and gives Dean, Maria and I a big hug.

Clare has to get ready for work so we leave our bags at her place and start venturing around the city. We get on a double decker tour bus of the city that gives us some history and information on everything. You definately get the impression there’s alot of history here and it’s cool to see the city where my dad and my aunt grew up.

We arrive at the Guinness Store House and I’ve been dying to try Guinness in Dublin or at least Ireland because apparently it’s the best here. We climb up the warehouse stairs floor by floor and it’s a pretty large building for sure. I’d recommend anyone who visits to come take a look and the Guinness does taste good here. I didn’t take my Camera with me unfortunately but my cousin had his Camera phone to take a shot of us drinking Guinness at the top, where there is a view of the city. The weather is overcast so it’s not that lovely outside but Dean seems impressed, he can’t wait to have a few drinks on the town.

After touring around the city, Clare finishes work and we go to a pub called the Bleeding Horse although some clever clown took down a few letters so it read “Bleedin Hor”. It’s my first “real” Irish pub and it’s pretty old too built in 16 something, sorry don’t know the date. I meet some of Clare’s friends from work and Clare is accused of being soft now that I’m in town.

2 Weeks After and I’m Still Here in Dublin

Well two weeks have gone by and alot has happened. Some of the most memorable parts have been hiring a car and driving to Limerick, then on to Cork followed by Kilkenny and back to Dublin. We stopped in Cork for lunch and it was sunny for a change. Cork was really really nice and if you come to Ireland you should visit Cork. I’d say it’s nicer than Dublin in many ways and it’s right next to the ocean. There’s also less “Athletes” or Knackers as Clare calls them here. Basically an Athlete is someone who wears a full Adidas tracksuit and hangs out with their mates in the city causing nothing but trouble (in most cases). They also have their own language it’s not English and it’s not Irish, I really don’t understand them to be honest. I guess there like Bogan’s only Irish / English.

Kilkenny was awesome also, it was really pretty and very old. The Kilkenny castle looked amazing but it was night time so we couldn’t go see it. Since I’ll be living in Dubbo it’s not too far away so I should be able to get there again for a proper sightseeing tour. We drove out to a town 8 miles from Kilkenny where there is a Hostel in a Castle. After much drama trying to find the place we finally did and stayed the night there, which was a unique experience but by no means luxury accommodation. It definitely has the cool factor, if you are into that kind of thing.

Other Drama’s in Dublin

Finding a place to live was a bit of a task to say the least. Mainly because rental property is in such high demand that you have to check online at daft.ie every morning and call all the new listings and view them during the day. If you leave it till later chances are the place is taken. We didn’t have a good experience when we first started looking for a place to live. We saw some absolute shit holes and I started thinking maybe this wasn’t such a great idea living and working here afterall. However perseverance paid off and we finally found a nice place around the suburb or Rathmines. It’s a cool little area with bars and cafe’s, a couple of school’s nearby and shopping district. It’s also very close to the city centre, about 5 - 10 mins walk and the place is in an old Georgian style building with the big red doors. I’ll upload a picture shortly. Rent is definitely expensive and the sooner I pick up work again the better. It costs Maria and I $950 Euro per month for a small apartment.

At least we are no longer in Hostel’s and unsure of where we are going to stay for the night. We also bought some essentials like TV! and stuff to cook with (how exciting I know) but I guess it’s my first place out of home. I’ve been to an interview or two for a job and still looking to see what’s out there. We have decided to head to Croatia before Dean heads back to Australia, I’ll be sure to take plenty of pics.

Filed under: Travel by Gavin Doolan