Traveling to Eire

[MikShau]

Hi,

I'm heading over to Ireland June 28.

2 nights in Dublin (Smithfield, next to the Jameson Distilery)
7 nights in a cottage ( friend of my sisters) on Lough Melvin ( between Sligo and Donegal.
2 nights in Ashbury ( north of Dublin )
sorry, meant Ashbourne.

Any sugestions other than the Guiness Storehouse? ( and Jameson, of course)?

[steveh]

If nothing else, enjoy a pint at the Brazen Head, Long Hall, and the Porter House...among other fine pubs in Dublin.

S.

[MikShau]

Brazen Head was on my list already. From what I've read, there's been people drinking there for the last 900 years or so.

[M.K. Jeeves]

Take the LUAS in Dublin it is their light rail system, easy to use and will save you some $$ in tranportation costs. As I remember the Guinness brewery ( Heuston station) and Smithfield are on the same line. Wish I was there.

[noby]

Guildofevil is our resident Dubliner, so he'll probably point you in the right directions. Just last weekend I enjoyed a few pints of Galway Hooker with him in the Bull and Castle, a new pub with a good beer selection, just across the road from Christchurch.

Donegal is at the opposite end of the country to me so I won't be much help there. A cottage on the lough sounds lovely though. A really nice part of the country.

[De Hooter]

Actually my suggestion has to do with travelling within Ireland, rather than which pubs to hit.

If at all possible use the train to get across Ireland. While I am fully aware of how close Sligo and Dublin appear to be, and admittedly the motorways between them are actually quite nice, for Ireland, sitting back on the train with a few beers is just a lot more enjoyable.

BTW, if you are not familiar with driving on the Emerald Isle, they really do not have what we would consider and interstate, except for a few miles around Dublin. The left side of the road thing never botheres me, but the tertiary roads get kind of narrow, and whatever you do, avoid the cities at rush hour. One of the scariest experiences I have had was in downtown Cork, rush hour, after dark, in the rain trying to navigate the roundabouts.

Anyway, have fun, I wish I was heading back in the forseeable future.

[MeridianFC]

Porterhouse, Porterhouse, Porterhouse.

Mulligan's of Poolbeg Street for the supposedly best pint of Plain in the land.

[steveh]

Originally posted by MeridianFC
Mulligan's of Poolbeg Street for the supposedly best pint of Plain in the land.

If nothing else, it's worth experiencing for the atmosphere - a step back in time, though I couldn't say it was the best pint.

S.

[noby]

There may be a step back in time in a few places up by Lough Melvin too, and I don't mean that in a condescending way. Some good fishing there too, if that's your thing.
The lake straddles the border, so you won't be far from Fermanagh. A day trip to the North might find you a broader selection of beers, including some cask ales.

[steveh]

Originally posted by noby
and I don't mean that in a condescending way.

Hope you didn't take my assessment of Mulligan's as such either, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. In fact, there wasn't a spot in Dublin I didn't enjoy -- including the pub Widow Scallon!

Another fine pub is Chief O'Neill's near Trinity College (knowing that there are a couple others). 2 pubs in one and quite cozy.

S.

[noby]

Originally posted by steveh
Hope you didn't take my assessment of Mulligan's as such either

Not at all. I just didn't want to sound like:
"sure once you go outside the pale everything takes a step back in time anyway" [/Dublin accent]

[guildofevil]

You will find the LUAS quite convenient for you. Smithfield is on the line that goes from Connelly Station, through the city centre, then Smithfield, Heuston station and ultimately out to Tallaght.

The Bull and Castle and the Porterhouse are both a short walk away, on the other side of the Liffey and both have their charms.

If you want really close to Smithfield, walk down to the LUAS lines, turn right and walk for about 50 yards. You will find a pub called the dice bar, with a friendly atmosphere and reasonable selection of imports.

There is also an observation tower on top of an old chimney, commanding great views of the city.

[Quarkstorm]

Originally posted by De Hooter
BTW, if you are not familiar with driving on the Emerald Isle, they really do not have what we would consider and interstate, except for a few miles around Dublin.

Your information may be a bit out of date they've built a lot of new roads in the South over the past 10 years. Though perhaps not comparable with the US interstate the main roads are fairly good, the back roads are of course as bad as ever.

Originally posted by noby

The lake straddles the border, so you won't be far from Fermanagh. A day trip to the North might find you a broader selection of beers, including some cask ales.

You'll get a few cask conditioned ales at Wetherspoons in Enniskillen, apart from that the western half of Northern Ireland is pretty barren where real ales are concerned. There's a slightly better situation in Belfast. "Robinsons" and the "Kitchen Bar" both stock Ales by the local Whitewater Brewing company. I can strongly reccommend "Clotworthy Dobbin" try if you get the chance even if it's only in bottled form.

If you were to head north of the border Hilden Brewery in Hilden village outside Lisburn is the oldest independent brewery on the island, they own the "Tap Room" in Hilden and "Molly's Yard" in Belfast which is a restaurant selling their ale.
http://www.hildenbrewery.co.uk/index.html

Whitewater would be my prefered brewery it owns the "White Horse Inn" in Saintfield just outside Belfast
http://www.whitewaterbrewing.co.uk/

[De Hooter]

Originally posted by Quarkstorm
Your information may be a bit out of date they've built a lot of new roads in the South over the past 10 years. Though perhaps not comparable with the US interstate the main roads are fairly good, the back roads are of course as bad as ever.



Well, since I haven't been to The Republic in 2 years I am certain that my information is sadly out of date.

I was not disparaging their roads. Heck, with the economic past of the Republic their roads are impressive. However, I was trying to merely give a fellow American a heads up. OTOH I fully admit that there is no need for a US style interstate.

[noby]

I'm not overly familiar with the road from Dublin to Sligo, but I think it's pretty ok. As long as you're in no rush, you'll get where you want to go eventually.

I have friends in Fermanagh, and at times the only reason you know you're crossing the border into the North is that the quality of the road suddenly increases ten-fold.