# Questions about Dublin, Ireland



## suzanne (Mar 16, 2017)

My brother and his wife want to go to Ireland next year and asked if I could get them a timeshare week in or near Dublin. They have never been out of the USA other than a 5 day Caribbean cruise.

Questions are: They have passports, do they need visa's and if so where and when do they get them? They plan to rent a car to see more of the country. Do they need an International Drivers License? And last is money, are dollars accepted everywhere or do they need to exchange to whatever type of currency is used there, if so what is the currency? When is the best time of year for traveling there weather wise?

Suzanne


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## beejaybeeohio (Mar 16, 2017)

It may be difficult to get a timeshare week in or near Dublin or anywhere in Ireland! 

No visa needed, euro is the currency, driving is on the left but we've never gotten an Int'l license for Ireland, and weather is unpredictable from spring to fall (could be rainy, sunny, cool or warm), but winter would probably be the worst time to visit weather-wise.


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## PStreet1 (Mar 16, 2017)

Bear in mind that when driving anywhere, double the time you think it will take from looking at the map and figuring based on what you know of driving in the U.S.


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## PStreet1 (Mar 16, 2017)

Forgot to say that the best rate of exchange is going to be using a bank ATM and withdrawing Euros.  They will need a little bit to get them started (dollars are accepted no where), so either pay the high rate of exchange for a relatively small amount at the airport and plan on getting more when they see a bank ATM or get some before leaving--their bank will secure it for them, but the rate won't be as good as at the ATM's in Ireland.

Be sure the credit card(s) you take don't have a foreign exchange charge.


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## geist1223 (Mar 16, 2017)

Try the Fitzpatrick Family Castle in Dalke, suburb of Dublin. You take the Light Rail into Dublin. Also they can try self-catering cottages. They are easy to find online. Several years ago we spent a week in a self-catering cottage on the very Western tip of the Ring of Kerry (flew into Shannon) and then a week at the Fitzpatrick Family Castle and flew out of Dublin.


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## silentg (Mar 16, 2017)

We own a timeshare at Fitzpatrick's Castle, our favorite place. They have weeks for rent and for sale. Go to www.fitzpatrickscastleholidayhomes. For more info.


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## Jimster (Mar 17, 2017)

If you end up at Fitzpatrick's castle, 1.  Park your car for trips to Dublin and take the light rail- this is the best way to get around.  If you are going to other sites use the car but learn how to naviagate a round about BEFORE. You leave- remembering it will be driving from the left side.   2.  When i was there the woman at check in asked if we wanted to pay in euros or dollars.  She did this very quickly which irritated me.  Choose Euros because you never know what their exchange rate will be.  Frankly, I think it was not very good.
For a rental car choose a local vendor not Hertz or Avis or something.  You will get a better price.   I am not sure if this has changed but it used to be that your CC insurance was of little or no help in Ireland.  They required you to buy insurance.   Someone else on here can probably tell you.


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## Conan (Mar 17, 2017)

Jimster said:


> If you end up at Fitzpatrick's castle...
> *Frankly, I think it was not very good.*
> For a rental car choose a local vendor not Hertz or Avis or something.  You will get a better price.   I am not sure if this has changed but it used to be that your CC insurance was of little or no help in Ireland.



Please tell me what you didn't care for about Fitzpatrick Castle.  We have a week planned for this Fall in a two-bedroom unit, and we've invited another couple who aren't accustomed to timeshares.

As to the rental car, I previously looked into the coverage question.  Oddly almost every credit card brand has Ireland on their short list of places where they offer no coverage, but there does appear to be coverage if you use a Chase Freedom card.


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## GrayFal (Mar 17, 2017)

Conan said:


> Please tell me what you didn't care for about Fitzpatrick Castle.  We have a week planned for this Fall in a two-bedroom unit, and we've invited another couple who aren't accustomed to timeshares.
> 
> As to the rental car, I previously looked into the coverage question.  Oddly almost every credit card brand has Ireland on their short list of places where they offer no coverage, but there does appear to be coverage if you use a Chase Freedom card.


You misunderstood his post.   Fitzpatricks Castle is great.  Pay in euro and let your CC convert the charge.


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## Jimster (Mar 17, 2017)

GrayFal said:


> You misunderstood his post.   Fitzpatricks Castle is great.  Pay in euro and let your CC convert the charge.



Exactly!


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## suzanne (Mar 17, 2017)

Thank you all so much. I will print off all of your tips and give them to him. Then see if he still wants to go. Not sure why  he wants to go to Ireland but will try to help him if I can.
Suzanne


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## silentg (Mar 17, 2017)

Fitzpatrick Castle is excellent Jimster was talking about exchange rate of currentcy. We have stayed twice at FCHH and never rented a car. The public transportation is so convenient. There is a bus from the airport that goes right to the hotel's front door. They also offer a tour to the Wicklow Mountains that we  enjoyed and the city bus runs right outside the gate. Only need a car if you are going off to other areas to explore on your own. There are tours available in Dublin and you can take the train in Daley to get to Dublin.
Silentg


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## Timeshare Von (Mar 18, 2017)

I'm a little late to this thread.  We did 2 wks in Ireland back in 2012 and LOVED it.  We did a timeshare cottage near Connemera for the second week (the first week was a hodge podge of cottages & castles).   Please be sure you understand the car rental insurance situation if renting a car (which we felt is essential to see and enjoy everything to explore in Ireland).

Most car rental companies WILL NOT accept your credit card coverage . . . or more precisely most credit cards have exclusions specific to Ireland (and other countries that drive on the left side of the road).  There are some credit cards (World Card Master Card through Capital One is one such card) that will provide you with an insurance letter for use with the rental car company.  Without it, however, the rental car company will make you buy their expensive coverage . . . and Capital One will deny coverage if you do have an incident.

Like I said, very important to understand the ins & outs of car rental and the insurance there.  Trip Advisor is full of people who feel they got scammed, mostly because they didn't read or understand the terms of the rental when they booked and/or prepaid.


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## Timeshare Von (Mar 18, 2017)

A couple of the Trip Advisor threads I contributed to back in 2012 on car rentals in Ireland https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...About_Thrifty_Car_Rental_Ireland-Ireland.html and https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...tercard_CDW_and_Thrifty-Ireland.html#40668303 .


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## Ken555 (Mar 18, 2017)

Timeshare Von said:


> Most car rental companies WILL NOT accept your credit card coverage . . . or more precisely most credit cards have exclusions specific to Ireland (and other countries that drive on the left side of the road).



It's not the side of the road that matters, since for example the U.K. and Cayman Islands are covered and Italy and Israel drive on the right side of the road. For instance, these are the countries excluded from coverage by American Express:



> Coverage is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Timeshare Von (Mar 20, 2017)

Ken555 said:


> It's not the side of the road that matters, since for example the U.K. and Cayman Islands are covered and Italy and Israel drive on the right side of the road. For instance, these are the countries excluded from coverage by American Express:  Coverage is not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand.  Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



I didn't mean to imply ALL countries where they drive on the opposite side of the road as the USA are excluded.  I will say that the Capital One World MC coverage included (back in 2012) only countries such as Ireland, Kenya, India and Australia as provisionally covered.  We have never had insurance issues in England or Scotland, as an example.


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## Conan (Mar 25, 2017)

Jimster said:


> For a rental car choose a local vendor not Hertz or Avis or something.  You will get a better price.   I am not sure if this has changed but it used to be that your CC insurance was of little or no help in Ireland.  They required you to buy insurance.   Someone else on here can probably tell you.



This story from another thread may explain why Ireland is on most credit cards' no-coverage list.



Sandy VDH said:


> As a 25 year old I went backpacking solo across Europe.  Didn't see many other single female solo travelers.  Enjoyed it so much went back the next summer and did the England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.  Again solo.
> 
> Had a little run in with a farmer and his tractor, his friend who drove into my car, and their Garda buddy.  My spidy senses were up when the first question they asked me after "Are you hurt" was "Do you have any Money".  I lied and said 20 punts, which was all that was in my wallet.  I had a money belt with more cash.  The next question was "Can you call someone to get some", I said I could call the Canadian Consulate.  They put a quick NO NO NO. To that idea.  They were speaking English until I walked up to them and they started speaking Gaelic amongst themselves.  They were hatching a plot.
> 
> End result was I got charged with dangerous driving, they claimed I was on the wrong side of the road. I was not, I was going around a tractor parked on the side of the narrow road, with a hairpin turn just beyond it.  Farmer moved the tractor, guy claimed I was on the wrong side of the road.  Whatever.  They knew I was leaving the country the next day to go to Scotland.  So I posted my 20 punts bail and left.  I'm sure they tore up the paperwork and went to the pub. Never heard a word again.  Not long after that AMEX stopped providing CDW in Ireland. Makes for a good ""the time I went to jail"" story.


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## Sandy VDH (Mar 25, 2017)

Yeah that was my story...... you know when you are asked "Do you have any money" right after a car hits you, you should just shut up and not give anything away.

I drive in the UK, with stick even, all the time.  It is not driving on the other side of the road that is the issue.  Trust me. 

I think the whole thing was a setup and a shake down.  It was a rural area but a path frequented by tourists who are leaving Ring of Kerry and traveling towards Cork, which is what I was doing. Very very narrow roads, hedgerows with little visibility ahead, a hairpin turn ahead, and a tractor conveniently parked on the side of the road.  Like getting around a tractor is not going to put anyone in the other lane in rural Ireland.   I was traveling alone, I was female, I had a rental (darn stickers right on the car is advertising that fact), in this case the car was even an automatic so that was not something to content with.  I was going slow, driver coming around the corner was going slow, it was a 270 turn nearly.  But he just didn't stop.  The accident was somewhat trival, but there was damage to the rental car.  Heck the other driver HIT ME.  Yet I was charged.

AMEX still covered Ireland back then, so I was covered, but no longer.  And that may be part of the reason that cards do not cover vehicles in the Ireland anymore.


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## isisdave (May 11, 2017)

I just rented a car at Cork yesterday. The agent (at Budget) couldn't explain the unwillingness of credit card insurance to cover Ireland, but he did mention that in years past, when there was a claim, the card company would pay THEM, and now they pay the renter, who must cover the charge until the investigation is resolved.

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred (not Reserve) which specifically covers Ireland, and a letter to show this, but he didn't care to see it. He just put a €5000 hold on the card and we were on our way.

Currently, car rental in Ireland is insanely cheap ... like $199 for 19 days, with dropoff in different city. But the mid-level CDW was €15 a day and the complete cover was 20 or 25, I forget. I'm guessing that most tourists will buy this, and as it brings in over 7000 euros a year, is nearly pure profit.

Someone introduce me to https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/ which covers the "super-excess" insurance at a low annual fee. Anyone needing to buy cover in Ireland might contemplate this, but you need to understand the system, as this is not "complete" cover, just the last part of it.


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## RIMike (Jun 15, 2017)

Are there other timeshares in Ireland you would consider staying in?


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## RIMike (Jun 15, 2017)

silentg said:


> Fitzpatrick Castle is excellent Jimster was talking about exchange rate of currentcy. We have stayed twice at FCHH and never rented a car. The public transportation is so convenient. There is a bus from the airport that goes right to the hotel's front door. They also offer a tour to the Wicklow Mountains that we  enjoyed and the city bus runs right outside the gate. Only need a car if you are going off to other areas to explore on your own. There are tours available in Dublin and you can take the train in Daley to get to Dublin.
> Silentg



Are there other timeshares you would consider when planning a trip to Ireland?


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## silentg (Jun 16, 2017)

We haven't stayed in any other timeshare in Ireland. We may look into staying in others, but we own the week at Fitzpatrick's Castle.
Silentg


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## dsmrp (Dec 11, 2017)

We're going to stay at Fitzpatrick Castle (Holiday Homes) timeshare in May, and would like to rent a car during our time to go visit sites to the south, such as Glendalough, Castle Cahir etc.  Also we're arriving in the early evening, and rather than wait for a bus (once an hour) would rather drive to timeshare.

We have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and it provides primary CDW and theft coverage in Ireland (I called and checked), so I'd like to use that instead of buying the rental agency's coverage. I've been reading the terms & conditions of various big car rental companies located at Dublin airport, and FlyerTalk, and a scant few other online reviews.  So far Fox car rental, Thrifty and maybe Enterprise looks to be do-able for opting out of their CDW coverage, altho' I read some negative reviews about Thrifty.  A FlyerTalk thread recommended a couple of Irish based companies, Dooley's and Conn's Ireland Car (formerly Easy Tour Ireland) rental, but they both include CDW and other super coverages in their rates.  They were also bought out by the big guys.

DH is very comfortable driving a manual stick, and has driven on the left a few times in Grand Cayman, Bahamas and Virgin Islands.
He's also driven in Crete (on right side) with their crazy drivers.  It's the irregular curbs, narrow lanes and odd rocks on Irish roads that I'm worried about.  We have a friend who grew up in a smaller Irish city, and goes back every couple years.  She says the highways and other main thoroughfares have gotten much, much better.  But we realize it will take 2x-3x as long to drive anywhere away from Dublin. Planning on taking transit in/out of Dublin.

I still feel hesitant due to possible after rental charges for minute damages.  Can any of you share which car rental companies you used in Dublin or Ireland?  and if you would rent from them again? 

Thanks in advance!


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## geist1223 (Dec 11, 2017)

We stayed at Fitzpatrick Family Castle Timeshare several years ago. Patti and I believed we rented through Hertz. It was the man at Hertz that told us we did not need the Insurance as it was covered by our Credit Card. We actually flew into Shannon and out of Dublin. We used the Light Rail to get into Dublin. It is a healthy walk from the Resort to the Station. Worse going back uphill from the Station to the Resort at the end of the day. So a couple times we drove to the Station. We drove to Waterford one day. We also drove to Avoca - weaving. There use to be a nice Wicklow Tour that picked you up at Fitzpatrick. The real current Jameson Distillery is now in Cork. There is a small Tourist Jameson Distillery in Dublin. Also it was worth it to visit Guiness. If you like a large lunch find a Pub in Dublin that has a Carvery and order the "whole smear." We remember our first Restaurant Dinner in Ireland. I ordered Beef and Patti ordered Duck. When my dinner came it came with potatoes 3 different ways, cooked carrots, and  other cooked vegetables. We thought all the side dishes were for us share. But when they brought Patti her Duck it came with potatoes 3 different ways, etc, etc.

There is a Toll to and from the Airport. The Front Desk called the Toll Office and paid our Toll over the phone. There use to be an office at the Airport to go and pay your Toll upon your Departure. One of the greatest things about flying out of Dublin is that you clear US Passport and Customs in the Dublin Airport. So you get to skip in when you land back in the USA.


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## Conan (Dec 12, 2017)

dsmrp said:


> Can any of you share which car rental companies you used in Dublin or Ireland?  and if you would rent from them again?


We used Hertz at Dublin Airport for a 7-day rental for our stay at Fitzpatrick Castle this past October. The reservation confirmation said "Amount to be paid at time of rent 137.87 EUR" (we reserved a Volkwager Passat class wagon and I considered this a good rate). The airport process was easy, and they gave us a free upgrade to a very nice Audi, I believe an A4.

When we picked up the car we noticed some minor scratches on a fender and I went back to the desk to report them. They told me not to worry, they already knew about them. Also they emailed me a set of pictures (I don't know if they would have done this had I not gone back to the desk) showing the car photographed from all sides with the scratches highlighted.




The only peculiarity is that at the counter I was required to pay 165.72 EUR. The explanation they gave was there's an additional 30 euro charge "insurance admin fee" for REFUSING the optional insurance coverage. I said that wasn't in my contract but the agent said "it's in the fine print." After getting home I emailed Hertz Customer Care and to my surprise they refused to refund the extra 30 euro.

Until recently only Chase credit cards covered Ireland, but I think American Express now covers there as well.

Driving in Ireland wasn't bad at all. Generally there's an expressway that gets you near where you're headed, and even the final legs on local roads are not as narrow as we've experienced in England. To drive on the left you do need to learn that the center line is always on your right. So a left turn is to the near lane, and a right turn is to the far lane (again keeping the center line on your right). That just leaves the rotaries/roundabouts, which are everywhere, and after the first dozen or so you learn when to yield and when to proceed.


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## Talent312 (Dec 12, 2017)

Conan said:


> Please tell me what you didn't care for about Fitzpatrick Castle.



What I think he meant: The exchange rate was not very good... at the facility.

We rented a car in London at Gatwick (no IDL), took a ferry, looped around Ireland & a ferry back.
Our Irish Highlights: Waterford Crystal Factory, Killarny Nat'l. Park, Cliffs of Moher, Galway and Dublin.
There's a decent HO/HO bus in Dublin (but I dozed thru, after too much beer).

.


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## Laurie (Dec 12, 2017)

dsmrp said:


> I still feel hesitant due to possible after rental charges for minute damages.  Can any of you share which car rental companies you used in Dublin or Ireland?  and if you would rent from them again?


We used EuropCar through AutoEurope during out stay at Fitzpatrick, and no, I wouldn't use EuropCar in Dublin again.


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## Conan (Dec 12, 2017)

Talent312 said:


> What I think he meant: The exchange rate was not very good....



Yes, and now that we're back from Fitzpatrick Castle I can agree it's a great place to stay. The lovely town of Dalkey is a 30 minute walk (uphill coming back) or 5 minute drive away, and the light rail from Dalkey gets you to Dublin. Also don't miss the walk up Killiney Hiil, less than a kilometer and wonderful views.

We spent two days in Dublin (National Museum, National Gallery, Book of Kells, and, because everybody does it, the Guiness Brewery).

We drove out on other days to:

Powerscourt Gardens  17 km south via M11 (wonderful) http://powerscourt.com/gardens
Wicklow National Park 40 km south via M11, N11, R755 (easy scenic hiking)
Kilkenny Castle 140 km southwest via M9 (closed when we got there but an interesting city)
Rock of Cashel 200 km southwest via M9 (don't miss!) https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/cashel/attractions/rock-of-cashel/a/poi-sig/491650/359751
Newgrange 65 km north via M1 (spectacular) http://www.newgrange.com/
Trim Castle 70 km northwest via M50 (well-done guided tour) http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/trim-castle.html


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## dsmrp (Dec 12, 2017)

Conan said:


> We used Hertz at Dublin Airport for a 7-day rental for our stay at Fitzpatrick Castle this past October. The reservation confirmation said "Amount to be paid at time of rent 137.87 EUR" (we reserved a Volkwager Passat class wagon and I considered this a good rate). The airport process was easy, and they gave us a free upgrade to a very nice Audi, I believe an A4.
> ...
> The only peculiarity is that at the counter I was required to pay 165.72 EUR. The explanation they gave was there's an additional 30 euro charge "insurance admin fee" for REFUSING the optional insurance coverage. I said that wasn't in my contract but the agent said "it's in the fine print." After getting home I emailed Hertz Customer Care and to my surprise they refused to refund the extra 30 euro.
> 
> ...



Thank you ALL very much for your replies.
I will check out Hertz's rates and terms; I think I looked at them briefly.

I have seen in the terms of other companies a 25-30 EUR 'administrative fee' for putting a 3000-5000 EUR hold on your credit card when you opt out of their CDW coverage.  That's utterly ridiculous to charge you for making a charge that only benefits them!!! 
Just another means of pure profit because they're not getting it otherwise   Oh well, I'd rather pay 30 EUR and have my CC cover with higher limits $75K and no deductible.

Fortunately DH is used to rotaries having grown up in New England.  But in US they're going counter-clockwise, and with left side driving in UK the rotaries will be clockwise.  Should be fine tho', at least the drivers there know how rotaries work, unlike some west coast drivers we've encountered...

Our Irish friend also told us about the Heritage Ireland site:  _http://www.heritageireland.ie_
which is useful for identifying areas & places we might be most interested in.
She also gave us a list of Dublin area recommendations, which I'll post later when I get home.


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## dsmrp (Dec 21, 2017)

Here are my Irish friend's recommendations of Dublin area things to do.  I'm sure most are listed in the guide books:

"Things to do/see in Dublin in no particular order. Dublin is divided by the River Liffey that runs west to east into the Irish Sea.  Dubliners refer to themselves as Northsiders or Southsiders depending on what side of the Liffey they hail from. Traditionally the South side was where the more wealthy folks lived but that has changed a bit over the years."

Guinness Brewery http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/Index.aspx
~excellent self guided tour, free pint, and great view of the city from the top

Kilmainhan Gaol http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/kilmainhamgaol/
~interesting insight into Ireland’s history and war of independence, this jail has also been used in several prison movies including the original Italian Job!

Garden of Remembrance http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Dublin/GardenofRemembrance/
~my favorite garden in Dublin, I always stop by there, beautiful sculpture of the Children of Lir

Trinity College http://www.heritageisland.com/attractions/trinity-college-library-dublin/  and http://www.tcd.ie/
~beautiful campus to stroll around, the Book of Kells is on view here, The Buttery was a really cool campus bar with some food, but I was disappointed to see it had been remodeled into a restaurant and lost its old world feel.

The Brazen Head http://www.brazenhead.com/index.php
~oldest pub in Dublin dating back to 1198! Good pub food, live music, always an interesting people watching spot.

Temple Bar http://www.visit-templebar.com/
~fun part of the city, great music, shops, restaurants & bars. Just off the quays, one of the older parts of the city. There’s always something happening here. In college I used to frequent the second-hand clothes shops here. Walk down Crown Alley towards the river and you end up at the Ha’penny Bridge.


Ha’penny Bridge http://archiseek.com/2010/1816-hapenny-bridge-dublin/#.UDKHYqmPVas
~my favorite bridge in Dublin (we have a lot of bridges). This one is a foot bridge and is always full of people. The video for Thin Lizzy’s song ‘Old Town’ had Phil Lynott singing on this bridge.


Grafton Street http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafton_Street
~pedestrian-only street on the south side, between Trinity & St. Stephen’s Green, funs shops and cafes, always plenty of buskers (street musicians), Glen Hansard, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Damien Rice started out on this street!


St. Stephens Green http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Stephen's_Green
~ Pretty park in the city, always a great meeting place on the south side. On the north side we would always say… meet you in front of the GPO (General Post office)


General Post Office (GPO) http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/History+and+Heritage/History/GPO+Dublin/
~built back in the 1800s, this is still a working post office and a really cool building with quite a history. It was partially destroyed during the 1916 Rising (war for independence) and you can actually see some of the bullet holes in the huge columns outside.


National Museum of Ireland http://www.museum.ie/en/homepage.aspx
~in particular the Decorative Arts & History building http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/arts-and-history.aspx  Great history of the country, beautiful artifacts.


Jameson Distillery Tour https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/us/visit-us
~the Old distillery is in Dublin and is a fun tour.


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## GrayFal (Dec 21, 2017)

dsmrp said:


> Here are my Irish friend's recommendations of Dublin area things to do.  I'm sure most are listed in the guide books:
> 
> "Things to do/see in Dublin in no particular order. Dublin is divided by the River Liffey that runs west to east into the Irish Sea.  Dubliners refer to themselves as Northsiders or Southsiders depending on what side of the Liffey they hail from. Traditionally the South side was where the more wealthy folks lived but that has changed a bit over the years."
> 
> ...


This is a wonderful list of things to do  
All I would add is a day Tour to the Passage Tombs, a World Heritage site.  http://www.knowth.com/ http://www.newgrange.com/
Just fascinating.  You go to both sites from one visitors center.
And a half day trip to the Wicklow Mountains.


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## Glynda (Dec 21, 2017)

dsmrp said:


> Here are my Irish friend's recommendations of Dublin area things to do.  I'm sure most are listed in the guide books:



Thanks! That's a great list. We are going back to Dublin in August and it will come in handy. It's been quite a while since we were there. 

I wonder if pickpocketing is still a problem on Grafton Street. That is the only place in the world we've traveled to that we were aware of a pickpocketing attempt. Five little Gypsy girls circled around my husband, one sticking a newspaper in front of his face while others tried to get their hands in his pockets. One almost succeeded but he spun around which pulled her hand away and they ran.


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## GrayFal (Dec 21, 2017)

Glynda said:


> Thanks! That's a great list. We are going back to Dublin in August and it will come in handy. It's been quite a while since we were there.
> 
> I wonder if pickpocketing is still a problem on Grafton Street. That is the only place in the world we've traveled to that we were aware of a pickpocketing attempt. Five little Gypsy girls circled around my husband, one sticking a newspaper in front of his face while others tried to get their hands in his pockets. One almost succeeded but he spun around which pulled her hand away and they ran.


I was there in October and did not see evidence of “groups” as you describe as we have seen in the past. I make DH carry his wallet in his front pocket when traveling and I always use a zippered cross body bag. Sadly petty theives are a part of most tourist destinations.   We had a great time!


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## Glynda (Dec 21, 2017)

GrayFal said:


> I was there in October and did not see evidence of “groups” as you describe as we have seen in the past. I make DH carry his wallet in his front pocket when traveling and I always use a zippered cross body bag. Sadly petty theives are a part of most tourist destinations.   We had a great time!



I read pickpocketing warnings for many places we travel but this was the only actual experience we've had (that we were aware of anyway).  Since then, hubby wears a money belt under his shirt.


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