I really love Dublin, honest, but the city needs to get it together when it comes to street signs.

First, my best friend and I quickly learned the signs were made of some type of paper composite and that a heavy rain did away with most of the lettering a long time ago. People have written over them with markers, bless their hearts, but it is a lost cause.

I recently brought this up to my boyfriend who is a native Dubliner and he says things are not like that now, years later. I must have just caught the city at a weird time.

Second, street signs are mounted somewhere on the side of whatever building is closest to the corner. It might be the one on the left, the one on the right, or above a window somewhere. They are often so high up you could not read them even if they still had proper writing.

Third, streets often change names for a block or two and then resume the former like nothing ever happened.

Lastly, no one knows where anything is except the old people. Young people in the coffee shops and stores never knew exactly which street we were all on. Nobody at the park knew where the main entrance was. No one knew which way the bus would run. Bother they could not remember if there is a train or trolley nearby.

Thank goodness for the old people, which were hard to come by in a city where more than 50% of the population is under 25.

With that being said, here are some of the places I have enjoyed most during three separate visits to Dublin.

CLONTARF CASTLE
My best friend and I arrived in Dublin shortly after Devil’s Hour and decided to creep around the Clontarf Castle and its cemetery until we could check into our room.

Staying in a castle was one of the most anticipated aspects of this trip and we were not let down.

In the early 1000s, the Battle of Clontarf took place on these grounds. Later, the castle was built on this property in the 1100s and manned by the Knights Templar.

The Clontarf Castle we see today was not the original. This one was constructed in the early 1800s, and it is said that composer George Frideric Handel was a frequent guest.

From the 1970s through the ’90s, the interior chamber was used as a cabaret and comedy club, and then in 1997 it was remodeled into a hotel.

Once the sun came up, we had breakfast at the adjacent Fahrenheit Restaurant.

Freshly smoked spicy lox over soda bread, rashers (which they call “Wicklow ham”), grilled vegetables, sausages, black and white pudding, poached eggs, smoked cheese, crisp potatoes, fresh squeezed juices, diced fruits and fruit salads, pastries, smoothies, tea, and coffee was all on the breakfast bar.

We met an American couple in the lobby and struck up an acquaintanceship that led to shared cab rides and late night drinks at the Clontarf’s Knights Bar.

To our delight, Clontarf Castle staff plays classical renditions of many gothic favourites from Edward Scissorhands, Dracula, Nightmare Before Christmas, and other spooky films over the sound system.

SAINT PATRICK’S’ CATHEDRAL
The largest and tallest church of Ireland is also its most visited tourist spot, and it was near the top of our list.

Saint Patrick’s was built in the late 1100s and, despite being the most iconic and largest church in Dublin, this cathedral does not serve as the seat of the Archbishop.

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, was Dean of the Cathedral for some time in the 1700s and he is buried near one entrance.

I have no interest in religion but, as you might have guessed it, am drawn to the architecture and vibes of old cathedrals.

Unlike me, Oliver Cromwell was known to have set out to assault the dignity of church members by using this chamber as a stable for his animals when he visited.

Rude.

SAINT STEPHEN’S GREEN
In Dublin’s Garden Square district, St. Stephen’s Green is a gorgeous public park that stretches over 20 acres.

St. Stephen’s has waterfowl ponds, a large rocky plaza for climbing and picnics, gardens, sports fields, and so much more.

I feel a little guilty saying so, but I may love this park more than Wicker Park in Chicago.

Stephen’s Green, as it is more commonly called, has scores of monuments, statues, and an abstract ode to William Butler Yeats.

You can also pay your respects to Edward Delaney’s Famine Memorial.

In the mid 1800s there was a devastating period of death, starvation, and loss in Ireland that most certainly could have been prevented.

You can learn more about this period here:

TRINITY COLLEGE
Dublin has hosted an impressive cast of writers, poets, artists, scientists, and scholars including Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett since it was chartered in 1592.

Visitors always flock to Trinity College to visit the Book of Kells and the Long Room library, the cherry on top of a find-your-own-way literary tour.

Guests are not allowed to have phones or cameras in the Book of Kells room, but it was fascinating.

I particularly liked the Book of Kells display cases that showed the creative methods used to acquire different pigments for colouring the pages, and new writing and drawing styles that were developed.

SPIRE OF DUBLIN
The Spire of Dublin is known locally as “the “Stiffy by the Liffey” and a list of other nicknames, some more vulgar than others.

At nearly 400 feet tall, it holds the title for the world’s tallest free standing item of public art, and you can see it all over the city.

DUBLIN CASTLE
Starting in the year 1204, Dublin Castle was a capstone for courts of law, military bases, secret service quarters, and it was the seat of British parliament until the early 1920s.

After the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Irish War of Independence, the Dublin Castle was given over to Michael Collins and affiliated government officials.

This marked the end of British rule in Ireland and the start of the new Republic of Ireland.

Every Irish President has been inaugurated here since 1938, and dozens of celebrities and politicians have been hosted in the castle including Charles Dickens, JFK, Princess Grace, Nelson Mandela, Benjamin Franklin, and Queen Elizabeth II.

Bram Stoker, of all people, worked at Dublin Castle from 1866 until 1878.

I am trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he could have been brewing up his famous Dracula story while on the grind inside the castle. Turns out he wasn’t some untouchable and mysterious icon his entire life, he had a government job

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
This Viking-era Christ Church Cathedral was first made of wood in the year 1030 before King Strongbow, who is believed to be buried within its walls, and his men rebuild it out of stone.

We heard a wild story that the actual heart of Archbishop Laurence O’Toole was kept here for over 830 years after his death, until 2012 when a thief somehow swiped it from an enclosed case behind iron bars.

It was eventually found undamaged in the nearby Phoenix Park, but wtf?

The cathedral holds some rather odd effigies, brutal artifacts, and mummified remains, but that is the kind of stuff we’re here for.

LEINSTER HOUSE
Leinster House is the seat of Irish Parliament and The Oireachtas, the only governing body in Ireland that has the authority to create and change the country’s laws.

It is open to the public certain days and hours each week, but valid ID is required and reservations in advance would be wise.

TEMPLE BAR
So, there is a specific pub called the The Temple Bar that everyone wants to take their photo in front of, and there is the greater Temple Bar District that hosts miles of  pubs, venues, stores, restaurants, offices, and other businesses.

The Temple Bar District is Dublin’s main entertainment quarter where all the popular tourist spots are.

For more of that, be sure to visit the famous Grafton Street.

I really just can not grow tired of Ireland’s ornate, brightly painted buildings. The entire district is so festive and vibrant.

The Quays Bar has Guinness stew that will make you want to cry tears of joy. and for the record, they pronounce quays as “keys.”

We sat upstairs near the window and drank our first pints of the trip with fresh soda bread and Kerrygold butter.

I ordered the Guinness stew with mash, and my friend ordered the Coddler’s bowl with pork bangers and lamb stew over mash.

For a solid half  hour we sat sighing, moaning, and giving each other OMG looks.

Temple Bar can get overwhelmingly congested on weekends, holidays, and during sports events, so be prepared.

MONUMENTS & MURALS
While it may be difficult to navigate Dublin when searching for something specific, it requires no effort at all to find incredible places.

Dublin officials facilitated a really cool initiative called Love the Lanes. I learned a bit about this from interactive signs and podiums that show what the area used to look like and will look like in the future.

Dublin is slowly stepping out with more monuments and murals like the one outside of Blooms Hotel.

Molly Malone at St. Andrews is one of Dublin’s most famous statues. “To See Her Was To Love Her” was said of the most beautiful girl in town, though I wonder if the sculptor might have taken some artistic license to excess.

Sadly, she died of fever in her teens and a heartbroken admirer wrote “Ballad of Molly Malone” in her honour.

Grace Weir’s Cloud Star Boat Map in Temple Bar is one of my personal favourite installations in the city.

Walking over the Liffey across Ireland’s iconic Ha’ Penny Bridge is an essential must-do in Dublin, and it comes with amazing views. 

Dublin is lit up like a dark prism at night. The name Dubh Linn, meaning the Black Pool, is an eerily accurate description of the Liffey River swirling around in the dark.

I could have spent hours walking the banks on the way back to our hotel.

GLASNEVIN CEMETERY
Ireland’s National Cemetery, Glasnevin Cemetery, is also its largest. It was established in 1832 and holds over 1.5 million individual remains.

In addition to its unbelievable collection of Celtic crosses, High crosses, and intricate monuments, Glasnevin Cemetery features the graves of key historic figures of Ireland’s past like Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera.

Actor Dermot Morgan, famous for playing the lead role in the Irish sitcom Father Ted, was cremated here at Glasnevin though his final resting place is at the nearby Deansgrange Cemetery.

You could spend hours wandering the grounds of Glasnevin Cemetery. It is like a museum as much as it is a graveyard.

We found the most fascinating book about death and dying in Ireland, as portrayed in literature and media in the gift shop, then got snacks and coffee at the café.

RAHENY
There is a village in north Dublin called Raheny that I would like to see more of someday.

My boyfriend and I have met his adorable family there twice now, for dinner at McHugh’s and then for drinks across the street at The Cedars Lounge.

Between our group of six to eight, we have thoroughly sampled the menu at McHugh’s.

Everything from steak, Chicken Supreme, pasta, fish and chips, seafood, wings, and desserts has all been delicious. I really dig the décor as well.

You may recognise the Cedars Lounge from the 1993 film, The Snapper. Otherwise, do add it to your Watch List.

RATHFARNHAM
In south Dublin, we met more loved ones in the suburb of Rathfarnham at the Eden House Gastro Bar.

Eden just exudes simple elegance, and the food was perfect.

They specialize in the popular “Carvery lunch” concept where you call out to the chef which items you want from behind the buffet glass, they carve off a big slice of something freshly roasted, and you slide your meal tray down the line to pay at the end.

It is sort of like an upscale school or hospital cafeteria system, but the food is a million times better.

I went for the sliced turkey with dressing, gravy, roasted vegetables, and a decadent slice of Banoffee pie.

Don’t plan on doing anything strenuous after eating at Eden House, I can tell you that for free.

Hell Fire Club
Not far from Rathfarnham is the Hell Fire Club, an abandoned structure on top of Montpelier Hill.

Famous author Jonathan Swift once described members of the Hell Fire Club as “a brace of monsters, blasphemers & bacchanalians” and there are plenty of legends and lore to back that up.

A hunting lodge was built here in 1725 and quickly attracted some the wealthiest men in Ireland.

After the owner died, the lodge was sold to a man named Richard Parsons in 1735.

Richard Parsons, not to be confused with Aleister Crowley’s pal, Jack Parsons, founded the Hell Fire Club. Oddly enough, all three men had a reputation for being kooky and practicing Black Magic.

Like Crowley, it seemed that everywhere Richard Parsons went, debauchery went with him. The club gathered from 1735 until 1738 when they disbanded, at least from this location.

Long before Anton LaVey and his goofy antics became widely known, Parsons called himself the “King of Hell” and donned costumes that included horns, cloven hooves, and wings.

Allegedly the lodge ruins were often set on fire during Black Masses to create ambiance, and some humans may or may have not been sacrificed. Who knows.

Some sources say that these things likely happened, though in Dublin’s old Eagle Tavern instead of on top of Montpelier Hill.

Other sources say that a group called the “Hellfire” Club, different from “The Hell Fire Club,” was founded in 1719 by the first Duke of  Wharton.

It was also notorious for its members’ wild behaviour, and was ended by the order of King George I less than three years after it began.

It matters not which legends are real or fabricated; the site continues to attract all kinds of guests.

The most uncouth and disrespectful of them have left behind trash, sprayed graffiti, and caused damages, but I bet the old Hell Fire Club members would have liked that sort of thing.

Most visitors to the Hell Fire Club site go for the serene hikes, natural settings, and panoramic views of the city.

There are two primary hiking trails there, the 2.5 mile Montpelier Loop and the 3.4 mile Hellfire Forest Loop.

We sort of made our own trail by veering off through the bush to look at cool plants and ponds whenever we felt like it, then reconnecting down the line.

I only cursed a little, but I made it to the top.

In March, the entire country was blossoming with yellow gorse and shamrock.

This was a lovely experience that has been forever imprinted in my memories of Ireland’s landscape.

On my first visit to Dublin, my best friend and I eventually found the city more navigable and it got better from then on. Between a half-working GPS, a little common sense, and several old people, it seemed that the roads rose up to meet us after all.

Subsequent visits with my partner were a cinch since Dublin is his home town but do yourself a favour when you go, find the old people.

In the area for a while? Follow me to Wicklow Mountains National Park, Belfast, or Howth (in progress).

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