Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is the capital of Republic of Ireland, which is located on the East coast facing Irish sea. In Celtic times, Dublin was called “Baile-Atha-Cliath” – ‘Town of the Hurdle Ford’. The current name ‘Dublin’ came from the Gaelic “Dubb Linn” – ‘black pool’.

While you can still see the memories of its tragic history in statues and bullet holes in the poles of GPO building, the city also shows the modern side of Ireland backed by the growing economy in recent years.

It’s about 6.5 hours flight from Boston or New York to Dublin. Usually I fly out in the evening via Aer Lingus, and arrive to Dublin in early morning. Always, my heart starts to beat a little faster, when I see Dublin outside the window.

These are my recommendation of “10 Things you must see when you are in Dublin for the first time”:

1. National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and History
2. Dublin Castle
3. Temple Bar Area
4. Kilmainham Gaol
5. Guinness Storehouse
6. Trinity College (Book of Kells)
7. Grafton Street (shops, Dublin Tourism Office, etc.) & St. Stephen’s Green
8. O’Connell Street (GPO, Theaters, shops, etc.)
9. Ha’penny Bridge
10. National Gallery of Ireland (my favorite!)

If you have more time, I suggest that you check these out:

1. Christ Church Cathedral
2. St Patrick’s Cathedral
3. GAA Museum
4. Merrion Square
5. Old Jameson’s Distillery
6. St. Michan’s Church
7. Phoenix Park
8. Dublinia
9. Musical Pub Crawl
10. Dublin Writers Museum