This Weekend in Dublin

French Week at the Docklands is currently going on until this Sunday, July 18th! The event, which celebrates all things French, is featuring Le Marche de France, the fabulous French markets that are run nationwide. Stop by and enjoy fresh French food, crafts, and music. The oldest sailing ship in Europe, The Belem, is even parked in Dublin Harbour for the festivities. It is expected that over 80,000 visitors will come to celebrate French culture and heritage during the six days of the event!

Dún Laoghaire

Looking for a great place to spend the day? Try Dún Laoghaire -- a stunning suburban seaside town about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. For any tourist looking to escape the city for a day, Dún Laoghaire is the perfect place.

Above are pictures from my visit to this beautiful coastal town. Easily accessible by bus or DART, Dún Laoghaire is quite simple to get to. Situated on one of the largest harbours in the country, the town is notable for its two granite piers. On any given day, the piers are full of people walking, jogging and enjoying the scenery. A lighthouse stands at the end of both piers and many sailboats reside in the pristine harbour.

With one main shopping street, two shopping centres, and a wide range of terrific restaurants, Dún Laoghaire has plenty to offer. Best of all, it is easy to get to from The Mount Herbert Hotel as the Landsdowne Road DART Station is just a short walk away!

My day visit to this serene seaside town was relaxing and enjoyable. The views from the harbour are fantastic and the town centre has many interesting shops. If you are looking for somewhere to go on a nice, sunny day, I would highly recommend a visit to Dún Laoghaire!


Courtney

This Weekend in Dublin

The first Summer Sensational starts today 8th July and runs until Sunday 11th July in Temple Bar. This age-friendly festival offers plenty of events for everyone such as special workshops for children, baby discos, outdoor movies on the square, free entertainment, and so much more! One such workshop, the Feast For the Senses at the Ark, explores the five senses through various activities. You can download the full program of events on their website.

This Sunday 11th July is also the last day of the 2010 Photo Ireland Festival. As Ireland’s first international festival of Photography and Visual Culture, it celebrates Ireland’s own photographic talents as well as those of artists from abroad. There are workshops, exhibitions, and talks for anyone who is interested in attending.

Northern Adventures

Hello everyone,

This past weekend I travelled to Northern Ireland on a guided tour. We arrived in Belfast late Friday afternoon and were led on a bus tour by a native of the city. Not only did we see some of the famous murals of Belfast but also got a better sense of the culture there. The next day was full of tiring yet fun-filled activity. We left bright and early to head to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. This bridge is thirty metres high and crossing it allows you to observe breathtaking views. As seen in my pictures above, the scenery there is beautiful!

Later in the morning we drove to the Giant’s Causeway. These unique rocky formations were a result of an ancient volcanic eruption and climbing around the area was certainly loads of fun! As the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, Giant’s Causeway was packed with people taking in the surroundings. From there we briefly stopped to take pictures of Ireland’s ‘most romantic castle’, Dunluce Castle, and then travelled on to Derry for the night.

After a fun evening on the town, we had a special tour of the Prehan House on Sunday morning. As one of the North West’s most historic buildings, this early Georgian family home has a rich history and still contains many original artefacts and works of art. Afterward we ate lunch inside the Grianan of Aileach, a stone ring fort that resides on the summit of Greenan Mountain. From this spot we had absolutely majestic views of County Donegal!

My weekend to Northern Ireland was quite enjoyable. Not only is Northern Ireland full of intriguing history, but it also has breathtaking scenery.

Courtney

This Weekend in Dublin

This Saturday the first Dublin Garden Squares Day takes place, celebrating Dublin's Georgian garden squares, with walking tours, live performances, guided tours, children's events, plant & food stalls and a giant hot air balloon in Merrion Square! The events take place in the five major city centre squares: Mountjoy Square, Parnell Square, St. Stephen's Green, Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square.

And on Sunday 4th July you can catch a free Trad Concert celebrating Independence Day at Central Bank Plaza in Dublin city centre, featuring Beoga, Martin Donohue and Séan O Sé.

The Wonderful West

Above are pictures that I took this past weekend after my trip to the West coast of Ireland.

A large group of us, about 45 students, toured the area and had an incredible time! After driving for a few hours, we arrived in Galway Friday night and had dinner at Monroe’s Pub. Not only was their Irish strew delicious but their live music was also quite entertaining.

Saturday morning, we woke up early and visited the Cliffs of Moher. If you are traveling to Ireland, you MUST see the Cliffs before you leave. As Ireland’s number 1 tourist site, the Cliffs surpassed my expectations and were breathtaking. The gorgeous scenery provides an excellent opportunity for photo-taking and the tourist shops at the site are filled with great memorabilia and trinkets.

Later in the day, we drove past Dunguaire Castle, had lunch on a farm, went on a hike up a small mountain, and even watched a Gaelic football game. We then spent Saturday night in the village of Carron in county Clare. This small town, surrounded by farmland, has just a pub, church, and post office. After dinner the local townspeople played traditional Irish music for us. Therefore not only did my trip to the West allow me to experience life in a small Irish village but it also incorporated the vibrant city-life of Galway. On the way back to Dublin on Sunday we stopped at Fanore Beach for a quick dip in the cold Atlantic Ocean.

Although my weekend was busy and tiring, it was definitely worth it. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous both days. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Ireland truly is such a beautiful country and driving from Dublin to Galway allowed me to see its green fields, rolling hills, and roaming cows and sheep.

I’m having such an amazing time so far in Ireland and I can’t wait for more adventures to come!

Courtney

This Weekend in Dublin

The first Indian Film Festival Ireland opens today and runs until Monday 28th June in Rathmines. As well as film screenings the festival also offers discussion forums and public interviews and ends with a charity gala dinner. You can take a look at what some of the films are about on their blog.

The Dublin Pride Festival is on until Sunday 27th June, with an extensive list of events on offer including céilís, club nights, workshops, community street festivals and more. The Dublin Pride Parade takes place on Saturday and is the festival’s flagship event.