Day 1
After the interesting auditory train journey I arrived in to Holyhead station on time and found the way to the embarkation lounge. I specifically asked for the vehicle passengers lounge, but this undemanding request was too much for the obviously mentally challenge staff hired by Irish ferries for there land operations. Alan had traffic problems, but eventually we met up and boarded our
Swift Irish Ferry over to Dublin port. After seating ourselves and purchasing one of the most ghastly cups of tea it’s ever been my displeasure to drink, we settled back and braced for the choppy voyage over the Irish sea. Interestingly around two thirds of the way across a cacophony of text alerts from people’s mobiles sounded as roaming agreements kicked in. I was roving on o2 on the Orange handset and Vodaphone on the T-Mobile. We didn’t visit the shop, but a call would happen towards the end of the trip.
On disembarkation at Ireland we were waved through the checkpoint with out any passport verification and drove to
Walton’s hotel. I note that the commercial radio in Dublin –[
RTE 2 FM] is considerably better than in the UK with a wide variety of music, not just chart, and also the DJs playing album tracks. This just doesn’t happen with our formulaic play listed mono culture over in good old England.
The hotel appeared on entry a bit of a glum effort with the car park very small and a good corner of that filled with pallets of glass bottles. Our sense of trepidation was heightened when the trip to the restaurant needed a guide, 3 flights of steps and when we finally reached it, it was empty as the Mary Celeste. Taking these factors in to account we went in to the centre of Dublin, only two minutes walk as our place was on North Frederick street. We stopped and had a look at the
spike or monument on
O’Connell street, it is huge this thing. We then moved off and in to that quintessential Irish establishment the
Hard rock Café Dublin. Same old for a Hard rock really with music playing from grunge to U2 to the Dammed Yankees. Our hickory cheese and bacon burgers slid down well and then we paid up and found a great little bar called Messrs Maguire situated at 1 and 2 Burgh Quay. What a place, it had a Micro Brewery and though we didn’t stay long enough to sample the home brews, it’s something I intend to do on any trip back. Of particular interest was the traditional Dublin porter. It was a case of when in Ireland, and especially Dublin try the Guinness. So I did.
Now, to the taste of Guinness. When you are travelling around England the stuff varies greatly. From the piss poor stuff in Edwards Ipswich to the more than acceptable pints in the Railway Preston. The Guinness in Ireland does taste slightly different, but this is mainly a mouth feel thing. They take more time over the preparation, so you get more head; and that’s never a bad thing now. The pint is thicker giving a creamy and viscous liquid. Under the creaminess though I got a slight carbonation on the tong. It was very nice, but the Railway Preston does a credible job. Apparently the
Guinness factory in London is shutting down this year, so all the product for pubs and bars within the UK will come from Dublin. Some pubs in the UK do get supplies of Guinness from Ireland though, so this could explain the good pints from the bad. A second alteration of the flavour in Guinness in the UK could be the pasteurisation process it goes through before it is shipped. Just try none pasteurised milk and cheeses and then try the bland pasteurised counterparts and tell me that you can’t find a difference. And the third factor the travelling. Still, I say hats off to the Railway and other pubs of the same ilk around the north of England who keep a pint very close to that found on the Dublin doorstep of this classic drink.
We left just before the Jackson verdict was announced and after only one pint as Alan was knackered and had a brisk walk back to the hotel. It occurred to me on the way back that I’d hardly managed to listen to any Irish accents. Russian, Chinese, American and Australian, but hardly any Irish. When you narrowed it down, maybe one or two from Northern Ireland, but not much Traditional Dublin which is totally different. So, just like London in that regard then.
Day 2
We had a very successful day with two university visits and a stop over at the apartment of an interesting and very friendly fan of the BrailleNote and Window-Eyes. She has a most fascinating job and while I can’t go in to detail for confidentiality reasons we both really enjoyed the hour we spent in the company of this incredible girl. When the work day was over it was a long drive back to the digs and changed for a few pints.
Meeting up with a client who’s become a friend of mine we; that is Alan myself Derry and Martha Lawlor walked to the Royal Dublin Hotel and talked for an hour or two over a few pints of the black stuff which was in no way shape or form as good as that enjoyed the previous evening. He is one of the only people I have ever met with a guide dog the same size as Jaid. Like me he tends to travel around the country with a laptop and Brailliant, and he also uses Trekker. He is very knowledgeable regarding wine, and as crazy as I am with the whisky, so we spent a good while talking about the merits of the nectar of the grape, and that of the distilled grain. He invited Clare and I to meet up with him when next we go over, and really I’d like to go again this year, so that should be good. Clare loves Ireland, so it shouldn’t be to hard to convince her of the merits of the idea. When talking about different beers he mentioned a good pub in Dublin called the
Porter house. This is another to go on the exploration list.
After saying our goodbyes Alan and I walked the half a mile or so to Temple Bar and the Alamo Mexican restaurant. I had a dish of very meaty chilli and after we had eaten enough to burst we strolled leisurely back to the hotel. Having a very important appointment on Wednesday we both hit the sack early.
Day 3
Before the appointment we ate a hearty Irish breakfast at the hotel and then drove to the
National Council of the blind Ireland. For the day. We were given a warm welcome and our presentations went down well. Everyone made us very welcome, and we actually went to the Porterhouse for dinner. Joy of Joy. They have just opened a Porterhouse in London. Very very happy. I’m going to pay it a visit this weekend with Phil when he comes down.
The trip home went well, and I landed in the Preston stanly Arms at around 10 PM last night and sank a few pints of Everards’ Tiger with Dave, then back for one of the best chicken burgers, all breast, I have ever eaten.
Incidentally, one of the stupid highlights for Jaid. She managed to do a dump on 3 islands in one day. England, angle see and Ireland. Impressive! I wish we'd had chance to take in the Jameson distillery, will have to do that next time.
I must say that I really am falling in love with Dublin. My normal preference is for quiet places, so I hope to explore this wonderful country in more depth sometime. Thanks to everyone for helping to make such an enjoyable stay.