When my big sister said she was heading to Dublin, Ireland for the 8th World Conference on Biomechanics, I was excited to tag along. As a writer and book lover, I’ve been reading Irish writers since grade school. I was also looking forward to the progressive vibes since they voted to repeal one of the world’s most restrictive abortion bans back in May.
I flew out of Newburgh on a direct flight to Dublin, catching the airport shuttle bus into town just before midnight. I met up with yet another one of my sisters, who was also tagging along, at a hotel near O’Connell Street. (Yes, we turned the conference into a full out family vacation!)
Dublin walking tour stop in Temple Bar district
After a night’s rest, we took a free walking tour of Dublin the next morning. Our tour guide, Richie, was a history-turned-tourism major who offered priceless insights and cultural commentary. He took us to Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, and City Hall, among others.
Our tour group at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland
Here’s a bit of Richie’s (juicy) commentary that I caught on video:
If you want to check it out, meet at the Spire at 11AM for the 3-hour city tour, and come back at 6PM for the pub tour! It was a lot of fun.
Sampling Guinness stout with tour guide Conor at Hughes Bar
Image credit: Dublin Sightseeing Tours
The next day, we took the hop-on hop-off bus on a guided tour of the city. The tour covers the main sites from Dublin Castle to the War Memorial, Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol, Phoenix Park, and Trinity College. There are tons of free and low-cost sites to explore at each stop and, if you’re lucky, your tour guide will have a great singing voice.
Stay tuned for my next blog on all the sites we saw!
With my sisters at Grand Canal Square