Description:
Dublin was founded by Viking invaders in the early ninth century, but there’s not much ancient history remaining among its jumble of medieval, Georgian and modern buildings. The Irish capital hums with energy as it redefines itself as a Post-Modern city. The Nordic invaders named their settlement Dubh Linn, meaning black pool, and that pool was located on what is now the garden of Dublin Castle in the heart of the historic area. There’s no question that Guinness is the lifeblood of Dublin. You can tour the Guinness Storehouse, then top off your visit by hoisting a pint. A constellation of literary greats have called Dublin home, and the Writers Museum is the place to find George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce and more. Temple Bar isn’t a pub, but Dublin’s Cultural Quarter. Art galleries and studios, crafts markets, food vendors and outdoor entertainment make the warren of cobblestone streets along the river a bustling place. And, who could leave Dublin’s fair city without saying goodbye to sweet Molly Malone? The legendary fishmonger is portrayed, wheeling her wheelbarrow filled with cockles and mussels, in a bronze statue opposite Trinity College.