Guinness To many ,Dublin is the heart and soul of Ireland, and Guinness is at the heart of the city itself. The Guinness family have contributed much to the city in donations and payments for restauration works.

Architecture Dublin has an abundance of architecturally characteristic buildings and there is no better way to see some buildings not normally open to the public than visiting during Open House weekend.

Pubs Dublin is famous for its pubs, which are old style characteristic Dublin bars. Most pubs vibrate with the sound of live music from ‘buskers’ from late afternoon. A most entertaining and relaxing experience.

Gardens and Squares A visit to the Botanic Gardens is a real delight or take time out to relax in one of the green squares - Stephen’s Green being the only real ‘square’ in Dublin. Merrion Square is one of Dublin's largest and is surrounded by Georgian houses.

Dublin for Open House Weekend

Our five day trip to Dublin was timed to include the Open House Dublin weekend (18th/19th October, 2014). Dublin is just a short one hour flight from Exeter airport. Our outward flight was delayed by 2.5 hours but made good time on the return and we were back in the car within 15 minutes of getting off the plane. We stayed in Temple Bar, a busy and interesting but noisy bar and restaurant area. Our primary source of transport for the 5 days was a Dublin hop-on-hop-off bus, public buses and lots of walking. Dublin Bus Tour (Green bus) - €19 - 2nd day free, discounts off admission at some attractions, free Pat Liddy Walking tour. There are two bus routes. Most tours take 1 to1.5 hours if you don’t get off the bus. The bus driver guides will make you laugh while giving you a good introduction to the city. Stops include Trinity College, Dublin Castle, the National Gallery and Museum, St.Patrick’s Cathedral, Guinness Storehouse and Jameson Distillery.

Shamrock - the symbol of Ireland