I know it’s been a while since I wrote about our trip to Ireland. I want to get this wrapped up. Since coming home we’ve been busy with back to school prep, summer camps as well as getting back into the routine of being at home. I’m almost done with the stories I want to tell, but let me go back and tell of our time as a family in Dublin.
We ended our trip to Ireland by visiting Dublin. Since our flight was out of Dublin it was decided our last couple of days would be spent there. It was hard leaving Ballycastle, but we finally got out of there after noon and made our way to Swords, a town just north of Dublin, essentially the town where a lot of the airport workers seem to live. It was cheaper to stay there and we figured we would be able to get into Dublin city easily enough.
Because we got a late start we didn’t get into Swords and our hotel until late, so we missed out on one of our days in Dublin. We had enough time that first evening to look around Swords a little and get dinner.
The next day, Sunday, we had plans. They got pushed back further and further, but that’s the way it is with kids. Taxis regularly camped out at our hotel (and while I keep referring to it as a hotel, it was little more than a glorified motel) and while we were eating breakfast we saw one that would hold the six of us. We didn’t really want to drive into Dublin, deal with traffic, pay for parking, etc.
We asked the taxi driver if he would wait for us while we brushed our teeth and get ready to go. He said he would wait 15 minutes for us, and we were out in 10. The taxi driver was gone. Another taxi driver said he had a call and had to go, but would be back in 15 minutes.
We waited just over 30 minutes.
Normally, one might not wait for a taxi like we did, but when there are 6 of you, your options can be rather limited.
Since it was my 3rd time in Dublin and their first, it was up to me to come up with activities. I had the taxi drop us off at The Spire, a massive needle reaching up towards the sky in the middle of O’Connell Street (the large boulevard that sort of acts like the main gathering place in Dublin, and is also “throwing distance” from the General Post Office). There we got tickets for the Dublin Bus Tour, the double-decker bus that loops around Dublin and makes fixed stops. Touristy? Yes, but also effective.
My idea was we would take the bus along the first few stops, but then get off as St. Patrick’s Cathedral and hopefully be there in time for service. This meant completely passing by The Book Of Kells, which is a great stop, but just not something we would be able to do this time around. Another stop we would be skipping was Dublin Castle. It’s a shame, because while it’s not necessarily a castle in the strictest sense, it is very cool and full of history.
We did get off at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and there’s a line to get in. It turns out, and I had forgotten this, when there is a service, the cathedral is closed and visitors are not allowed in. Because we were there for service, we were allowed to go in. This wound up causing some tension as Laura and I got separated, me behind the virtual velvet rope (a few guys in sharp suits) and it was difficult to tell which one of us had which kids. Thankfully this was short-lived and we all made it in.
After the service we started looking for a place to get lunch. We found a noodle shop and while it wasn’t the best food, it was… well, it was food. It was the rain that started while we were eating that was disconcerting. The rain was heavy. This was no passing sprinkle, but a downpour.
During a small break when the rain wasn’t quite as heavy we made a run for it. it was just a short trek to the Dublinia museum. This was something I had a mild interest in, but knew it would be a bit more interesting for the kids. It’s a museum about the early Viking invasion of Ireland and medieval Dublin. It was very engaging to the kids and highly informative. I wasn’t prepared for it to be as interesting as it actually turned out to be.
There are some areas that are “hands on” including a place to dress up in authentic clothes from the period. Not only do you get a taste of what Viking life was like here, but also how this relates to the history of Ireland and Dublin in particular.
If you’re in Dublin with kids, take the time to visit Dublinia – well worth it.
Leaving Dublinia it wasn’t raining as we got back on the bus. As the bus was moving onward, the rain began again. We had moved from the open area of the back to the covered portion, and as the rain began again people moved from the uncovered area on the upper deck to the covered area. Instead of getting off and seeing anything, we decided to wait it out, taking the bus to its origin point. Our plan as the rain eased up was to perhaps head over to Temple Bar area and find some dinner.
When we had completed the circuit and arrived at the beginning point of the bus tour, we were told to disembark. Everybody off the bus. This wouldn’t have been much of a problem except that it was raining. Hard. Certain streets were getting flooded because the storm drains couldn’t handle to capacity.
I’m not sure what was going on, the bus we were on left without getting any passengers, and there was no bus. Well, there was one, but it was the “display” bus. So we had to wait for the next tour bus. In the rain.
Laura and the kids took shelter under an awning while I went down the block to get some cash out of the ATM. Ciárán started following me, and what’s funny is Laura yelled his name to come back, and 3 different boys turned their heads. Here in America it may be an uncommon name, but the joke is every family in Ireland has a Ciárán.
After getting the cash I went to the display bus to talk to the guy there about when the next tour bus would be leaving. He had the whole family get on board to get out of the rain while he and his partner consulted the schedule and radioed different drivers to see where they were. This is just another example of how friendly and accommodating Irish people are.
Finally another bus arrived, and we switched over. The bus wasn’t scheduled to leave for a while, but after a couple of minutes, we were on the road. We sat in the back of the bus on the main floor. The rain was so hard and since the back half of the upper deck is open, rain came spilling down the stairs. Thankfully it never got to where we were sitting.
I should have paid attention to how long it takes to complete a full circuit. That information might come in handy. As it stands, I don’t know how much time we spent on that bus. Going around the tour again we sat back and relaxed, since we were just going to stay until the rain let up. We looked in the guidebook for places to eat that were close to the various stops on the tour route. By the time we got to stop 22 (out of like 23 or 24) we found a place that was a block or so away from our location. And the rain had stopped.
Disembarking we debated walking around the area to look for another place to eat or simply going to where we had found in the guidebook. The guidebook won out.
Fortunately the restaurant was literally next to the River Liffey and one of the many foot bridges that cross it. While waiting for food I took some of the kids out and over to the bridge. Just something to do to keep them occupied. Dublin is full of little things like this. The city is expensive, but family friendly.
After dinner we started walking back to O’Connell Street to find a taxi to get back to our hotel. And guess what – it started raining again.
It took a little while, but we managed a cab, got back to our hotel, went to bed, and got to the airport the next morning in time for our flight home. While we didn’t get to do nearly as much as I would have liked with the kids in Dublin, the experience was mostly positive, despite the deluges of rain.