go east

These days I seem to be in Dublin as much as Sligo, ( the new 5 trains a day – most of which come with sockets for charging laptops and what not-  certainly help) so this page will point you in the right direction for things to do in the capital. Dublin is a mess of good places to head for on a night out, fantastic little shops to buy food and clothes and music in, and an absolute endless list of great things to do, right now, right this second.

pubs + grubs

• good pubs worth checking out; anseo, solas or whelans on camden st or theBernard Shaw for great tunes + chilled out drinks, the long hall or grogans for quiet, no music pints in authentic surrounds, the south william and hogans for dressed up playful nights, and secret favourite: the library bar at the central hotel.
• good grub can be found all over the place, but a quick hit of my favourite spots; L’Geuleton, The Mermaid, The Winding Stair,  Gruel, The Chameleon, Bella Cuba, Odessa,(who have starting doing a recession friendly fivers menu) and The Port House. The Cake Cafe is hard to beat in the summer for quirky cakes and other eats and relative new kid on the block Green 19 is a recession friendly star-read my blog on it here>
• grub on the go: Fallon & Byrne for fruit and veg juices, breakfast and prime people watching, Leon for outstandingly bold french  cakes, nude for smoothies and wraps, cornucopia for speedy, healthy veggie eats, and Butlers coffee shops for a free choccie with your coffee. Another fab new cafe is nelly’s on South Circular which I’ve blogged about here>

shops

• for music I used to head to Road Records on Fade Street but it’s sadly closed so try City Discs in Temple Bar or Tower Records
• for clothes there is almost too much choice. Obviously Dundrum is the high street mecca and horribly accessible on the luas, and like most financially challenged fashion fans I can’t pass Penny’s and Topshop without a peek in either.  There are lots of little shops worth checking out though like Wild Child in Temple Bar for vintage clothes, both Sabotages (Exchequer St), for great dresses, funky gifts and costume jewelry,  Harlequin (13 Castle Market) for vintage goodness, Chica (Westbury Mall), Doll, all of The Georges Street Arcarde, and, despite it now being in Dundrum too and therefore being heavily utilised by ugg wearing teens, Urban Outfitters in Temple Bar is still worth a stroll, as is All Saints in Powerscourt; and while you’re there head upstairs for the Loft market. Speaking of markets; there is a brilliant new flea market in Dublin that started in November 2009 and takes place in the Dublin Co-op near Francis Street on the last Sunday of the month. Another great market is the Toe Jam Car Boot Sale at The Bernard Shaw Pub on Camden Street. Happens about once every 2 months on a saturday somewhere in the middle of the month. keep an eye here

gigs and shows and things to do

there are far far to many things in this category to list so here are some things worth a look (for everything else get to entertainment.ie or pick up Totally Dublin freezine or check out the excellent list of free dublin events )

• Whelans and the Village always have great gigs, and are also involved in ALT- The Andrews Lane Theatre which has reopened as an alternative gig venue
• Other great gig venues are Vicar Street and associated Aiken promotions gigs (a summer highlight is the Carlsberg Comedy Carnival in Iveagh Gardens in July) and the Pod complex and associated venues.
• Newbie The Workmans Club has a promising programme and looks like it’s worth checking out.
• Get to some galleries. Try not to be too scared, they are lovely quiet places to hide and get some space, physically and mentally. Being that they are free there really is no excuse. IMMA is the modern biggie of course, but exhibitions can be hit or miss, however they do have fab gardens and a great cafe in Itsa@IMMA so if the art is bad just head outside or for coffee. Other big ones include The Hugh Lane, the RHA and The National Gallery if you like your art historical.
• Monster Truck and Motherstankstation are far more progressive, also check out contemporary galleries Green on Red, the Kerlin, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Kevin Kavanagh, the often intriguing creative/art space Gallery Number 1, and the very promising new kids on the block joy gallery and The Joinery.

Check out the excellent Today in Dublin blog for tips on things to do and see written by locals.