As Day 6 of this awesome week began we made the trek east from Galway to Dublin. If you have read Day 1-5, you know we can’t go straight to Dublin without several detours. First stop was in Athlone, where we toured the Athlone Castle. The stone castle was built in 1210 to defend the crossing point on the Shannon River, and remnants of the original structure still remain. We did the tour through the interactive displays and enjoyed leaning about the history and the early settlement of the area. Once done, we walked the city to check out some of the shops.
As we headed back to the car we had to stop at the World’s Oldest Pub – Sean’s Bar! It began in 900AD as a gathering spot for those preparing to cross the rapid river. It’s success promoted the growth and settlement of the surrounding area and then later the Athlone castle. We were lucky enough to get the tales of the bar’s very long history from Tim, our bartender and current owner. The small bar and it’s big history were most definitely a highlight of the day.
Content with our beer selections, we all enjoyed a little snooze as we traveled the hour and a half into Dublin. Before heading to the hotel we stopped at EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum. This was a unique and interactive display of how Ireland immigrants have shaped history. It is filled with stories of how and why people left Ireland and what their impact was on the world. The interactive parts were brilliant and even those who may not be interested initially are quickly drawn in. We did the tour in about an hour and half and while we could have stayed longer we felt like we enjoyed the full effect.
We made it to the hotel, checked in and freshened up for a night out in Dublin. We were happy to have our driver, Donal, join us off the clock for the night. We enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at NoLita on South Great George’s Street. This was a quick walk from our hotel and the food was delicious. From there we walked to The Hairy Lemon, a fun atmosphere with live music and walls covered in unique memorabilia and funny signs. We enjoyed one drink and then headed toward Temple Bar area. For a Thursday, the crowds were surprisingly large with most bars overflowing with patrons and music. The cobble stone pedestrian streets offer all different kinds of bars, restaurants and shops. We opted to stop at the main attraction, The Temple Bar. Again, we all enjoyed a pint, sang along with the music, and enjoyed the people watching before deciding we better turn in.
