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In responding to a PM I put together this list of links for information I found useful in planning my Ireland trip last year. We stayed at Fitzpatrick Castle so this is some of what we did while we were in that part of the country. It was suggested that I post this info on the Europe board so I hope everyone finds this info useful.
Here is my long list of what we did (or hoped to do) in the Dublin area. Our photos are on http://homepage.mac.com/mkcs1 (three folders of our Ireland trip) and I wrote a trip review which I posted on Fodors:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34584502
I find the Fodor's forums to be great for European trip planning help.
Here are some other ideas for things to see and do around Fitzpatrick Castle. We did not want to deal with a rental car so our trip and sightseeing was based on that. Plus, we were there in winter so we had short days for sightseeing, but long nights for sitting in pubs!
This is the main Dalkey website with more historical info and photos.
http://homepage.eircom.net/~fluppet/...ks/dalkey.html
Another website about Dalkey, the village next to Fitzpatrick Castle. This is the town where the DART station is that will take you to Dublin. Most people recommend that you DON'T drive into Dublin, taking the light rail is easy and inexpensive.
http://www.dalkeyhomepage.ie/gladysgreen.html
Several small shops and a grocery store on the main street in Dalkey for groceries and wine.
Killiney Hill Park is just up the road from Fitzpatrick and has nice walking trails and fabulous coastline views.
Here is the website for Dublin Area Rapid Transit. The light rail system is GREAT and so easy to use from Dalkey. It's about a 15 minute walk down the street from Fitzpatrick (remember that's UP the street to get home). We bought a 7 day pass and it was well worth it.
http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/loc/3-2/pt/7.htm
A good Dublin website
http://www.dublintourist.com/directory/places_to_visit/
Several pub crawls are available. We didn't do any organized pub crawling, preferring to explore pubs on our own but the literary pub crawl is highly recommended by many, this is one I want to do next time.
http://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/booking_page.htm
If you like beer, or the history of beer, the Guinness museum is a must. It's expensive but we really enjoyed it, especially the Gravity Bar and the best Guinness we've ever had (I'll have to agree with my husband on that since he's the Guinness expert)
http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/
The most moving Irish site we saw in Dublin was the Kilmainham Gaol. Don't miss it (I also recommend seeing the movie "Michael Collins" before your trip, see below).
http://www.dublinpeople.com/travel/c...nhamgaol.shtml
Of course, you must visit Trinity College, the library and the Book of Kells. Walking tours of the college are recommended by many, we didn't get to do that.
http://www.tcd.ie/Library/heritage/index.php
The National Gallery of art is good. I recommend reading "The Lost Painting" by Jonathan Harr before you go.
http://www.nationalgallery.ie/
We also enjoyed the National Museum of Ireland (near the National Gallery). The ancient Irish jewelry was wonderful and the preserved "bog bodies" were fascinating.
http://www.museum.ie/
Several must see churches in Dublin. We toured Christchurch and went to Evensong at St. Patricks.
http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/
http://www.cccdub.ie/
And of course, there are the PUBS. Before our trip I did research on sightseeing, my husband did research on pubs. He wanted very atmospheric, traditional historical pubs, noted for their ambience and good beer. We veered away from trendy, noisy pubs the catered to the younger crowd so we didn't spend too much time in the famous Temple Bar area. Our favorites were:
The Long Hall
The Palace Bar
The Stag's Head
Mulligans on Poolbeg Street
The Brazen Head (supposedly the oldest pub in Dublin, dates back to the 12th century)
Some good pubs in Dalkey also. Our favorite was The Club, very laid back with beautiful murals. We stopped in almost every time walking back to Fitzpatrick from the DART station. Also heard some great trad music at McDonaghs in Dalkey, I believe they had trad sessions twice a week. Try to hear trad music somewhere in Dublin or Dalkey. We also walked UP the hill from Fitzpatrick a couple of blocks to a pub in Killiney which we enjoyed called the Druids Chair, we were the only non-locals there. My husband and brother also enjoyed the bar at the Fitzpatrick Hotel one night.
Pub info:
http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/lo...399EAAE7A3.htm
and the most COMPLETE website on pubs ever:
http://dublinpubscene.com
We really enjoyed watching Irish films before we went. We found many at our local library or I'm sure they are available from NetFlicks. Our favorites were "My Left Foot", "Waking Ned Devine", Secret of the Roan Inish, Michael Collins (especially if you tour Kilmainham Gaol), The Commitments, and the John Wayne classic The Quiet Man (especially if you plan to visit west Ireland).
http://www.lisashea.com/irish/movies/index.html
A fun website for e-cards and lovely Ireland photos
http://www.irishcorner.com
The Ireland national bus system website
http://www.buseireann.ie/site/home/
The website of the woman who many consider the definitive Irish travel expert
http://www.ireland-withpatpreston.com/
The bus service to the historical ruins of Irish monastic ruins. We didn't get to do this on our last trip so it is a must-do for us on our next trip.
http://www.glendaloughbus.com/
More information about Glenalough, the Wicklow Mountains and surrounding area.
http://www.glendalough.connect.ie/index.html
Another day trip that many recommend from Fitzpatrick. We didn't get to do this since we were there in the wintertime.
http://www.powerscourt.ie/gardens/index.htm
The nearby towns of Dun Laoghaire and Sandy Cove are nice for strolling along the coast. If you are a James Joyce fan you can tour the Martello Tower in Sandy Cove where he lived briefly and set the opening scene from "Ulysses"
http://www.dun-laoghaire.com/dir/jjtower.html
The company that seems to be most recommended (high on Rick Steves list if you trust him) to see the ancient druid religous site. This is another must-do on our list for our next trip since we didn't do it last time.
http://www.newgrangetours.com/
We did like Rick Steves Ireland book and the Michelin Guide was good. One other book I highly recommend is "Round Ireland With A Fridge" by Tony Hawks, the title says it all, it's about a guy who, on a dare, hitchhikes around Ireland carrying a small refrigerator. It's hilarious and a great slice of life. Also liked "McCarthy's Bar" by the late Pete McCarthy, another slice of life book about his travels in Ireland. And "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt about his Irish childhood (in Limerick, not Dublin). Novelist Maeve Binchey is from Dalkey and her books have the local flavor. Rock star Bono lives in this trendy town too.
Here is my long list of what we did (or hoped to do) in the Dublin area. Our photos are on http://homepage.mac.com/mkcs1 (three folders of our Ireland trip) and I wrote a trip review which I posted on Fodors:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34584502
I find the Fodor's forums to be great for European trip planning help.
Here are some other ideas for things to see and do around Fitzpatrick Castle. We did not want to deal with a rental car so our trip and sightseeing was based on that. Plus, we were there in winter so we had short days for sightseeing, but long nights for sitting in pubs!
This is the main Dalkey website with more historical info and photos.
http://homepage.eircom.net/~fluppet/...ks/dalkey.html
Another website about Dalkey, the village next to Fitzpatrick Castle. This is the town where the DART station is that will take you to Dublin. Most people recommend that you DON'T drive into Dublin, taking the light rail is easy and inexpensive.
http://www.dalkeyhomepage.ie/gladysgreen.html
Several small shops and a grocery store on the main street in Dalkey for groceries and wine.
Killiney Hill Park is just up the road from Fitzpatrick and has nice walking trails and fabulous coastline views.
Here is the website for Dublin Area Rapid Transit. The light rail system is GREAT and so easy to use from Dalkey. It's about a 15 minute walk down the street from Fitzpatrick (remember that's UP the street to get home). We bought a 7 day pass and it was well worth it.
http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/loc/3-2/pt/7.htm
A good Dublin website
http://www.dublintourist.com/directory/places_to_visit/
Several pub crawls are available. We didn't do any organized pub crawling, preferring to explore pubs on our own but the literary pub crawl is highly recommended by many, this is one I want to do next time.
http://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/booking_page.htm
If you like beer, or the history of beer, the Guinness museum is a must. It's expensive but we really enjoyed it, especially the Gravity Bar and the best Guinness we've ever had (I'll have to agree with my husband on that since he's the Guinness expert)
http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/
The most moving Irish site we saw in Dublin was the Kilmainham Gaol. Don't miss it (I also recommend seeing the movie "Michael Collins" before your trip, see below).
http://www.dublinpeople.com/travel/c...nhamgaol.shtml
Of course, you must visit Trinity College, the library and the Book of Kells. Walking tours of the college are recommended by many, we didn't get to do that.
http://www.tcd.ie/Library/heritage/index.php
The National Gallery of art is good. I recommend reading "The Lost Painting" by Jonathan Harr before you go.
http://www.nationalgallery.ie/
We also enjoyed the National Museum of Ireland (near the National Gallery). The ancient Irish jewelry was wonderful and the preserved "bog bodies" were fascinating.
http://www.museum.ie/
Several must see churches in Dublin. We toured Christchurch and went to Evensong at St. Patricks.
http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/
http://www.cccdub.ie/
And of course, there are the PUBS. Before our trip I did research on sightseeing, my husband did research on pubs. He wanted very atmospheric, traditional historical pubs, noted for their ambience and good beer. We veered away from trendy, noisy pubs the catered to the younger crowd so we didn't spend too much time in the famous Temple Bar area. Our favorites were:
The Long Hall
The Palace Bar
The Stag's Head
Mulligans on Poolbeg Street
The Brazen Head (supposedly the oldest pub in Dublin, dates back to the 12th century)
Some good pubs in Dalkey also. Our favorite was The Club, very laid back with beautiful murals. We stopped in almost every time walking back to Fitzpatrick from the DART station. Also heard some great trad music at McDonaghs in Dalkey, I believe they had trad sessions twice a week. Try to hear trad music somewhere in Dublin or Dalkey. We also walked UP the hill from Fitzpatrick a couple of blocks to a pub in Killiney which we enjoyed called the Druids Chair, we were the only non-locals there. My husband and brother also enjoyed the bar at the Fitzpatrick Hotel one night.
Pub info:
http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/lo...399EAAE7A3.htm
and the most COMPLETE website on pubs ever:
http://dublinpubscene.com
We really enjoyed watching Irish films before we went. We found many at our local library or I'm sure they are available from NetFlicks. Our favorites were "My Left Foot", "Waking Ned Devine", Secret of the Roan Inish, Michael Collins (especially if you tour Kilmainham Gaol), The Commitments, and the John Wayne classic The Quiet Man (especially if you plan to visit west Ireland).
http://www.lisashea.com/irish/movies/index.html
A fun website for e-cards and lovely Ireland photos
http://www.irishcorner.com
The Ireland national bus system website
http://www.buseireann.ie/site/home/
The website of the woman who many consider the definitive Irish travel expert
http://www.ireland-withpatpreston.com/
The bus service to the historical ruins of Irish monastic ruins. We didn't get to do this on our last trip so it is a must-do for us on our next trip.
http://www.glendaloughbus.com/
More information about Glenalough, the Wicklow Mountains and surrounding area.
http://www.glendalough.connect.ie/index.html
Another day trip that many recommend from Fitzpatrick. We didn't get to do this since we were there in the wintertime.
http://www.powerscourt.ie/gardens/index.htm
The nearby towns of Dun Laoghaire and Sandy Cove are nice for strolling along the coast. If you are a James Joyce fan you can tour the Martello Tower in Sandy Cove where he lived briefly and set the opening scene from "Ulysses"
http://www.dun-laoghaire.com/dir/jjtower.html
The company that seems to be most recommended (high on Rick Steves list if you trust him) to see the ancient druid religous site. This is another must-do on our list for our next trip since we didn't do it last time.
http://www.newgrangetours.com/
We did like Rick Steves Ireland book and the Michelin Guide was good. One other book I highly recommend is "Round Ireland With A Fridge" by Tony Hawks, the title says it all, it's about a guy who, on a dare, hitchhikes around Ireland carrying a small refrigerator. It's hilarious and a great slice of life. Also liked "McCarthy's Bar" by the late Pete McCarthy, another slice of life book about his travels in Ireland. And "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt about his Irish childhood (in Limerick, not Dublin). Novelist Maeve Binchey is from Dalkey and her books have the local flavor. Rock star Bono lives in this trendy town too.
and there is a convenient stop on the HOHO Bus 
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