What's New: Leprechauns and LUAS

Now I thought I've been to all the most interesting museums in Dublin. But through a friend who's been in Dubs just recently, I learned about the National Leprechaun Museum. There's a leprechaun museum in Dublin? Why didn't I know that? Ok, simple answer: It just opened two months ago and it's been four years since my last visit. So there's a new item on my list. I'm very curious to see it.

While I looked at the map to check out the leprechaun museum I noticed another difference: there's a LUAS line north of the river. When did that happen? First time I was in Dublin, the entire city was one huge construction site, while they built the new streetcar line. A year later it was finished, two lines, both on the south side of the city. Obviously, they were not finished. The red line was extended and now goes all the way to the Point. Now, that is unfair. Back in '06 I had to walk all the way to the Point and back - twice. There was not even a bus. And now, that I don't need to go there, there's the LUAS. Just not fair! *sulk*

What about the Point, anyway? I heard it closed just shortly after I was there. As far as I know, Face to Face was the last time Westlife played the Point. What happened to it? Was it torn down? In the map there's a theater called the O2 (did Westlife play there, the Love Tour? I think so). Is it the same building as the Point? Or is it something new? Not that it matters to me at the moment, really. More important would be how I'll get to Croke Park. I heard it's walking distance from the city center. Well, like everything, really.

Dublin, My Love

Why do I love Dublin? I guess to answer that question I have to go back to the first time I went there. It was in 2004, I was twenty and it was the first time I travelled on my own. I was excited, but most of all I was scared – no, terrified, really. The first time I would be on an airplane, and – more importantly – the first time I would be truly on my own, in a city I didn’t know, in a country I’ve never been to.

Why had I picked Dublin for that adventure? Well, there was just this idea in my head that Ireland was a truly beautiful country, and I really wanted to go there. Ok, there was Westlife, as well. The Irish band I really love and that might have had a part in my sudden interest in Ireland. But mostly, with everything I’d seen and heard of Ireland, I got to the conclusion that it was a place I just had to see.

The trip was planned in minute detail. I didn’t want any surprises. I decided to set my base in Dublin and discover the city and its vicinity for ten days. Despite all my great planning I was really nervous and very anxious whether everything would work out the way I had anticipated. It did, actually, and I just had the most amazing time in Dublin. So maybe that’s why I love the city. Because everything worked out and I had a truly wonderful vacation.

But maybe it was more than that. I did fall in love with the country. I learned a lot about its history in Dublin’s museums, and I saw lots of breathtaking scenery (and it’s said, the west coast is even more beautiful, which is, actually, true). I’ve been to Newgrange, which is simply a very fascinating place. And Glendalough, which is just beautiful.

And, of course, Howth, the peninsula to the north of Dublin, which has become my traditional starting point for every trip to Ireland. Why? Simply because it happened to be the first place I visited that first time I was in Ireland. Up there on the cliffs, watching out onto the ocean, hearing only the sound of the waves and the cries of the seagulls, and of course the wind, I got my first glimpse of Ireland’s unique beauty – and I fell in love.

And Dublin itself? On my first day in the city, it already felt familiar to me, having walked to the right bus stop halfway across town – which took me about twenty minutes. The city is not very large, so most places are in walking distance. For a history buff like me, there’s plenty to discover. The National Museum, Dublinia, Kilmainham Gaol, and of course the main churches, Christchurch and St. Patrick’s.

And of course, there’s the language thing. All the signs are written in both English and Irish, so you can’t help but pick up a few Irish words – even though it’s quite impossible to pronounce them. But it’s quite helpful to be able to recognize some written words, in case the English translation is missing. And it’s great fun, as well. Even better is the new streetcar LUAS, where every stop is announced in both languages. So there you can actually hear spoken Irish. It would be an interesting challenge to actually learn the language…