The Day we Went to Dublin (again)

 Today we again left our little apartment in Cork for a few days. Brian O’Flynn was on the job to take us to the station in time for our 12:25 train to Dublin, and as usual, he was on time, friendly and efficient. 

As usual, despite the fact we had booked seats, when we boarded the train,  we had to move people on from our allocated spots, however they couldn’t really be blamed today as the system that shows seats have been booked and by whom,  wasn’t working.  


We settled in for what was to be a very cold 2.5 hour trip; to compensate for the seating system failure, the air conditioning was working too well. We were almost two hours in before the refreshment cart reached us in carriage E and we were able to grab a warming drink to thaw us out. Arriving at Dublin Heuston right on time, we found a tram to take us to Trinity College, checked into our apartment in the student accommodation block, eventually worked out the tricky numbering system for the units, and settled into our rooms. 




I already felt smarter, as a result of walking through the hallowed grounds of Trinity, so imagine how much knowledge I will have gained after sleeping here for three nights. 

We had booked a ‘Haunted Dublin’ walking tour, so after getting our bearings and wandering the University grounds in awe, we walked up to the meeting point for our tour. It took two hours to complete the walk, visiting various locations and hearing the strange and sometimes true stories of the macabre history of Dublin and a cross section of its residents over the centuries. 




Running on empty by the time we had finished with Haunted Dublin at 8pm, we set off to find dinner. The Bailey Cafe and Bar fitted the bill and it was perfectly situated en route back to Trinity. Beef and Guiness pies all round, hit the spot (even though we did have to send them back to be heated properly, as they came out cold the first time!). When hot, they were delicious. 

It wouldn’t be Ireland if it didn’t rain at least once during the course of the day and there had been a very heavy shower while we were eating, so as we set out, debating whether or not we needed to get our umbrellas out, the waiter insisted on giving us a couple of free Bailey of Ireland umbrellas to use … obviously intended as a bribe to keep us quiet about the cold pies, we decided!  🤫 

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