Dublin (place)

Following my visit last week, for anyone planning a short stay in Dublin I can recommend a visit to the following*:

• The Guinness Hop Store - (now called The Guinness Storehouse) former factory, now a flashy and elaborate museum with a hi-tech tour through the story of Ireland's national drink.
• Phoenix Park - Europe's largest enclosed park, five times larger than London's Hyde Park with seven miles of surrounding walls.
• Trinity College - home to the Book of Kells and some great architecture (although it might not be too impressive if you've visited Oxford or Cambridge).
• St. Stephen's Green - smaller, more centrally situated park, a good break from an all day shopping trip. Go there to eat your sandwiches if the weather's nice.
• Bewley's Cafe - bizarrely decorated traditional tea shop. Tempting cream cakes and reasonable coffee.
• Ceol - another surprisingly hi-tech museum, about traditional Irish music (this was in the same bulding as our hotel at Smithfield Village).

Other highlights of the trip included drinking in Temple Bar and both the National Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art. A word of caution to those on a tight budget: eating out and going drinking was a lot more expensive than I'd expected, but all in all probably not too different from any other European cities.

Transport didn't seem to be a problem, since the buses were convenient and cheaper than home (despite the fact that beer was twice as expensive).

* aside from pubs, clubs and bars of course.