With Paddy’s day coming up... I decided to give my recommendations on all things Dublin for those of you thinking of popping over here in the future. Dublin is an amazing city, and while we are not always blessed with nice weather, our friendliness and welcoming attitude sure does make up for.
LGBT in Ireland.
Many people still think of religion and the Catholic Church when they think of Ireland, and while this was accurate back in the 90s, however now it's not so right.
Way back in 1983, Ireland’s first Pride parade was held, although unlike today, this was more of a
protest of recent violence towards the LGBT community. In 1993, Homosexuality was decriminalised and only 2 decades later in 2015 Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise same sex marriage by popular vote, with 31 out of 32 counties voting in favour of the bill; Also in 2015 the Gender Recognition Act was passed meaning that people now have their preferred gender recognised by the state.
Below is a hit list of must do’s and must see’s in Dublin, along with some places to avoid.
Accommodation
Honestly any of the city centre hotels are fab, we have all the known brands, Holiday Inn, Jurys Inn, Hyatt, Hilton, The Intercontinental for you with more boujee tastes
All I would say is to avoid any accommodation along Gardiner Street and Mountjoy square area on the North Side.
For those of us… more budget conscious travellers, there are plenty of hostels in the city centre. Two that I have personally stayed in and can vouch for are the Times Hostel on College Green - It literally cannot get more centre than this, across the road from Trinity College Dublin. Also the Generator Hostel in Smithfield is absolutely amazing. Generator Hostels are a known brand across Europe, there is a hugely popular one in Berlin, Germany. Generator has a MASSIVE bar area and is popular with a young party searching crowd and Times Hostel can be slightly calmer, however it is also connected to the popular Doyles Bar, Which I recommend visiting also.
Avoid the hotels on Harcourt Street. Harcourt St. is lined with nightclubs with massive outdoor areas and loud music and drunkards are out till the sunrise along that street.
Things To Do
These are my Recommendations for the City
Trinity College Dublin / Book of Kells & Old Library - The College itself is absolutely beautiful, however the Book of Kells is underwhelming, but the old library is absolutely amazing. For you sci-fi queens, the Jedi Library was modelled after it.
Kilmainham Goal - This is very History Heavy, book online in advance its always busy.
The Guinness Storehouse - I LOVE Guinness and I've been to the Storehouse about 8 or 9 times. The building is huge and there are bars on each level and restaurants and music etc. Take your time here and don't rush through it as it is quite fun (Plus your ticket gives you a free drink in the bar at the top so keep your ticket handy)
Distilleries - There are so many whiskey distilleries in Dublin, Jameson is of course the biggest and most well-known, and it has a cool bar area, others are Teelings and Liberties Distilleries.
Some other museums other than the classic National History one is the Science Gallery (free) IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) and RHA **
Parks - All of the parks in the city are free to enter and perfect to have lunch in on a rare sunny day. Stephens Green is the busiest, Merrion Square is normally quiet, Iveagh Gardens are a hidden gem and a beautiful escape from the busy city, while in the middle of the city. the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin (free)
Phoenix Park - This deserves its own mention. Phoenix park is one of Europe's Largest in city parks with over 1,700 acres of land. You can even get up close and personal with the wild deer in the park.
Temple Bar - Temple is easily the most famous place in Dublin for tourists. Yes go, take a picture have a look in the shops, and if you must buy ONE pint here. They drastically over charge for drinks in this area, I mean like €9.50 for a pint, and you will not see a single Irish person here. I will give you plenty of better options to socialise.
Dublin Castle - Not your traditional medieval castle, but still a gorgeous building, can do tours.
Howth - Cute harbour village with some amazing restaurants
Bars, Cocktail Bars & Nightclubs
Ireland as a whole is world famous for our drinking culture, take that as a good thing or not, the scene in Dublin is amazing once you know where to go.
Gay Bars and Clubs
The Gay Mile is the order of the LGBT venues in Dublin, starting in Penny lane and ending in the George is a great night out.
Street 66 - “Lesbian bar” but it's mostly mixed - open till 2am
Panti Bar - ‘Older’ gay man bar - open till 12/1am
Penny Lane - Boujee cocktail bar - open till 12/1am
The George - Our only full-time gay nightclub, two levels and a main stage - open till 3am
Cocktail bars/ Nightclubs
UKIYO- Hip Nightclub, Restaurant and Bar
PYG - One of the most popular venues in the city
Capitol - Massively selection of cocktails and reasonably priced
Xico - Mexican style bar and food, turns into nightclub at night
Cafe en Seine - Boujee and slightly pricey venue, but looks like a themed Parisian street
Diceys - All day nightclub with very cheap drinks, most of the venue is outside and will be packed rain, hail or snow.
Pubs/bars
Cobblestones - Great for real traditional Irish music sessions, near the Generator Hostel
Doyles
Hogans
Grogans
Dame Tavern - Outdoor, street side, standing drinking area, good atmosphere
Gingerman - Popular with our government members, don't be surprised if you bump into our Taoiseach (Prime Minister) .
Pavilion - In Trinity College Campus, can sit out on the grass and chill with drinks
Back Page - great pizza but a little bit out of city
Open Gate Brewery - Part of the Guinness brand, all outdoors
The Fisherman
Porterhouse Temple Bar - Amazing live music, and right opposite Street 66
Restaurants
Arthurs Pub - Beside the Guinness Storehouse, does the BEST Irish Stew
The Cedar Tree - Amazing Lebanese Food
Mykonos Taverna - Fab Greek Food
Tapas De Lola - LGBT Owned Spanish tapas place
Sprezzatura - Fab pasta places where all dishes are €10 and under, they only take card payments, NO cash
Wishbone - Popular chicken wing place, need to book in advance normally
Drunken Fish - Great Korean food place
Elephant and Castle - Voted the best chicken wings in Dublin, in Temple Bar
Sole - Seafood restaurants, Voted best seafood restaurant in all of Europe, Very expensive.
Beshoff Bros - Fish and Chips place, delicious and inexpensive
Overall anywhere near the PYG cocktail bar and Powerscourt shopping centre is very hipster and is packed with great bars and restaurants and avoid Temple Bar unless your aesthetic is drunk straight men. If you’re planning a visit or booked to visit, don't hesitate to contact me on Instagram @the_global_gay for more advice or to grab a drink :) Happy St. Patricks Day!
