Dublin notes

I struggled to find the magic of Dublin: visiting for work limited my exploration time. Staying centrally I found limited options for breakfast before eight or eight-thirty, no bookshops open before 10 or after 6, and the ice cream from Dingle (where my grandfather grew up) wasn’t great. Architecturally it felt a little dull. Trinity College is lovely but I’ve seen its type a hundred times before. I was surprised by how small Dublin is, how quickly it becomes a suburb, and at the state of the housing stock. There are tiny terraced cottages really quite central of the sort you would find in the smaller suburban towns in England.

I took advice on dinner options and enjoyed the ribs and spring rolls at Xian Street Food. Someone saw a copy of David Copperfield open on the table next to me and struck up a conversation about it—he didn’t like the book(!) or Dickens (!!) and that was a fun chat. Meeting friends the next evening, I ate very well at The Winding Stair, enjoyed walking around the quay, and went to a very lively pub with traditional music made on a cello, guitar, and flute. For the first time in a long time I had alcohol and was pleased to taste Guinness in Ireland. There was a persistent rain which suited the atmosphere of the cobbles and alleys, and I saw a lively bar culture that was quite the opposite of the quiet daytime. Dropping into a bookshop on my way to dinner, I saw a large gathering that had turned out to hear about a new novel.

If I travel to Dublin for work again, I shall be glad to explore it more, taking more advice. Being with someone who knew the city improved my experience immeasurably. I suspect to really get Dublin you need to have many conversations with local people. I was sad to miss the museums and galleries. My main regret was not going inside St Patrick’s, where Swift was Dean, but I still can just read Swift... Perhaps I should re-read Ulysses before any future visit.

I arrived back in an England of soft rain, hawthorn, and cow parsley, for which I was glad.

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The next book club is 14th May 19.00 UK time where we will be discussing David Copperfield and thinking about the intersection of fiction and autobiography.