My accommodation is already sorted, courtesy of the Arlington Hotel O’Connell Bridge, I’m looking for tips on what to do and see in Dublin and/or for volunteer guides to show me around. I’m interested in getting off the beaten track and seeing beyond the usual tourist attractions.

Tips

Dee of Dream a Little Dream suggests making your way to the Newgrange and Knowth sites, two huge ancient burial mounds that are supposed to be older then the pyramids, lined up with the winter solstice. Amazing thing to see! We rented a car for 2 days to make a trip to see that and the Cliffs of Moher. But I believe there are tour buses you can take that will take you to the site as well. It’s about an hour outside the city.

Angela K Nickerson of The Gypsy’s Guide highly recommends the fish and chips at the Cellar Bar. Fabulous! And for us Yanks who don’t do tea often, the Merrion offers a fantastic high tea.

Paul Kilduff recommends a train trip on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) – catch the train in town and head north to Howth, stop there and have a seafood lunch at the harbour and then take the train south to Killiney – hop off to see Bono’s house from the outside and also see Dalkey Village – its a great trip for next to nothing. For quirky shopping stop at the Powerscourt Town Centre 5 mins from Grafton Street. To see an old Dublin pub, visit Kehoes on South Anne Street.

Maria of iwannagothere recommends a walk around the Temple Bar cultural quarter and the Loft Market for shopping.