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 Of
late Dublin has gained a reputation for being a party town where the Guinness
never stops flowing. Visit at the weekend and you can well believe it as hordes
of happy revellers descend on the city's Temple Bar district, often via ferry
from mainland UK, eager to sample the "craic".
But to talk of Dublin as if its sole draw is the offer of a huge night out is
to misunderstand the city. Although these elements are undoubtedly part of the
experience, the Dublin "craic" is doing as much or as little as you enjoy. Party
until late in the night, or absorb endless examples of art and one of the
most changeable histories of any country in Europe - Dublin is one of the
most interesting small cities in the world.
The history, the charming Georgian architecture and the host of more earthy
entertainment on offer will all entice you to the place, but it is the people
that will leave the biggest impression on you. Elsewhere in Ireland
they'll tell you everyone in Dublin is in a hurry, but that reflects on how amazingly
slow life is throughout the country. A more laid back approach to life can't exist
in any capital in the world, and it is highly contagious.
A nation populated with storytellers, almost every Dubliner will offer
a suggestion on where to go or extra information on where you've been - so much
so that you may find you spend more time talking than you do sightseeing. Befriend
the right man in one of Dublin's traditional watering holes and you'll find an
hour's entertainment for the price of a pint of Guinness - a cliché that,
for once, is true.
But even if the only piece of Dublin you see is the inside of one of the city's
marvellous pubs it'll be enough to make you instantly love the place, and
like the ghost of Molly Malone, you can't help but leave something of your spirit
among its streets.
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