Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Planning Your Trip
to Dublin
I
t's nearly impossible for first-time visitors to appreciate just how far
Dublin has come in a very short time. Native “Dubs,” however, who
left years ago and returned to the “Celtic Tiger” economy, can't
believe their eyes. Their beloved—if slightly down-at-the-heels—
hometown has metamorphosed into a bastion of trendy coffee shops
and juice bars, fusion-cuisine restaurants, minimalist interiors,
designer boutiques, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW dealerships. In
the late 1990s, Ireland had the fastest-growing economy in the
European Union and continues to thrive economically. And
Dublin, as Ireland's capital, is at the epicenter of the boom.
Twenty years ago most visitors to Ireland either bypassed “dirty
aul' Dublin” altogether or made a mad dash from the ferry to the
train station, determined to spend their first night beyond the pale.
Now Dublin certainly gets the glamour vote as one of Europe's
trendiest cities. Sightings of Julianne Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow,
Britney Spears, Robert De Niro, and Cate Blanchett have become
so commonplace that locals barely blink an eye. (The Irish polite
indifference to celebrity is a slice of nirvana for privacy-loving stars.)
Greater Dublin's population has swollen to 1.5 million; more
than a third of the entire country lives here. The time has passed
when aspiring Irish artists owed it to themselves to emigrate. Today
they dig in. If Joyce and Beckett and Wilde could see Dublin today,
they'd be back.
Chances are that you've been looking forward to this trip to
Dublin for some time. You've probably set aside a significant
amount of hard-earned cash, taken time off from work, school, or
other commitments, and now want to make the most of your holi-
day. So where do you start? The aim of this chapter is to provide you
with the information you need to make sound decisions when plan-
ning your trip. You'll find all the necessary resources, along with
addresses, phone numbers, and websites here.
