Dún Laoghaire: Dublin Day Trip
After a quick visit to St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, my companions and I met up with my favourite Irish travel blogger, Ciara from @mysuitcasediaries. You can check out her blog here. After chatting on Instagram for what feels like forever, I was so glad to finally meet up. Ciara offered to take us on a little day trip outside of the bustling city to a place called Dún Laoghaire.
Getting to Dún Laoghaire
If you take the DART from downtown Dublin, it takes about 20 minutes to get there. I'll link the google maps trip here.
Dún Laoghaire is the cutest seaside getaway: one that I definitely didn't expect to find this close to the city. Apparently, it's pronounced Doon Leary, so make sure to say it right! I think on my first attempt I said Done Log-hair. Major facepalm.
We spent a warm May afternoon there, but you could totally spend a day or two! The town was built around its 200 year old pier, and is filled with things to do. Whether you want to try a new water activity, do a little shopping, or dive into local history, Dún Laoghaire has it.
Check out the town's website for a full list of what's going on.
Teddy's Ice Cream: 99 Reasons to Smile
Ciara suggested we try Teddy's, a charming ice cream shack on the pier. It is a chain in Dublin, but feels pretty authentic.
While they have an enormous range of flavours of both ice cream and gelato, we opted to try the traditional whipped vanilla.
After this refreshing treat, we enjoyed the views of the bay. If you're looking for a little something more to eat, I'd highly recommend grabbing fish & chips at one of the shacks near the pier. You really can't beat fresh seafood!
An unusual 25C day made for many sailboats on the water and a few fishermen on the pier. It turned out to be the perfect day for sight-seeing.
We finished our time here with a patio beer at The Forty Foot pub across the street. I will always value the time we spent with Ciara chatting about Canadian and Irish culture. If you don't have any global friends, I urge you to make some!
Why visit Dún Laoghaire?
Dún Laoghaire is an excellent day trip option if you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Dublin. Being so close by and with so many things to do, it's a great way to experience something a little lesser known. You could easily squeeze in a visit if you're only in Ireland for a few days (like we did!).
It's very picturesque, so bring your camera.
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