I was able to visit the city of Dublin back in 2019. It was the weekend after St. Patrick’s day and it seemed the city was still celebrating. We found a bar for live music and they gave us St. Patrick’s day hats that were leftover. I found Dublin to be incredibly welcoming and really enjoyed my time there. When looking for the ultimate Irish hospitality experience, it can easily be found in the capital city: Dublin, Ireland.
Irish Hospitality
Ireland is known for its world-class hospitality and tourism industry. I’m sure anywhere you visit in Ireland could offer you an amazing Irish hospitality experience. However, if you’re only visiting Ireland for a few days and you still want that experience while visiting Dublin, I would recommend staying in a B&B or Airbnb. With this type of booking, you’ll be able to get to know your host and learn so much about Dublin and the country of Ireland.
We were welcomed by our host and they even drove us to the airport after our stay was over. One of the things I noticed was that during the day they preferred that the blind be halfway drawn in every room so their house looked pleasant from the street. It was this attention to detail that really went a long way with the accommodation we were provided. You’ll find that hospitality is all about the details and the tourism industry in Ireland has certainly figured that out.
Stay with a Host
Our hosts offered shared rooms and told us that they had gone through and updated the bathroom along with each room so their guests enjoyed their stay. The bathroom was updated nicely(the shower specifically) and they provided fresh towels for us.
The bed in this Airbnb is still the most comfortable bed I have slept in throughout Europe. If you’ve traveled over to Europe before and you’re from the US, one thing you probably noticed was the stiff mattresses. After months of staying on the thin mattress in my student accommodations, this mattress was heaven.
Our host also offered us tea or coffee more than once during our stay and invited us to join them in conversation. This is where I really enjoyed having more of a connection to the local culture. It was so nice to hear their perspectives and about their life in Dublin.
Find Live Music
One of the great things about Dublin is the number of pubs offering live music. You can find all different types of music and the city really comes alive at night. We were able to find two different pubs with live music on Saturday night while we were there.
One pub was playing more traditional Irish songs and the second played a variety and there was a DJ playing dance hits in between sets. Both pubs were lively and enjoyable. My advice for finding live music is to pick a pub to visit for lunch earlier in the day as there are usually flyers promoting different live music in the area.
Take a Walking Tour
Another way you can get a great Irish hospitality experience in Dublin, Ireland, is to book an Airbnb experience or join any walking tour in the area. On a walking tour, your guide is usually a local or at least someone who has lived there for many years.
Our guide taught us more about the history, social climate, and politics of Ireland in 3 hours than I could’ve learned in guidebooks or google searches over weeks of researching. You can, of course, learn about the history of the city or the country but you won’t get the perspective of someone who grew up, lives, and works in that city. An in-person tour like this really helps you to feel connected to Dublin, Ireland.
Drink the Guinness with Locals
In Ireland, pubs are social spaces. It’s where families and friends gather. They are open to all and act as a social hub for the surrounding area. The pubs in the center of Dublin will be more touristy and busy but if you find a pub on the outskirts of the city or on a side street, you’ll likely notice they have a lot of regulars and they all seem to know each other.
The great thing about pubs is that, again, anyone is welcome. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, you’ll be welcomed into the pub, and others around you will likely strike up a conversation with you. Don’t be alarmed, this is normal behavior there. If you’ve ever been to the Midwest in the US, you’ll find people in Ireland will be just as friendly. Visiting pubs is a big part of the Irish hospitality experience.
Even if you aren’t a beer drinker or you don’t like dark beers, please do yourself a favor and still try a Guinness while in Dublin, Ireland. It may seem like a crazy concept but the Guinness tastes completely different in Dublin. It’s fresh and not nearly as bitter as the version shipped around the world. The longer Guinness travels the more bitter it will be. So trust me, it’s better in Dublin and won’t taste like any Guinness you’ve had in other parts of the world.
Take the Bus
In Dublin, you’ll find public transportation to be reliable and convenient. We purchased a 3-day Dublin pass at the airport when we landed that included the city buses and the hop-on-hop-off buses. The tourism stand at the airport was extremely helpful and Dublin is the only city that I’ve been to where the hop-on-hop-off buses were efficient and worth the time. Getting to the sites and attractions was easy with the bus pass.
While waiting for the bus we also had an entertaining conversation with a local. Again, people will talk to you and want to have conversations with you in Ireland. They have the gift of gab which means they will indeed talk with anyone for an extended period of time. I think this is really the charm of Dublin, Ireland. It’s a big city but you’ll still feel very welcome.
It’s a Friendly City
Our bus stop friend hoped that we would enjoy the city and come back to visit again in the future. He also told us the city was very welcoming to people of the LGBTQ+ community. We did learn more about the laws and policies affecting the LGBTQ+ community on our walking tour and found this to be true. Overall, Dublin is very welcoming.
I hope this article has helped you to learn more about Dublin, Ireland. Dublin was one of my favorite capital cities to visit and I will definitely be sharing more about it in the future!
If you enjoyed this article, you may like my guide to Edinburgh, Scotland. Click here to check it out: https://creativeandambitious.com/discover-edinburgh/
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