The lively Irish capital is pure poetry in motion
Dublin is alive – not as the old tune would have it, with cockles and mussels, but with the swoosh of a Luas tram, the excited voices of visitors and the scrape of suitcases on stone. The Liffey threads through the chaos, crossed by iron bridges and lined with red brick, the city’s noises following the river east and dissolving into the Irish Sea. It’s a compact capital shaped by history, where Georgian order meets the tangled lanes of Temple Bar. Literature and revolution mark the streets and landmarks of this city. The Fusiliers' Arch at the entrance to St Stephen’s Green still bears bullet scars from the 1916 Rising, while every pub seems to claim a famous poet or playwright.
5pm: Cross the water
Cross the Liffey over the Ha’penny Bridge (pictured above) to Ormond Quay. The Winding Stair, named for Yeats’s 1929 collection of poetry, is part bookshop, part restaurant. Shelves line the walls, and a table by the window looks straight on to the bridge. Seasonal Irish produce shapes the menu: fish from Howth, veg from the market.
7pm: A play and a pint
A short walk takes you to Abbey Theatre, founded by Yeats and Lady Gregory as Ireland’s national theatre. Even a short evening show gives a sense of Dublin’s literary pulse, linking streets, cafés, and history in a single performance. Follow with a pint at O’Donoghue’s, a two-minute walk from the Shelbourne – it hums with fiddles and tin whistles, the notes weaving through the chatter of the pub.
Saturday 9am: Art and architecture
Begin at Trinity College. The new Book of Kells Experience brings colour to an ancient manuscript, while the Long Room library is said to have inspired the Jedi library in Star Wars. Walk to Merrion Square, where the Oscar Wilde statue reclines among the trees, near The National Gallery.
11am: Wander by St Stephen’s Green
The Little Museum of Dublin tells the city’s story with humour. Afterwards, slip behind the Green to One Pico, for butter-roasted cod, hand-rolled gnocchi, or duck with figs.
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2.15pm: Poetic Howth Head
Take the Dart to Howth, then follow the trail up the headland to cliffs with wide views across Dublin Bay. It was here that James Joyce set a pivotal romantic moment in Ulysses later relived in Molly Bloom’s famous soliloquy.
5pm: The black heart of it
Stop for a quick jar at McDaid’s, one of Dublin’s oldest literary pubs with Joyce and Patrick Kavanagh among its patrons. Continue to St James’s Gate and the Guinness Storehouse, where the story of the stout and the city’s industrial past comes to life. Finish at Gravity Bar for a cityscape view.
7.30pm: A fusion of Paris and Dublin
Have a champagne aperitif at the historic Horseshoe Bar, then move to Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen, a two-Michelin-star restaurant beneath the former Dublin Writers Museum. The dining room’s décor is French-linen finesse with dishes that might include hand-dived lobster or wild halibut.
Sunday 9.30am: Pay your respects
Close to the Botanic Gardens, at Glasnevin Cemetery, the headstones read like a who’s who of Irish history, from Daniel O’Connell to Michael Collins. Walk its paths, then cross to John Kavanagh ('The Gravediggers') pub for a coffee.
Sunday 11.30am: A bun by the castle
Before you leave, stop at Bake 41 on Pearse Street for a pastry and then wander through the courtyards of Dublin Castle. Finish at the Chester Beatty library, with its manuscripts and art from across the world.
In brief
Stay – The Shelbourne hotel on St Stephen’s Green combines old-world elegance with modern comfort.
Eat – Chapter One leads the charge in modern Irish cooking.
Don’t miss – Wander around Merrion Square to see Dublin in miniature, with bright Georgian doors and leafy parks.
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