~ ~ A recent survey shows that Dublin has recently overtaken both Amsterdam and Paris as the top spot in Europe for weekend breaks.
As a taxi-driver in the “Fair City” I can only endorse the findings of this survey. I would estimate there is probably three times the volume of travellers passing through the Airport in Dublin in 2001 than there was in 1995.

~ ~ The entertainment and service industry has had to respond in kind to cater to this new market. The last few years have seen an average of 10 new hotels every month opening their doors for custom, and the cities’ pubs and night-clubs are now the talk of Europe.

~ ~ There is enough history in the City Centre alone to keep the most avid culture vulture happy for weeks.
You have the oldest University in Ireland, Trinity College, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth the First of England. The architecture of this edifice alone makes it worth a visit, and it also houses the Book of Kells, the ancient Christian illuminated manuscript, which dates back to the middle ages.
The Trinity Library is one of the finest to be found anywhere in the world, and the Old Dining Hall where the Fellows partake of Commons every evening is magnificent.
To wander around the Trinity grounds is for all the world like being in either Oxford or Cambridge in the U.K., and indeed, Trinity still has close connections with both these esteemed seats of learning.

~ ~ Talking of parks, Dublin also boasts the largest inner city park in the whole of Europe, the Phoenix Park. This park is so large that it even has its own herd of wild deer, with which I have had various altercations over the years, as they have a propensity to wander out into the middle of the road at night-time, putting the heart crossways in any driver who meets them.
The Phoenix Park is again protected by statute, and is a magnificent amenity for both residents and tourists. It houses Dublin Zoo, which is worth a visit, and is guaranteed to please the younger visitor. It also has in its grounds “Aras An Uchteran”, the residence of the Irish President, which is right across the way from the U.S. Ambassador’s residence. Both are beautiful buildings.

~ ~ Walk another hundred yards and you are faced by the truly awe-inspiring Christchurch Cathedral. This is church architecture at its best, and it also houses a permanent exhibition called Dublinia, which shows the development of the Wood Quay site where the Cathedral stands down through the centuries.
This area is thought to be the first part of Dublin to have been settled, and extensive Viking remains and a Viking village were uncovered on this site when the ground for the new Dublin Corporation Civic buildings was being excavated in the 1970’s.
Civic planning was not so forward thinking at the time, and unfortunately the village was destroyed and built over, but many artefacts and remnants were preserved, and are on display at this exhibition.
Just a step and a jump away is another beautiful Cathedral, Saint Patrick’s, named after the patron saint of Ireland.
An interesting point to note in the passing. In spite of the Republic being 99% Roman Catholic, these two Cathedrals are both Protestant churches.
There is, in fact, no Catholic Cathedral in the city, only what is called the Pro-Cathedral on Marlborough Street, which is not actually a Cathedral at all.
This is because the Catholic Church believe both Christchurch and St. Patrick’s to be their rightful property, and that they were “stolen” by the Protestants at the time of the Reformation. They believe that to consecrate a new Cathedral in the city would be tacit acceptance that the two main Cathedrals were lost forever.

~ ~ If you are still able to face it after a night on the tiles, you can take a guided tour of the Guinness Brewery in St. James Gate, where you can visit their tap room and taste Guinness as it was intended to taste.
The same thing applies to Irish Whiskey, if that is your tipple.
Jamesons, the famous Irish distillers, also have a tour of their distillery in the Smithfield area of the city.
In fact, they have built a magnificent visitor’s centre, with gift shops, bars, restaurants, exhibitions, and all manner of goodies.