Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Hellloooo!
I apologise if a million people have done this before, but didn't know if the time specificness would make a difference.

I'm coming to Dublin for 2 days in June - June 24 to June 26, and am wondering if any locals may be able to make any recommendations on what I must do/see/eat/etc while I'm here? I haven't figured out where I'm staying yet - I need to get a map and look at where things are, so any recommendations would be gladly received.. I'm so excited to see your beautiful city. Thank you!

Matt

I'm not local but I was just there! I wrote a blog post about it.

I went to Dublin in 2009 for a research trip looking at Irish history while I was vegetarian but not vegan.

Personally, I loved seeing Kilmainham Gaol (http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/kilmainhamgaol/), Glasnevin Cemetery (http://www.glasnevintrust.ie/), the National Museum of Ireland (http://www.museum.ie/) and thought Dublin Castle was pretty interesting with a guided tour, although I wouldn't prioritise it for such a short trip (http://www.dublincastle.ie/).

ETA: I also went to walk around Trinity College, which was lovely for a picnic in the sunshine!

My favourites were drinking beer, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and Cornucopia. We liked the pedestrianized areas too. We were only in Dublin for 2.5 days, but found the city centre really pedestrian friendly.

Heya! There are a few Dublin PPKers around, so you should get lots of suggestions.

I'd recommend spending a day in and around Dublin 2.
Take in the Natural History museum (which is teeny and hasn't changed since Victorian times) and the National Gallery which is next door to it. Head around the block and down the road to Cornucopia for lunch (or KC Peaches, which has a good few vegan options), then a walk up Grafton Street (possibly stopping for vegan bubble tea on the way) and on to Stephen's Green, which is one of the biggest public parks in Europe. Bonus points if you head to Murphy's ice cream on Wicklow street for a couple of scoops of sorbet to enjoy there.

All of these places are in a small enough area and by walking you'll get to see some of the really lovely buildings like Trinity college. The Happy Cow app is pretty good for Dublin as well. If you're looking for something a bit more "off the beaten track", then shout :)

If you want to see knock your socks off beauty, trek on up to Wicklow. It's only about 30 minutes from Dublin center and is the most beautiful spot on earth. Glendalough and Powerscourt are lovely. Johnny Fox is fun, but a bit of a tourist trap.

That all sounds so wonderful, thank you everyone! Bookmarking merrily!

You'll be spoilt for choice for food here. I highly recommend Fallon and Byrne who do a special vegan menu if you let them know ahead of time and want a fine dining treat. Cornucopia always have a good, filling selection. Govindas is good, as is Blazing Salads (though pricey for a take away).

Blazing Salads! Hahahahaha. Sorry, I don't know owt about Dublin, but that is an hilarious name for a place.

It's a chain, but.. The wait staff at Wagamama provides delightful eye candy, and they have a tasty vegan menu (you have to ask for it).

Most of the all-veg places we tried were good, but not phenomenal. Go with an empty stomach - the plates of food are universally HUGE in Dublin. Cornucopia was a little on the...whole grain side, I think.

We did make the trip up to Cork to eat at Cafe Paradiso, but found very little that was vegan there. I still had a great meal, but it was sad to go to such a world-famous place and not really be able to eat much on the menu. It's not a bad train ride, though.

ETA as far as sightseeing goes, I'm pretty sure there's a requirement that you see the Book of Kells while there. I was less interested in the actual book than my husband was, but the library it's in (Trinity?) is gorgeous. I think maybe it was used in..Harry Potter or something?

I've got nothing to add food-wise, all the stuff I know about has been mentioned!

The Book of Kells is quite a popular attraction. The queues can be massive around mid-day though. Funny, I'm a student there but still haven't seen it yet!

If you wanna try something quirky there's the National Leprechaun Museum. Again, I haven't been, but I've only heard good things about it.

Fallon and Byrne sounds so regal!
We also have Wagamama here, too, thanks - and they have a great handle on what's in what.. that's a great suggestion, thanks.
AND I'M TOTALLY HAPPY FOR HUGE PLATES! ANd potatoes! OMFG!

The book of Kells? I think I totally need to start researching what's around. I'm Australian - nothing here is particularly old, or historic, or... interesting! So the tourist sites here are very different and not particularly interesting (To me, at least). Europe is totally blowing my mind.

The Leprechaun museum sounds hilarious, and must be on my list.

Any accommodation recommendations? like what areas to choose, what areas to avoid? I'll be on my own, so looking for something budget, but quiet!

They're all great suggestions! (And I didn't know Fallon and Byrne do a vegan menu, whoop!)

The Natural History Museum is also known as 'The Dead Zoo' - it's basically full of taxidermied animals from Victorian times - fascinating, but a little gruesome. In the National Museum there's another kind of gruesome - you can see bog bodies - preserved remains of people who fell into or were placed into bogs, well worth a look.

The Book of Kells is worth a look, the book itself is beautiful, but you also exit through the Long Room, a library which allegedly inspired the Jedi archives http://scyfilove.com/1948/visit-the-jed ... ge-dublin/ and some Harry Potter thing.

There are a few burrito places around now; Pablo Picante http://www.pablopicante.org/ and Tuzo http://www.tuzomex.com/home.html would be my recommendations - with the usual 'no cheese, no sour cream'. Quick, tasty and filling!

Dublinia might be fun http://www.dublinia.ie/ - disclaimer: have not been since I was a child!

You could take a day trip to Glendalough http://www.glendalough.ie/ using this bus company http://www.glendaloughbus.com/ - there are some cool old ruins and churches and a round tower, and you could have a nice walk and a picnic (grab something in Blazing Salads before you leave Dublin), and be back in Dublin in time for dinner and pints! If you don't want to go all that way, you could take the DART along the coast to Bray (to the south) or Howth (to the north), both nice little towns and the train journey is lovely.

If you do Glendalough, make a day of it by going to Powerscourt and then top it off with Johnny Fox. They are all in Wicklow. I can't imagine a more beautiful place anywhere on Earth. My uncle lives right near Powerscourt and the waterfall; he has peacocks!

Slightly odd question: can you get nooch anywhere in Dublin?

Yes, you can although I struggle to find it in the Nourish shops you can get it in down to earth on Georges St and the Dublin food Co-op. It might be in the bigger Nourish stores though.

Always get my nooch from Dublin food co-op. Its the blue one with the added B12

OP - for acommodation you could try the travelodge. There is one in Rathmines which although not in the heart of the city its a 5 min bus journey/15 min walk into Stephens Green. Its a nice area with cafes and restaurants (Jo` burger being one of my faves - you can get vegan burgers and sweet pot fries there mmmmm) with great links into town and further afield.

There are plenty of hostels in the city but I have never stayed in one or know of anyone who has. The city centre hotels would be quite expensive really but worth checking booking.com for a quick overview of prices. Maybe have a look then come back to enquire further about a few that you might be considering?

The bus system is great too, albeit a litte expensive. We stayed near the airport and it wasn't at all a bother to bus into the city centre. We talked to some American girls at Cornucopia and found out they were paying more for their hostel in the city than we were for our airport hotel and bus fare included! We stayed at Bewley's, which is a massive but extremely clean hotel. With a liquor vending machine. If you are into that kind of thing (I was, it was a long road to Dublin). There are a lot of different shuttles to Glendalough too, but they seem really touristy and we just opted to rent a car (we were driving to Galway and Donegal, so it made sense!).

I'm so jealous. I was only in Ireland long enough to just once take a breath of years and years of culture, my own heritage, the modern spirit, and a country full of fascinating people. It was awful to have to leave! Make the most of every second. :)

Most health food stores have nooch - the brand is Engevita and it costs about a fiver. I get the stuff in the blue tub too for the added b12. Om nom nom.