In 2018, during study abroad, I crossed a major trip off my bucket list. I spent St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin. I have sparse memories of this trip where only specific things (like a Shamrock Shake) stand out in my mind, which is unusual for me. I recently looked back at my journal note where I always remarked whether I felt I spent enough time in a city to get a good sense of it.
For this trip, I wrote, “This was one city (and it may have had something to do with the holiday) that I really felt like I didn’t get a chance to explore to its fullest potential. I would book at least two full days, and if you’re going over St. Patrick’s Day, then going for longer because a good portion is taken up by the bar scene.”
It seems that the brevity of the trip (and perhaps the bar scene) has eradicated some of those details I would typically remember and write about. That said, I believe preserving the memories I do have is just as important.
My Itinerary
As noted above, I took this trip during my 2018 study abroad semester. As a result, my trip itinerary wasn’t quite so flexible with time due to my school schedule. I also made certain travel decisions to circumvent high flight prices. For example, I trained from Dublin to Cork instead of flying back to London on Sunday immediately.
Here’s an overview of what my weekend looked like before we dive in a little deeper:
- Flew from London to Dublin at 10:30 AM on Friday
- Train from Dublin to Cork at 12:00 PM on Sunday
- Flew from Cork to London at 2:45 PM on Monday
Friday
I flew into Dublin from London at 10:30 AM on Friday. The city was packed ahead of the holiday, but I still wanted to see some of the main sights before the all-day drinking that would dominate Saturday.
Here are some of the top sights in Dublin:
- The Spire of Dublin
- Patrick’s Cathedral
- Dublin Castle
- Ha’penny Bridge
- Stephen’s Green
- The Guinness Storehouse Tour
The Guinness Storehouse Tour is one of those sites that remains in my mind years later. I booked it months in advance, and I would recommend that route to anyone who wants to hit the beer giant during a trip to Ireland. This is something that everyone plans to do in Dublin, and the tour was absolutely packed on the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day.
Fortunately, the tour is easy to book, and it opens online 60 days ahead of time. I remember telling the friend I was traveling with that we had to get reservations way back in early February. She laughed at me, but I don’t regret my eagerness. At the end of that tour, I ended up purchasing some souvenir Guinness glasses that I gifted to my father for Christmas nine months later.
Drinking my long-desired Shamrock Shake in the streets of Dublin
Saturday
I won’t lie that Saturday is a bit of a blur in my memory. I met up with friends in the city near Temple Bar. This pub is located in the busy riverside neighborhood in Dublin, which is spread over cobbled pedestrian lanes (not the best for day drinking). The bar is home to the largest whiskey collection in Ireland, and it’s everything you would expect for a rowdy St. Patrick’s Day party. We spent several hours in line waiting to get in, and it’s honestly not that different from other bars in the city. In fact, the pints are overpriced, and it’s full over everyone but Irish people. That said, it’s an event in itself to say that you’ve been, so it’s forever part of my St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin memory.
My friend, Madi, and me in Temple Bar on March 17
After exiting in the late afternoon, we headed to the least Irish place in sight: McDonald’s. I’m no McDonald’s lover, but I did have one thing in mind that I’ve had every St. Patrick’s Day in memory (thanks Mom!), a Shamrock Shake. I was desperate to know if the shakes were only popular in the States or if they were sold in Ireland as well.
To my surprise, I managed to obtain a Shamrock Shake and drank in while sitting in the cobblestone streets of Dublin.
As the evening began, my friend group dispersed as often happens with day drinking. People were cranky. They need more substantive foot. They need to nap. I was doing okay at that point, and instead, I headed out to Howth, which was recommended to me by a friend in London. Looking back, I’m not quite sure how I had the energy, but I still have this picture on my camera roll as evidence that I made it right before sundown.
The sun setting in Howth
Sunday
My Sunday morning wasn’t notable for any reason. Dublin had some unexpected light snow, which made it the perfect morning to hunker down and eat a nice hotel breakfast before heading to the train station. Off to Cork I went!
Final Thoughts
If you’d like to hear more about my adventures in Cork, read about That Time I Kissed the Blarney Stone!