Sarah Corcoran

An Alternative Guide to Dublin city. If you’re planning a weekend or extended trip to Dublin’s fair city, you will have read a couple of travel blogs, maybe a ‘Top 5 things to do…’ or the old reliable Lonely Planet to get some ideas and inspiration on what to do there. This is a blog about the lesser known, alternative side of Dublin… what the guidebooks won’t tell you. Listen to… Some of Dublin’s best Reggae and Ska bands perform on a Sunday night in The Foggy Dew pub, centrally based right beside Dublin’s old Central Bank in the city centre. A favourite among these is the band, The Bionic Rats, who never fail to get heads bobbing and feet tapping with their original music and alternative sound. It’s a refreshing change to Temple Bars usual ‘Galway Girl’ and best of all they don’t have a cover charge. Wear… The vintage clothing scene in Dublin is growing fast. The past few years have seen more and more vintage clothes shops and flea markets popping up all over Dublin with the quality in the shops improving and the prices decreasing. Why not escape the high street and try to find a one of a kind in Lucy’s Lounge or Tola Vintage, both in the centre of Temple Bar. You could also spend a whole Sunday browsing in the Dublin Flea Market. Eat… There is no shortage of eateries in Dublin, especially now the boom is back. A lot of Dublin restaurants boast quality ingredients, expertly cooked with a variety of styles to suit all tastes. You could eat in Trip Advisors highest rated but where’s the fun in that. Why not try something new like lunch in Brother Hubbard restaurant, healthy and delicious and lunches with an interesting Middle Eastern twist. For dinner, you could try one of Dublin’s newest offerings Token, a restaurant/bar/retro arcade/pinball parlour with food for all tastes and plenty of retro fun to keep you entertained while you wait! Drink… It wouldn’t be fair to be called the home of the black stuff if I didn’t recommend a place with one of the best pours in Dublin. Tom Kennedy’s pub in one of the oldest parts of Dublin, The Liberties, is 800m from the Guinness Storehouse so you cannot be guaranteed much fresher than that. The pub itself is full of old Dublin charm and has live music and karaoke with some of the most entertaining hosts and clientele in Dublin. You won’t find any fancy cocktails in here but the prices are reasonable and the staff and entertainment will keep you coming back. Check out their Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/Tom-Kennedys-Bar-/ Visit… No visit to Dublin is complete without a visit to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, a short 25-minute walk from town or a 15-minute bus journey on a good day. IMMA is full of the weird and wonderful side of art and often has interactive exhibitions for visitors of all ages to enjoy. The grounds of this gallery are a hidden gem in Dublin which are most beautiful in spring/summer when the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming. Winter brings its own frosty beauty to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham also, the finest 17th-century building in Ireland. Not to be missed for arty types and best of all its free in with no need to book. There are so many more exciting alternative things to do in Dublin this is just the tip of the iceberg. Every Dubliner has a hidden gem of their own; a place generally not frequented by travellers or tourists and if you ask them nice enough they will usually be happy to share. Enjoy and happy sightseeing!