Dublin, Ireland (Part 2)
During our first full day in Ireland, the day’s itinerary included Dublin Castle, the Guinness Storehouse, and the Jameson Whisky Distillery. What better way to learn about a country than through its castles and drinks!
A short walk from Dublin Castle was the Guinness Storehouse, a must see for anyone visiting Dublin. The storehouse opened in 2000 next to the St. James Gate Brewery where the delicious black stuff is made. (Correction: We learned the actual color is a deep ruby red, but everyone still calls it black). The Storehouse is 7-floors of pure Guinness history from the life of founder, Arthur Guinness and his wife Olivia Whitmore (who had 21 children), to information about how the beer is made. At the end of the journey, we were treated to a pint at the roof top Gravity Bar which provides a bird’s eye overview of the entire city, a sight not to be missed.
We wanted to keep the buzz going so we walked across the river to the Jameson Bow St. Whisky Distillery, in the rain. This experience was truly one of the highlights of our trip. From the in-person tour guide who was an embodiment of Ireland, to the interactive displays and tastings, we were glad we made the stop. The distillery was founded in 1780 by John Jameson, who like Arthur Guinness, was an Irish institution himself. The distillery expanded multiple times throughout its history and was known by many as a city within a city as the company was a major employer from saw mill operators, engineers, carpenters, painters, and coppersmiths. Even today, the Jameson Distillery continues to support the local economy by providing Jameson distilled hand sanitizer, at no cost, to the Irish Government as part of the country wide pandemic efforts. At the conclusion of the tour, we headed to the Jameson bar and had a drink (Jameson and ginger, of course - shout out to our friend Mike). We got to chat with a couple we met on the tour. The were originally from Ohio, but were visiting from Stuttgart, Germany. After some great drinks, we decided to head back to the hotel.
On the walk back, our stomachs were growling and we happened to pass an old stone building adorned with flowers which claimed to be Ireland’s oldest pub. Of course, we had to stop! The Brazen Head located in Merchant’s Quay, next to the River Liffy dates back to 1198 and was just what we were looking for. When in Rome (or in this case Ireland), we decided Guinness and Jameson, fish and chips and Guinness beef stew are the only cures for hunger. We ordered just that and had a wonderful dinner seated next to a stone fireplace and surrounded by Irish artwork. This was also the place where Kirsten learned from our friendly bartender that Smithwicks beer and a splash of black currant juice is one of the most delicious combinations! If you haven’t tried it, it’s a must!
