Dublin Tourist Guide: Trinity College - the Long Room…read more If you're traveling to Dublin you must make a few hours to walk Trinity College. I'll share more about the college itself on that yelp page but this review is strictly for the library at Trinity college with an emphasis on the Long Room (one of the most famous views on the campus). Built in the 1700s this library has been used in reference in so many movies and many people will recognize these photos from social media, as it's a highly photographed spot from the college. I was extremely lucky that despite coming in the summer we came on a weekday and it wasn't as packed as most people's own pictures seem to reflect. So my pro tip of course would be to come off season, but if you can't - even us coming in peak tourist season a weekday mid afternoon was a great time to come. The library is literally stunning. I'll honestly never forget it and for as simple as a library may seem, it was one of my favorite historical spots (indoors) that I had seen. The library is roped off on the sides so you don't have full access which makes sense as they don't want people touching the books. Being in the center though you still got great views and I was also lucky to come when they weren't doing maintenance on the library. Something to keep in mind as I've seen they sometimes remove the books for cleaning and maintenance, so something to look up before coming. 5/5 would recommend coming to the long room at the library, a great spot to check out.

Must-visit part of Trinity College in Dublin - we stopped by after The Book of Kells…read more The long room is a library with tens of thousands of books and busts of famous men and women (like Socrates and Shakespeare) lining both sides. It also houses the Brian Boru Harp, which is the oldest surviving Irish harp and a symbol of Ireland. Other notable artifacts include The Irish Proclamation of 1916, and various books and letters of scientific and cultural significance - from botanical drawings to world maps to metal coins. Wish I had taken more time to browse - will be back!

This was really cool!…read more They have a huge archive of classic English surnames. Mine, Saunders is an English/Welsh name derivative of Anderson. I was able tot get a plaque with my last name, which had history and other cool information and our family crest. I also got a pin for my brother with the coat of Arms. If you have a surname of English lineage, this shop is really cool!

Amazing service, nothing was too much trouble for the Team. I was absolutely delighted with the…read morerefurbished plaque and the amazing painting of the armorials by the heraldic artist. The attention to detail was incredible. I also have to mention the kindness and consideration shown to me when I discovered my wallet was missing from my handbag as I went to pay going so far as to call the Resturant I had recently left to enquire if it had been found. I cannot recommend House of Names highly enough for their professional service/ attention to detail and a "caring" attutide towards their customers.

So glad that we ended up being in Dublin during the night market, and that we happened to see a…read moreflyer about the night market. Although it's very small and not so many vendors, I thought it was great, and the vendors that were there were really nice. I ended up buying something from 3 vendors, and as a bonus, knocked out some souvenirs. Personally, I'd rather support the local vendors rather than the shops around Temple bar.

Thought I would check this out last Thursday, as I had been looking for some cheaper things to do…read morethat could get me out of the apartment during the week. I have to say this was a lot of fun! There was loads of booths selling everything you could think of, from picture frames, to statues, to scarves! Live painting (which was REALLY interesting to watch) and live music. Definitely great craic for a thursday night. Can't wait to check out the next one!

Still as evocative today as it was when they laid the last tile in 1974, Desmond Kinney's "The…read moreTáin" is a brilliant piece of Dublin art tying in Setanta House with its mythic namesake. Often read left to right (as you come in at the end of the story and the entrance of the small car park), the wall is a highlight reel of Irish hero Cuchulainn's exploits -cows, queens and bloody battles. As a piece of durable street art, the mural is alive with colour and motion -pulling the observer along its story telling track with fluid bodies and jewel coloured tesserae. I first met this statue at 13 and was awestruck -art existed everywhere in Dublin. That first long picture I snapped would be one of many as I made return trips to the city and this mosaic again and again. Walking past it today feels as if an old friend is just around the corner.

How to properly give an all-sorts shop like Heraldic Artists its fair due?…read moreSure, this is a one-stop for ancestry-hunters to find all the merch they could ever need strapped with the family crest. But this quirky little tourist trap delivers a lot more punch once you look past the Latin-scrawled tea towels and pewter mugs. A smattering of antiques, a load of Irish Heritage publications, plus resources and suggestions where to begin tracing your roots right here in Dublin... it's all here. While there are a few of these Ancestry shops running successfully in town HA feels the most genuine, partly because of its tenure on Nassau street and partly because of it's very Irish method of running a business (ex: the shops hours are posted with a note that they'll only open "weather permitting"). Great personality, great resources, an excellent shop.

I love this shop, it has an incredible range of Plaques, Gift Books and other great Souvenirs. The…read moreowner of the shop is very friendly. I have purchased many souvenirs from Heraldic Artists and i hope to make many more purchases in the future.

What do you know about Dundrum? There is a shoppoing centre, the luas goes there,it has a great…read morecinema....but did you know it has a castle? OOOOooohhh now there is a nice little fact about the place for ya! the first castle was built in 1169 as part of an outer ring around dublin city and then the proper castle arrived in 1590, I cant even imagine back that far! Where is it you ask? well you know the bridge over the Dundrum by pass? well going across the bridge heading towards Ballinteer you will see some apartments with cedar wood sides on your right and just behind them is where the castle is, since those apartments were built you have not been able to get into the ruins of the castle but you can see it through a big fence. I think its important that people realise Dundrum is not some new area cause there is a shopping centre there now, its been around longer than any of us can imagine! wonder could any of those people back in 1169 could imagine what would be in Dundrum in the futuristic 2009!

I just received exceptional service from Dublin Crystal. I had made a mistake on my order, they…read moresorted me out and were incredibly kind and accommodating. They saved the day for me.

Buried in the middle of a hollow in Dundrum is a surprisingly large shop containing a enough…read morecrystal to make any given black horned bull really quite happy... ok, that would have worked better if I were reviewing a china shop but thems the breaks...no? ok, I'll stop. The shop contains a strange mix of some of the most beautiful pieces of crystal I have ever seen, some decanters I would seriously trade my cat for (and that's saying something) and some of the most officially nasty and tacky bits of crap you will ever see. Where the decanters and vases are hand cut crystal, executed by artisans who take considerable pride in their work, there are also laser cut pieces which are unspeakably awful.... Have your child's/cats/anacondas image embossed within a cube of glass... nasty isn't in it.

Tonight off I went to one more event, part of the "Dublin Food Porn" theme. It was a 1h or so quick…read moreset up in the basement of the trendy Platform 61 in D2. The crew had their masks and leathers on and there were leaflets of lube of different flavours and tingling things... The place itself is very small and there were many people so got a bit overcrowded and warm. There was a queue of at least 20 girls waiting for a bit of make-up so I preferred to look at the products, chat and try the cocktails and nibbles. My stars go to the delicious mint and vodka drinks and to the absolutely delish creme brûlée! The event itself didn't have much interaction though. The goodie bag had a discount voucher, 2 condoms and a few small samples of lube.

Finally, I feel connected to the world and my own nationality. I don't drink alcohol, never had a…read moretaste for it, probably because I've a maaaaaajor sweet tooth hehe! Good food is my only buzz. I was on a Youth Exchange with Italian folk and swore I was meant to be Italian because of their love of fine foods. I am a food enthusiast and am always eating in the City Centre. I look up reviews like these ones sussing out new little places. I really love to hear independent cafes/restaurants opening up because they take their own way on serving up a dish, with unique recipes and a different approach to the same old, same old that you'd get in the likes of Starbucks, Costa etc. I've chosen to share a few photos here that when I look at, still make my mouth water. Pitt Bros is a must-try for anyone who likes MEAT. And, if you like authentic American style BBQ! The meat is cooked low 'n' slow with some of the tastiest sides such as Mac 'n' Cheese. N.B. This is the only Mac 'n' Cheese I've found that I like! Sweet Republic is a must-try for sweet lovers. It's in the name, it's a republic for sweet things! They've got surreal combinations, such as overloaded milkshakes with muffin tops! Thinking of the nutella milkshake with the donut top is giving me a head rush.. Aungier Danger is a little hub for creatively filled donuts. It's got all sorts of donuts such as a red velvet and banana and carmel. They stay open until all the fresh donuts have been sold! I popped in late one evening, and as expected all the lovely donuts were gone. However, the lad on the counter prompted me with a donut style ice cream cone filled with vanilla ice cream. I was hesitant at first, but after my first bite of that doughy cone I was very pleased with my choice! The dough was so tasty and the ice cream complemented the sweetness!

The Grove Wildlife Sanctuary is essentially a plot, maybe an acre or so, at the top of Morehampton…read moreRd on the N11. It was donated to An Taisce by Kathleen Goodfellow , and what a good fellow to separate with this property, in 1979. The whole thing has the feel of the Miss Havishams about it and the aesthetic to boot. It's the type of place that everyone local is aware of but no one has any solid information about. Having employed my journalistic expertise I have unearthed that Miss Goodfellow, as she is titled by An Taisce, wanted the property to be kept as a nesting site for birds and for it to be maintained by An Taisce I suppose, well, forever. An Taisce take out cursory and unobtrusive maintenance on the site every once in a while making sure not to disturb the birdie num-nums. Apparently the property is impossible to build on because the Swan River runs underground nearby I have never seen this river above ground or even heard of it before for that matter but I'll take their word for it. At any rate the birdies are happy, they already have a lot of green spaces around what with Herbert Park and all, but I won't be begrudging them for it. This type of small, sealed green space in urban area seems like a resoundingly positive idea with all that nasty global warming going about.

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Very disappointing! Arrived at 3.30 only to find a humongous queue which I had to stand in for 45…read moreminutes!!!!! When I got to the front, there was no food left. I wasn't even offered the common courtesy of equivalent coupons and vouchers! I think in future I will just pay for my food, but not at yelp restaurant.