Rob and I are really enjoying taking time each weekend to explore our new city. Everything is new. How we get around, what we do, even our daily routine has changed. But we are fully acclimatizing to our new way of life and really jumping feet first and seeing all we can. We are making the most of our time here, and not taking anything for granted. So I thought what a great series for the blog! A series all about our #Irishlife. As part of this new series I will share places we visit, and the things we get up to, stuff that shows you what our life here in Ireland is really like. I hope you like it, and if you do like it, I hope you will share this far and wide so that others can like it too (read: small punt to grow my blog).
Before I get stuck in on all the things you can do in this little seaside town south of Dublin, I have one question to ask you all: How would you pronounce Dun Laoghaire?
You actually pronounce it as “Dun Leary”. Ha! Trust me, it is not how I thought it was pronounced. The same goes for a lot of the towns and suburbs here in Ireland. The spelling and how they are pronounced are really quite foreign to us (hehe, my jokes can be so lame).
Anyway, we have been to Dun Laoghaire twice now and I know we have not explored it entirely – but I had to share what we have done so far – there is so much you can do in this small town!
Random facts about Dun Laoghaire:
- The town in about 9km away from our house. Rob is keen to run there and then take the train back – or run there and back for a really good training run!
- You can catch the Dart (Irish train) and it takes 15 minutes to get there – much quicker than running it!
- The South African Ambassador lives here – crazy but true!
Things to do in Dun Laoghaire:
- Walk along the east or west pier. Dun Laoghaire has a harbour with two piers that enclose around it. They have a board at the start of these two piers that tells you how far each pier is and average time it will take to walk it. It is a great way to get those Fitbit steps up!
- The infamous Teddy’s ice cream – apparently the home of the 99 cone – established in 1950! I am mean can you even imagine how many ice creams that is?! We have had two cones so far: one with crushed oreo’s and the second one was with colored sprinkles. For me, sprinkles was the best! I suggest trying one of each just to be sure.
- James Joyce Tower and museum. Just a little walk down the promenade, it is in a Martello tower that has been converted into a museum. (Full disclosure, I didn’t know who James Joyce was! But he is a pretty big deal around these parts. He was a writer who wrote the play called Ulysses.) The museum is free to visit, and as museum’s go – its small. I mostly enjoyed getting to see what the inside of a Martello tower looks like. The British built 50 Martello towers along the Irish coastline as part of their defense against Napoleon. It is about as tall as two floors and has a tiny staircase inside that winds it’s way to the top. The view at the top of the tower is a real treat. On a clear day you can see Howth.
- People’s Park Food Market which takes place every Sunday. When we first visited Dun Laoghaire, Rob was convinced he smelt a boerie roll being cooked – alas, we could not find one! But it is still a great food market, and one we regularly go to. They have a nice mix of affordable eats, and it is a great place to meet up with friends, plus we bring Jack along (he loves the nibbles on the ground!).
Things we still need to do in Dun Laoghaire:
- The Purty Kitchen is one of the oldest pubs in Ireland. They have a Sunday menu of 2 courses for €20!
- Take the ferry from Dun Laoghaire to Howth. A friend told me about this, and it sounds like such a great way to explore both places in one day!
- Lastly, for the brave (or the reckless), you can go for a swim at Forty Foot. People swim here all year long, it is a popular thing to do on Christmas Day (mid winter!). The day we walked along the promenade we saw a few people going for a dip. I was wearing hat, scarf and coat – and I was freezing just watching them!
Have you been to Dun Laoghaire? Is there anything else you can recommend we see or do there? And seriously, trust me on the sprinkles:
~ Meg ~