Dublin // South of the Liffey

So this post is going to be extremely photo-heavy, I must tell you in advance! As previously mentioned, Dublin is divided into North and South by the River Liffey. Each side has a different character, and different things to offer to those who visit. Above is College Green. It's the street which follows the very famous Grafton Street.

The outside of Dublin Castle.

 Parliament House, now known as the Bank of Ireland.

The Royal Exchange, now  a hotel.

Christchurch Cathedral.

Dublin City is punctuated by a lot of redbrick buildings.

Avoca is my top recommendation for gifts. If you're looking for Irish made food, blankets, stationery, jumpers or anything else really, go to Avoca. It is a most wonderful shop for souveniers, and has a restaurant in it too which my friends and I all love. It does have multiple locations, but the one in Dublin City is on Suffolk Street.

Fallon & Byrne, a high end supermarket and restaurant on Exchequer Street.

George's Street, which houses a really cool arcade that has all kinds of stalls and shops.

The city's tram is called the "Luas" which means "speed" in Irish and is said pretty much how it is said, like the name "Louis" pronounced the English way. They're currently working to join up the two different Luas lines so that city travel will be easier.

My favourite bookshop of all, Hodges Figgis! It's much like Waterstones in England, but has a long history and is mentioned in Ulysses.

This is the Molly Malone, a statue which for years stood on Grafton Street but was moved in 2014 (apparently only temporarily). Tourists love her. I must say, I don't really know why but she is very famous. If you've ever heard the song that goes:

"In Dublin's fair city,

where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

as she wheeled her wheel barrow

through the streets broad and narrow,

crying cockles and muscles alive, alive-o!"

...it's about that woman! That song is featured in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" which I'm reading at the moment. Anyway, I wouldn't necessarily recommend going to see the statue, but if you really want to (no judgement here), it's currently located on Suffolk Street.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? x

part 1 - temple bar // part 3 - the quays // part 4 - the sweet stuff // part 5 - the north side