A last-minute ticket for Liam Gallagher was the cue for an impromptu pub crawl in the always wonderful Irish capital
Normally, this commute is full of sleepy holidaymakers up from the crack of dawn for an early flight but this one was different; the denim jackets with sewed-on badges, the mod haircuts and the clinking bags told their own story.
Indeed, ‘most everyone appeared to be on a mission, bottles of beer and tins of pre-mixed cocktails surreptitiously hissing left, right and centre, out of earshot of the driver as we pulled onto the M1 and headed south.
Heathens the lot of them, I grumped.
In the miserable throes of middle-age, instead I had a cappuccino to hand, though I would make up for it later, unsteadily encircling the perimeter fence of St Stephen’s Green umpteen times in a vain, drunken search for my hotel.
Eventually, as midnight approached, I ended up hailing a taxi, which took me the 300 yards round the corner to where I was staying, Townhouse on the Green — a more prominent location you will probably never find, unless like me you’re three sheets to the wind and flummoxed by something even as simple as Google Maps.
Townhouse on the Green at St Stephen’s Green, Dublin
Anyway, what was I saying? Dublin, what a spot. If this weekend witnessed an invasion of teenybopper Swifties, last Sunday it was all about over-the-hill, really-should-know-better rockers — many of whom like me made the two-hour jaunt down from Belfast — as Liam Gallagher and German metal legends Rammstein played separate gigs.
And last minute tickets for the former was my cue for an impromptu pub crawl around one of my favourite cities.
There are many ways to skin a cat, and how you do Dublin is up to you. My last few visits have all been one-night stopovers, and still it always amazes me how much you can cram in.
Last time I was down, I did the culture thing — a dander round the Guinness Storehouse at St James’s Gate; a dip into the fabulous Little Museum of Dublin (next door to Townhouse on the Green, incidentally) and the Irish Whiskey Museum; a whistle-stop tour of Marsh Library, where one Abraham Stoker dreamed up his gothic classic Dracula; and then into the adjacent St Patrick’s Cathedral, where Ireland’s patron saint baptised Christian converts more than 1,500 years before, and where Jonathan Swift of Gulliver’s Travels fame is buried, vertically for some reason, next to his beloved life partner Stella.
And next time I’m down, no doubt I’ll forgo the all-day drinking for some more culture. I want to see Kilmainham Gaol, crucible of revolutionary Ireland; to see the battlements of Dublin Castle, bastion of English rule for centuries; to catch a play at Abbey Theatre; to walk the hallowed halls and cobblestoned squares of Trinity.
Last weekend, however, it was decidedly less high-brow as I drank for Ireland ahead of Liam’s gig at the 3Arena, hitting Bar Rua and The Old Stand just off Grafton Street, proceeding to Drury Street for some wine and cheese at Loose Cannon at George’s Street Arcade, before ending up where I always end up, sipping gin in the gorgeous but gloriously self-important Cafe en Seine on Dawson Street.
Maxie Swain on the beer at Bar Rua in Dublin
Home for the day was the brand new Townhouse on the Green, an elegant boutique hotel located at one of Dublin’s most prestigious addresses, directly opposite St Stephen’s Green — always a hive of activity but even more so this Sunday with the sun splitting the trees.
On a previous visit to Dublin, I learned more about this serene oasis slap bang in the middle of the city, and the story of Beaux Walk in particular. Situated on the northside of the green, for some 200 years, part of the path doubled as a “marriage market” apparently, where Dublin’s dandies strutted to catch the eye of the city’s beauties.
On Sunday past, there was a lot less sexual tension in the air, thankfully, as tourists milled around, pals lounged lazily in the sun, and the resident ducks and mallards paddled by.
Townhouse on the Green dates back to 1790, built by adventurer Thomas Lighton who left Ireland to seek his fortune abroad, most notably with the East India Company.
“We don’t like to delve too deeply into his past,” the hotel manager smiled ruefully, a nod to the company’s reputation for exploitation and plunder. However he made his money, his legacy is this little Georgian gem of a hotel.
This was the house he built for himself on his return to Dublin as a wealthy man, his prosperity reflected in its grandeur, from the solid granite steps and impressive Georgian door down to the detail of the Portland stone stairs, original wrought-iron balusters and curling mahogany handrails.
The bedrooms, set on the third and fourth floors, are pleasingly plush too, a “charming blend of historical detail and contemporary comfort” as the website rightly proclaims, and all come with king-size bed, air con, complimentary high-speed wi-fi and a smart TV.
For location, opposite the green, next door to Dawson Street and two minutes from Grafton Street, it’s hard to beat, with any God’s amount of theatres, galleries, museums, bookshops, boutiques, bars and restaurants to hand.
Downstairs is cosy wine bar Cellar 22, while next to the hotel reception is the wonderful Floritz restaurant.
Floritz on St Stephen’s Green, Dublin
It’s a stunning space with food to match. Led by head chef Matt Fuller, it bills itself as a restaurant for the adventurous, in a house built by an adventurer, and it’s no idle boast.
Some of the dishes sounded leftfield — black pepper creme brulee with steak, anyone — but in the hands of talented chefs, everything was really, really good, from the slow-cooked lamb belly bao buns, to the chicken and peanut skewer, cooked over coals and finished with freshly shaved summer truffles and classic peanut dip.
And the sides were arguably even better, sweetcorn and jalapeño fritters, deep-fried and served with a coriander, basil and orange salsa, and rice chips — sushi rice pressed into cubes then deep-fried and coated in a spicy miso-based sauce.
The sweetcorn and jalapeño fritters at Floritz
Unsurprisingly, the service was five-star too, with the bubbly, enthusiastic Noah a credit to his profession.
From there on in, it was carnage after a beautiful bottle of rioja at Floritz sent me over the edge…
It goes without saying I didn’t make breakfast in the morning. Maybe I should have stuck to the cappuccinos.
Factfile
■ An overnight stay with breakfast for two adults starts from €259. To celebrate the opening of Townhouse on the Green, guests staying from June to August 31 will receive a complimentary glass of the sommelier’s favourite wine from 5pm-6pm each day in Cellar 22.
■ For a reservation at Floritz: info@floritz.ie. Visit: @floritzdublin and www.floritz.ie