Day 3: Fri 30 Aug - Dublin

Was up quite early and after having breakfast Jane and I went exploring.  We bought an unlimited travel 7 day tram ticket (23.80 Euro) and took the tram into the CCD (Convention Centre) which took about 40 mins.  We then walked back to try find phone shop to buy a local sim.  Eventually found a Three shop and bought a 20 Euro “all-you-can-use” data pack – unlimited everything (local) for 30 days - bargain!

It was then back to the hotel to meet up with Sylvain.  There was a McDonalds restaurant adjacent the tram stop so we had lunch there and then went back into city to check out half day tours.  We eventually chose one that went to Malahide Castle and did a coastal tour on the way back where we visited the fishing village of Howth and Howth Summit.  Whilst the sights and views were great, the Tour guide needed a bit of work (GrayLine company).  Timings were all off and very rushed in places where we should have had more time.

We got back to the hotel after 1800 h and decided to have dinner in the hotel restaurant again and Sadie joined us.


Convention Centre Dublin (CCD)

HOHO Bus

Malahide Castle, set on 250 acres of park land in the pretty seaside town of Malahide, was both a fortress and a private home for nearly 800 years and is an interesting mix of architectural styles.  The Talbot family lived here from 1185 to 1973, when the last Talbot died. The house is furnished with beautiful period furniture together with an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the National Gallery.
The history of the Talbot family is recorded in the Great Hall, where portraits of generations of the family tell their own story of Ireland's stormy history. Many additions and alterations have been made to the structure, but the surrounding parklands have not changed much in 800 years.  Many historic castles and houses have at least one ghost, but Malahide Castle has five.

Great Hall


Howth (rhymes with booth) is a fishing and yachting port, and a popular suburban resort on the north side of Howth Head. It is approximately 15km NE of the city centre

Ruined Abbey

New Abbey

Howth Harbour



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