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| Wine Notebook, Part 54 (December 11 to 14, 2008) by the Wine Baron | Direct to Guinness Storehouse |
Here we are, hopping on a plane for a quick trip to Ireland. We're attending an annual editors' conference in Belfast. The Buffalo / Chicago / Dublin flights go by quickly and soon we are on bus from Dublin airport, driving down the left lane to that city in the North that gave us the Titanic.
It's not the best time of year for this, but professional reasons dictate this to be the best time for the meeting. Nevertheless, our 2 hour journey takes us through the delightful little city of Newry, the Mourne Mountains, Hillsborough, and finally downtown Belfast.
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It
is Thursday afternoon - we get settled in at the
Express by Holiday in on University. I stop in a
couple of local pubs to see what they're like,
but don't stay for a pint. There'll be enough of
that tonight. I like the feel of Belfast. It is
a pleasant place. It's getting later. Time to meet the other arriving editors at basement of The Belfast Empire Music Hall. The fish and chips are excellent. Best thick cut fries I have ever had. I order Bass Pale Ale to go with the meal. The Rab McCullough Band hit the stage with some remarkable Blues - energetic and authentic. |
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Friday is taken up with meetings. But the
evening brings a pleasant outing to meet the
Lord Mayor of Belfast. The group of us is warmly
greeted by the Right Honourable Tom Hartley. His
comments are down-to-earth and witty. We
have a good time and learn more about the
charming city of Belfast. Later, we repair off to another pub in the middle of Belfast's downtown shopping district. A classic rock band erupts with harmonious enthusiasm. The group of editors make sure there's plenty of ale flowing. |
Editor of Tallinn IYP, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Wine Baroness Click to enlarge |
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 The view from the Parliament building Click to enlarge |
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Saturday evening we search out a place to eat
and then a proper pub in Dublin's Temple Bar.
For dinner, we decide on The Bull and Castle,
near Nathanael's hotel, the Christchurch Hall
Apartments. His residence is perfectly located
amidst the main attractions. Another place we
peeked in on was Jury's Inn. It would have also
been a good choice. The Bull and Castle is a
satisfying eatery. Downstairs is fine dining,
upstairs is the Beer Hall, that's where we
settled in. We had Irish Stew, Steak on a Bun,
Pear Cider and Castle Red Ale. Excellent quality
fare and beverages. We look around Temple Bar and enjoy the celebrations going on. We like the look and feel of Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar. There are several pub areas within the whole historic complex. It's very nice here. Very Irish. Gogarty's owner, Martin Keane, is a staunch supporter of traditional Irish music. We enjoyed the performance by Gogarty's house band, with fiddle by Noreen Leech and banjo by Stevey Leech. |
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| Links ... | The Belfast Empire |
| The Bull & Castle, Dublin | |
| Gogarty's Pub, Dublin | |
| Guinness Storehouse | How Guinness is made | |
| Belfast In Your Pocket | Dublin In Your Pocket | |
| posted by: Wine Baron @ 4:30 pm | 2 comments |
| BLOG
Comment 1 John said: The Guinness tour was fabulous. I learned a lot about beer and have new respect for this brew. I had always thought they used water from the river that flows through Dublin (what is it called again? I am pleased to find out it is from the Mountains. Nice photos in the Blog. John |
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Comment 2 Hanna said: The River Liffey flows through Dublin. I am glad Guinness uses Mountain water! When I visited the city, I had renewed interest in reading more literature by the famous authors for whom the city is known. Hanna |
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