Photo by Ashley
Silk blouse: thrift store
Shorts: A Clean Slate Shorts, c/o Modcloth
Tights: Target
Sunglasses: Karen Walker
Boots: Madewell
Bag: thrift store
After a day’s worth of traveling and another day spent walking all over the south part of Dublin I’m pretty exhausted so I’ll keep this short, but I just wanted to share a few pictures from our first day here. My dad had to work during the day, so my mom and sister Ashley and I just wandered around the city, exploring and checking a few places off our lists. We walked past Oscar Wilde’s childhood home (he might be my favorite Irish writer so I was happy), then went into the Natural History Museum, which was pretty great. Ashley read about it in a guidebook that talked it up for being Victorian-creepy, and it was right–lots of Victorian era stuffed birds, taxidermy rabbits and squirrels, and even bugs and sea creatures. The place smelled like dust and formeldahyde (in the best way possible), and the only bad part about it was that Drew couldn’t be there to see it.
Then it was my turn to pick a destination and I said, uh, Topshop. Maybe I was influenced by all the great outfits I was seeing just about everywhere . . . It seems like all the girls in Dublin are dressed in little floral dresses with black tights and some amazing sort of coat or cape–walking down Grafton Street made me want to go into Topshop and spend all my money, which I could have done in a heartbeat. Especially because it’s a thousand times less scary than the NYC one, with less colored lights and dance club music. There were so many fisherman knit sweaters and duffle coats and plaid shorts and clogs to get tempted by that I got overwhelmed and didn’t buy anything. Instead I ended up buying a dress at Zara, even though we have a Zara in Atlanta. Oh well. It will be my Ireland souvenir.
We ended our day with a pretty great fish and chips dinner in Temple Bar and I was so tired that I went back to our hotel and read a guidebook and re-read the Ireland travel suggestions a bunch of you left in the last post. I have another question too . . . can any of you recommend any good Irish novels? I was reading a Eudora Welty book before I left but would rather read something Irish while I’m here. I was thinking maybe something by Elizabeth Bowen, because she was friends with Eudora and wrote during the time period I like best for literature. But really anything . . . except maybe James Joyce, because once I tried to read Ulysses and didn’t have the brains necessary to get past the third page.
66 Comments
Ohh I love the scenery. Would love to take a trip to Europe sometime. I went to Germany once when I was seven, but that doesn’t really count ;)
I really love the angles you have in your pictures. I feel as if I’m the one there!
Ps – That’s a great outfit to explore in ;D So cute.
Wow! Can’t wait to see more. It looks amazing so far. Oh and that blouse and your booties are fantastic!
1918 by Morgan Llwelyn, Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, The Mermaid’s Singing by Lisa Carey.
It’s actually 1916 by Morgan Llwelyn, really good novel.
and I found a book list for you as well:
http://www.listsofbests.com/list/13281-top-50-irish-novels-irish-times
taken from the “irish times”
Ooooh that cloak… How i love cloaks…
Looks like a lovely time so far!
i wish i was there, friend. You look as lovely as ever…
Your romantic style and dark hair will make you fit in Ireland quite nicely!
The last picture looks so mucuh like how I would imagine Dublin – cobbled street, dull sky, guiness, old brick industrial-like buildings!
Topshop sounds awesome there – I think I’ll move there! I really hate the way store with the disco music and light are…
You must be having so much fun! Ireland is on my top five places to visit someday, it just seems so pretty!
And you and I definitely have the same sort of travel priorities. My sister asked me where I want to go when I go to New York with her, and the first thing I said was, “Umm…Topshop?!”
So envious….its been too long since I’ve been there. Isn’t everything perfectly…well, different? Its one of those places that is precisely how you imagined it; quaint, charming, a little archaic, but very very polished. Irish girls are the same…daintily tomboyish and perfectly put together without over thinking it. *sigh*
This is pure camp, but you ought to read something by Maeve Binchy. Her books are a bit like Anne of Green Gables, but with grown up Irish girls in the eighties. Totally addictive.
Rhi, you could read House of Splendid Isolation by Edna O’Brien! It’s kind of sad though, and creepy – it’s from the perspective of her aborted fetus. But it’s kind of good. We had to read it in Irish Renaissance at Greenville. It looks like you guys are having an awesome time!
How much are those red clogs? Can I get you to pick them up for me and I’ll pay you back when you’re home??
That museum looks amazing, I would go nuts at an old European taxidermy factory like that! I’m glad you held onto that silk blouse, it’s such a good one.
Hi! I lived in Dublin for a year and have a few tips –
Visit Howth, its an old fishing village (suburb now) on the north side there are always seals poking their heads up in the harbour trying to get scraps from the fishermen. And it has an old cemetary overlooking the sea! Its on the DART line so is easy to get to.
Bleeding Horse pub – really old rickety pokey pub which was my favourite place for a pint.
Avoca – just at the end of grafton st (I think its on Suffolk st?) at the Trinity College end, it has beautiful homewares, clothing and an amazing cafe upstairs – try the mars bar slice!
Glendalough – its a bit out of town but has a huge lake and goes back centuries. There is an old ruined church there and massive cemetary, my sisters and I used to try and find the oldest headstone.
Have a lovely time, I was surprised at your description of well dressed irish girls, when I lived there they were all abt the fake tan, big hair and trackpants look – weird!
Oh dear I am so jealous!
I’ve been dreaming of Ireland for years!
Looks amazing! :)
Have you read “Brooklyn” by Colm Tóibín? Modern book but set in the 1950s – it’s just a beautifully crafted little book. I read it on a rainy seaside holiday this summer, and I imagine you’ll have no problem picking up a copy in Dublin.
Hope you’re having an amazing trip! And isn’t Topshop stuff divine this season…?
Bella x
I spent three days in Dublin when I was studying abroad, and I would move there in a heartbeat. It is the most lovely, quaint little city ever. I’m a little jealous of you. Enjoy the trip and maybe you can get some street style pics of all the cute Dublin girls to inspire us here stateside.
Oh wow–it sounds like you’re having an amazing time thus far! :) The pictures from the Natural History museum are so interesting… the only museum of that sort I’ve ever been to is the Smithsonian one in DC, and it’s so “modern” that it takes away the quirky charm that those sorts of places usually have (at least, from the photos I’ve seen! ;).
♥ Casey | blog
How about ‘Ireland’ by Frank Delaney??? It a story filled with stories of Ireland’s history, told in a very ingenous way. =)
I’d LOVE to go Ireland.
Colm Tóibín is a really wonderful author, but my favorite Irish author is Roddy Doyle, and his beautiful, funny book about growing up in Ireland called Paddy Clarke Ha ha ha! How wonderful that you’re in Dublin! I’m excited to visit Ireland in a few months as I’m not too far away by budget airlines now. I’m excited to read about the rest of your trip!
xx
I went to the same places last year, Ireland is so special.
Hallo! I’m recommending you some Flann O’Brien novels… At Swim Two Birds, perhaps, or The Hard Life.
And if you REALLY want Topshop, you have to come to London… no other Topshop can compete.
Have a lovely trip! x
Very nice trench. I like it’s feminine line.
I couldn’t get through Ulysses but I love A Portrait of the Artist. Much much more readable.
Flann O’Brien – The Third Policeman
Patrick McCabe – The Butcher Boy or Breakfast on Pluto
John Banville – The Sea
I second Roddy Doyle!
And a good bookshop is Chapters on Parnell St., which is at the top of O’Connell St..
And it’s kinda strange seeing photos of places which are five/ten minutes from my house here!
If at all possible I would suggest a detour to Galway! So lovely! It’s 2.5 hours by train or bus (citylink.ie and gobus.ie are better options than buseireann as they do direct buses) so a daytrip is doable.
Have fun!
How strange that you’re in Dublin! I’m glad you like it so far, hope you’re having lots of fun! If you need any advice on places to visit, let me know!
xxEmma
Elizabeth Bowen is a wonderful writer. I love her book The House in Paris, which takes place as the title indicates largely in Paris, but also briefly in Ireland…if you don’t read it now, you certainly should in the future!
And I will second/third the Roddy Doyle suggestions. I used to look after his children when he was teaching in New York years ago, and he’s a delightful person, in addition to being a terrific writer.
Ohh I’ve been dreaming of seeing Ireland since about 5 years ago when I went through a really big Oscar Wilde phase (his house! you’re so lucky!! I love literary historical landmarks!)…
And I’m really relieved to hear that there is another Lit major who can’t wrap their head around Joyce….I always feel like an outcast in my classes when people refer to his writing and sound really intellectual about it, and I never have any idea what they’re talking about!
Anyway, I am so very envious of your current travel-adventures! Please post as much as you can so I can live vicariously through you! :D
And enjoy a delicious creamy ale for me pleeease!
i was going to recommend ulysses too but it takes a lot of brain power to get through that! have fun on your trip! i enjoy reading your blog so much! :)
I live in Dublin and just happened to come across your post. One of my favourite Irish novels is “That they may face the Rising Sun” by John McGahern. Enjoy your time here.
Those shorts are adorable !
You’re so great! I love how you read novels that take place in the places you travel to. What a wonderful travel must-have must-do tradition!
Where did you get your trench coat? i’ve been looking for one everywhere (that wasn’t super expensive).
I thought I saw you walking down Pearse St this morning, right outside my apartment – I recognised those shoes from all your posts! While you’re here you should have lunch in the Cake Cafe, it’s pretty hard to find but more than worth it, when you get to Camden St you go through the Daintree Paper Shop (they handmake all their paper) into the garden at the back and the cafe is there. They have the most amazing homemade bread and cakes and organic sandwiches. Also you should take a walk (or the number 10 bus) to the Phoenix Park, it’s the biggest enclosed park in Western Europe, and you’ll probably see some deer as well as plenty of old houses – you should visit Farmleigh House in there it’s incredible. Also try the Irish Writers’ Museum, you’ll get loads of inspiration there for things to read, and, of course, my beloved alma mater Trinity College is something you definitely shouldn’t skip. The Reading Room where the Book of Kells is kept is a little bit too touristy sometimes, it can get very packed, but it’s worth it when you get to the Long Room, which was the inspiration for a couple of the interiors of Hogwarts in Harry Potter.
Don’t let Ulysses put you off Joyce, The Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist are much more accessible, and really good. Even if you don’t read the whole book, I urge you to read the last story in Dubliners (The Dead) – it’s such a great piece of writing.
The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen is a very slow read, but very good… Interesting from a historical point of view too, as it’s told from the perspective of the Anglo-Irish ‘ascendency class’ during the struggle for independence, which is a side to the story you rarely hear (not that I sympathise with them). Roddy Doyle and John McGahern are both great as well, as I think others have mentioned….
Much of my favourite pieces of Irish writing are plays or poetry though – read The Playboy of the Western World by JM Synge if you get the chance, it’s quite a fast and entertaining read; one of the first plays to be shown at the historic Abbey Theatre (it got booed off for being obscene at the time though!)
Also did you see the statue of Oscar? If you didn’t it’s in the park bit of Merrion Square – the corner nearest his house. Check it out if you missed it, it’s a strange one!
Rosa x
Oh and I forgot to add before, there’s a Dublin version of ‘Oktoberfest’ on until Sunday in Georges Dock (near Connolly train station) if you fancy trying some German beer and sausages during your stay (two European holidays for the price of one kinda?) and a great market on a bit further down the quays called the Point Village Market every Sat and Sun (by the O2 Arena). It has a gigantic ferris wheel outside it too!
AH Rhiannon – in Ireland. I saw all my leprachauns there. Truly. Loads. xx
You guys are the best! Thanks for all your suggestions and niceness! I’m hoping to have more internet time over the next few days so I can give proper comment responses.
i’m so jealous!!! i’ve always wanted to go to ireland. however, i have no suggestions for you since i’ve never been there. although while you’re there you should pick up a sweater or something because ireland is known for their high quality wool.
You better bring back an Aran Sweater! lol
oh, I second (or third) the Flann O’Brien suggestions and John Banville! Loved ‘the sea’. There’s At swim two boys also (the title is riffing on O’brien) beautiful story set during the time of the troubles…
mmm…jealous.
You look so cute in your little shorts. I love a contemporary Irish writer called David Mitchell. He lived in Tokyo for a long time and his early novels are set there, but Green Swan Black is fictional biography of when he was a kid in Ireland and it’s really wonderful. Have fun and don’t drink too much stout. :)
EXCITING! :D
I’m going to second The Dubliners and Portrait of an Artist.. much less insane than Ulysses. Other than that, apparently I’m not very well read in Irish lit!
I totally get overwhelmed in shops like that too- Topshop would be way too much, haha. I tend to want everything and nothing all at once.
I’ll third Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. These two works are totally accessible (and stunning too).
You’re so lucky to be in Ireland right now. My boyfriend and I really want to vacation there someday. I hope you have fun!
I’m from Dublin but living in London; feeling homesick reading your post. You should visit ballymaloe house when in cork and maybe cobh and some of the islands, you’ve probably left dublin by now…also in terms of irish authors, i think you would like maeve brennan. She led an interesting life; there is a biography about her by angela bourke.
Hey are you going to visit Galway at all, I would love for you to come and visit my Vintage store!!
Are you going to be visiting Galway, I would love for you to come visit my Vintage store! Enchanted Vintage!
http://www.vintageclothing.ie/catalog/
Rhiannon, I don’t know if you heard of it but I just saw on the paper today, there will be a vintage/antigue fair on Sunday in Dun Laoghaire (pron. “dun-leery”).. I just thought you guys might be interested. It’s not too far from dublin, just take the 46a bus near trinity college and you’re good to go. It’s a nice place as well, been there a few times for their annoual festival. Lovely town! here’s the website of the organisers of the fair http://www.antiquesfairsireland.com/
actually, they moved to a new site here: http://www.vintageireland.eu
I really should check out Madewell Online, I keep reading about it. We have a store in SOHO, NY but I seldom check it out. Nice shirt!
-Kristin
atasteofthis.etsy.com
kristindeleon.wordpress.com
‘the death of the heart,’ by elizabeth bowen! it is wonderful. the characters can be a bit cold, but it is such an interesting read and her writing is beautiful and stark and very thirties. thoroughly recommended!
Lovely pictures… can’t wait to hear more about your trip!
I haven’t read much Irish literature but I’m glad many of your readers do. Time to hit the library :)
BTW Have you seen the film “Once”? It is set in Dublin and is quite a magical little film…
oh, i think your style on the picture is so lovely, i just want to hug you^^
There have been lots of recommendations I’d second (anything by Pat McCabe or Flann O’Brien, some John McGahern) but if I had to narrow mine down to three I’d say go for:
The Visitor by Maeve Brennan
Time After Time by Molly Keane(sometimes older copies of her books are published under the pseudonym M.J. Farrell)
and The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen.
Both Bowen and Keane wrote mostly about the landed Protestant gentry, which is a little removed from the stereotypical mists and bogs and rosary beads of a lot of Irish novels, but don’t let that put you off. Bowen is much heavier than Keane, but still quite quick to read and not at all pompous. The Visitor is really just a novella, but it’s a perfect introduction to Maeve Brennan, and the Dublin she describes is so easily recognisable even though it’s set in (i think?) the forties. I wish I could remember what Brennan said about Bowen, but I do remember she refused to read anything by her. Brennan’s father participated in the 1916 Rising, and Bowen was Anglo-Irish and therefore THE ENEMY.. Stupid, but her writing is good enough to make up for it.
Forgot to mention! Chapters has a pretty big secondhand ‘Irish Writers’ section – just at the top of the stairs – and you should be able to find cheap copies of most of the books mentioned here
I would recommend the poetry of Seamus Heaney.
The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen is a beautifully evocative “manor house” novel about the Irish Troubles, set in 1920.
what is your camera? I love it!
I can’t believe your in dublin! I live there and study in Trinity. You must go to Avoca at the end of Grafton St. Its so quaint. Also I would read Marita Conlon-McKenna’s “Under the Hawthorn Tree” Her descriptions are so striking of Ireland back in the 18th century. Sad but very beautiful
Oh, I second the Edna O’Brien recommendation! That’s what I read when I was there. She’s wonderful.
The Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O’Brien looks to be very good, although I haven’t read it. One book by and Irish author that I did enjoy and consider required reading is The Picture of Dorian Gray by none other than Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (How’s that for an Irish name?).
POrtrait of the artist is incredible- I would recommend out of all of Joyce’s novels.
ah no way, i love your blog and im from Dublin! Id stay away from Temple bar area and head over George St/ South Willam street direction- lots of little cafes and vintage stores like Wild Child and Jenny Vanders….head to the bar with no name on Fade Street, Hogans or Market Bar, Stags Head, Long Mile, Bernard Shaw..plenty of cool pubs ;) The girls on Grafton Street depress me..Topshop is far cheaper in the UK…Avoca is a lovely shop as is the National Gallery Bookshop (where I work !)….You have to go to the Winding Stairs Bookshop it had a great cafe too….Have a great time!
It’s nice to see all the talk about Irish writers on here, proof perhaps that this really is a better class of fashion blog! My favourite Irish writer is Marina Carr, who writes really atmospheric and strange magical realist plays about women; she was very influenced by Beckett, so that gives a flavour of her writing, but her writing is much more human without the abstraction that can sometimes make his plays so impenetrable. You can really read her plays as literature and there’s a good anthology out.
I also read another good magical realist (my favourite genre) book called Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane. He’s a famous Irish literary critic, but it’s a really captivating story rather than being the usual ‘look how clever I am’ stuff that critics write. If you’re interested in learning more about Northern Ireland then that might interest you, my copy is very well-thumbed from all the people I’ve lent it too.
I hope you find something to enjoy from all the comments.
i love this look on you, particularly the dotted blouse and mini trench!
I am from Ireland, currently living in Melbourne and have my own Vintage clothing store (Beaut Vintage) and I really miss the clothes / finds there.
Hope you enjoyed the place :)
Beaut xxx