Can you do a city break in a day? This is a question that has often perplexed me, so without further ado, I booked myself a reasonably early morning flight to Dublin, flying out from Bristol Airport. With a flight time of less than one hour, the capital of the Emerald Isle is very accessible. Living up to its green nickname, when the thick cloud finally parted over Ireland, the countryside below was the greenest of greens you can possibly imagine.

Down on the ground though I began to understand why, like my home county of Devon, it was so green. It was raining, heavily. ‘Good weather for ducks,’ my connecting coach driver was heard to say, and he was right on the money there. Not to be in the slightest bit perturbed though, I hopped on and took the short thirty minute coach journey into the centre of Dublin, arriving at Westmoreland Street.

Of course, arriving in the centre of any new city can be somewhat overwhelming, I mean what to do? Where do you start? I have to humbly confess that I conducted the briefest research into this fair city, but I was determined to make the most of my time here. It was now 10.05am and my return flight wasn’t until 7.40pm that evening, so here goes.

St. Stephen’s Green

Striding confidently in the direction of somewhere, I soon arrived at one of the green lungs of Dublin: St. Stephen’s Green. All the way there, I was constantly tempted to wander down one of the many side streets en route, but I resisted for now and continued onwards. This is a lovely piece of parkland , situated at the end of Dawson Street full of very tame pigeons it would seem. A quick wander through the park, down the autumnal leafy walkways and  around the man-made lake, and I was ready for next segment.

Beanhive Cafe

By now it was late morning, and I was feeling a little peckish. I had read about the Beanhive Cafe, so it was a simple trot across the road from St. Stephen’s Green to the top of Dawson Street. Now I have to say that if you don’t like queuing, don’t come here. Why? Well because I counted 8 seats inside, and 8 seats outside on the pavement. And since it was a cool, grey and wet day, unless you are of the more hardy sort, you probably won’t go for the outside pavement option.

The Beanhive, run by a lovely chap called Fan whose family originate from the Far-East, appears to be perpetually busy – and deservedly so. The menu is wide-ranging and jolly mouth-watering. So, what’s a man to do when in Dublin? Well he orders the ‘Full Irish Breakfast’ of course. I put my order in and soon as a seat inside became available, I sat down literally as my tasty breakfast arrived. I was presented with a vast platter of food which I duly tucked into, although I wasn’t sure if there was any difference between the ‘full English’ and the ‘full Irish.’ No matter, it filled the proverbial hole, and after a quick chat with Fan I discovered that his wife was the actual owner of the business. Goodbyes said, I was on my merry way to the next stop.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

No visit to Dublin would be complete without popping into a place of religious significance, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral is most definitely worthy of your attention, if only for an hour. Inside you will find a rich source of religious history and Irish heritage. There are statues and plaques to various notable dignitaries and historic men who have helped shaped the Dublin of today. It is without doubt a beautiful building within, and will hold you in rapt attention for some time.

The Oak

Just across the way from Dublin Castle and near the City Hall, the Oak is a great place to pop in if you have a major thirst coming on. Situated on the corner of Parliament Street, it’s a great place to watch the world go by. Perched on a plush stool, I was truly mesmerised by the stunning array of different whiskeys and gin on offer behind the bar. The usual major brands were present of course, but it was the sheer proliferation of independent distillers that was really eye-opening.

So whilst at the bar with my pint of Guinness (well what else did you expect?), which by the way is always part filled up then left to stand before finally being topped up to the rim, I engaged the young Irish barman Joshua in conversation. We mused about the truly dazzling array of spirits before us, imbibing (no pun intended), as much information as I possibly could.

Well I thought I would try one of the local whiskeys and unsurprisingly, I opted for the curiously named ‘Writer’s Tears,’ which is probably some kind of reference to writer’s block maybe… It was very nice, but at 7.50 Euros a shot, perhaps it’s a reference to the price. Oh well, time to move on to my next port of call.

Dublin Castle

For a fascinating insight into Ireland’s troubled history, a visit to Dublin Castle is a must. Famous for the handing over of power to Michael Collins and the newly formed Irish government in 1922, a visit here will certainly help put things in context. Because time was now rapidly moving on, I chose the tour of the State Apartments which was without doubt very interesting and certainly a productive and agreeable use of my then limited time.

One of the most interesting rooms is where the Irish president is inaugurated every seven years. You can’t help but be impressed by the grandeur of Dublin Castle, which is still used regularly for state occasions. The sumptuous dining room where international guests are regularly entertained and the portraits of a long line of British Viceroys that ruled this land during our seven hundred year tenure of power, are truly fascinating. On a more mundane note, Dublin Castle also functions as offices for a number of Government departments.

Ha’penny Bridge

No visit to Dublin is complete without crossing the famous River Liffey via the charming and historic Ha’penny Bridge. Fabulously ornate, it will give you a snapshot of old Dublin. Charmingly, you will find masses of padlocks of friends, visitors and lovers attached to the bridge as a remembrance of their special time there.

Temple Bar

And so to the finale of my day, a visit to the Temple Bar. Here you will put up with expensive Guinness, but in return you will be treated to an undeniably Irish experience. Inside, two musicians, Alan and Josh, were busy entertaining the assembled cheering and whooping crowds with some real Irish folk music. It was for me the perfect end to a varied and interesting day. And whilst I by no means covered all bases within this fabulous city, I think I proved actually, that you can do Dublin in a day. So what are you waiting for? Ryanair are still flying last time I looked.