five days in dublin

a criminally underrated city

Jun 25, 2025

one of the first essays i ever posted on substack was about the time aer lingus lost my suitcase on a flight from la to dublin.

i reread it recently while reflecting on some of my earlier work, and how i’ve evolved as a writer now that i’ve been posting here for a few months. reading it back inspired me to write this little summary of my trip…because my time in dublin was about so much more than just a lost suitcase.

in fact…i think dublin is one of the most underrated european cities ever. i don’t feel like people talk about dublin enough when it comes to traveling in europe. at least in my inner circles, no one’s ever like, “oh yeah, dublin? that’s the fucking city to go to!” so going there i didn’t have any real expectations but was very pleasently surprised.

dublin is such a cute, quaint little town. so many cute little streets and cafes and bookstores (oh my!). very fairytale-esque…the whole vibe is so sweet and wholesome.

but with that said, it’s rainy as fuck. and not just a little drizzle…i’m talking real, thunderous, pounding rain. one evening i felt like going on a little walk and stupidly left my hotel without an umbrella and of course while i was prancing around and exploring…it started to rain. and i swear to god it was raining so hard that i got a headache from the pressure of the raindrops pitter-pattering on my head.

it rained most of the time i was there, which kind of sucked…but i wasn’t about let a little (or a lot) of rain ruin a good time abroad. so…my activities were mostly limited to indoor spots.

one of the most memorable places i found myself in was the marsh library: a quiet, historical gem i stumbled into by accident. it was pouring rain when i arrived, which (aesthetically speaking) felt almost too perfect. i wandered the narrow aisles with my headphones in, the sound of rain tapping against the windows, flipping through old books and letting myself cosplay as a manic pixie dream girl for a little bit.

another indoor tourist attraction i ended up at was the national leprechaun museum (which was very random but also super kitchy and fun).

it’s technically a children’s museum, but honestly? it was kind of amazing. the whole thing is dedicated to leprechaun lore and irish mythology, with all these interactive exhibits and shadowy, backlit story rooms that walk you through ireland’s ancient folklore in a way that feels more like immersive theater than a typical museum. our tour guide was this six-foot-five, masculine-looking guy with a gnarly eye patch, which only added to the charm of the whole experience.

even though most of my time in dublin was spent in rainy, dreary, depressing-ass weather, there was one day when the sun came out: that was the day i saw the cliffs of moher.

to circle back to the beginning of this essay. i mentioned losing my suitcase. i had already planned to visit the cliffs of moher on my first day of my trip…and i knew i had to go that day because it was the only clear sunny-ish day in the forecast. so if i wanted to experience the cliffs without fog or downpour, this was my only window.

but like i said, i had this suitcase situation to deal with…which left me in a bit of a pickle: do i spend the day trying to track down my missing luggage and maybe build up a makeshift wardrobe while i’m at it? or do i just delay all that chaos and go see the cliffs in my airport clothes?

i went with the latter. because there was no way i was about to miss those cliffs.

so i got in a taxi (still wearing my very flimsy airport outfit) and went. and i don’t regret a single second of it.

the cliffs were so vast: just miles and miles of a continuous lush green cliffside. there were so many goats and sheep wandering around…a tiny castle stood in the distance…god...this is a very elementary way to describe the scenery of a place like that but as i write this the only words that can come out of my mouth looking back is that it looked like a literal painting.

there is nothing like seeing something you’ve had on your bucket list for years with your own eyes. those cliffs had been on my list for at least a decade, so i couldn’t help but shed a little tear looking out at the scenery.

after walking around the cliffs for a bit, i got really hungry. before heading back to dublin, i stopped in a small town about fifteen minutes away called doolin to get some food. doolin is the cutest little town full of adorable shops and is the perfect place to wander around (this is where i got that iconic red wool sweater that is the star of the show in the first essay i wrote about dublin) (and i did eventually rebuild my wardrobe enough to make it through the week without my suitcase).

i ended up walking into this little pub in doolin because i saw they were serving food. but the second i stepped inside, i was greeted by a massive group of jolly irish people singing, clinking their pints together, and just having a full-on good time.

now, i don’t really drink like that anymore. in college, i was kind of a partier and alcohol was constantly in my system. but after graduating, i slowly eased my way out of it...it’s just not really my thing anymore. so i was walking in here completely sober. and being the only sober person in a sea of very drunk people is always so overstimulating (no matter where you are) and this was no different.

i mean…i did it to myself walking into an irish pub…i should have expected nothing less than a full-blown party. it was such a stark contrast from where i was an hour ago, having a therapeutic afternoon roaming around gorgeous cliffs.

with that said, it was so authentically irish and the vibes felt so familial… i kind of felt like a guest at someone’s very loud, very loving family reunion…even if i didn’t know anyone there.

so i found a table in the corner, ordered some steak and potatoes, and just sat there eating my food and people-watching.

speaking of food: yes, the uk gets clowned for their culinary reputation (and honestly…it tracks because what kind of taste buds do people out in the united kingdom have to think that beans on toast is appetizing in anyway) but i didn’t mind the food in dublin. but also i only really ate steak and potatoes when i was there. i didn’t branch out beyond that much, but i also learned that those are staples in irish cuisine, so i was basically eating like a local without even trying (also i have an iron deficiency, so steak and i have always been two peas in a pod).

but dublin is so much more than the food. there’s something deeply homey about this city. i could totally see myself retiring there someday: 80-year-old me in a little house with a sweet garden, just minding my business.

overall...it is a magical, idyllic city that deserves a spot on your bucket list.

if you enjoyed this piece…here are some others i’d recommend: