It’s Friday the 13th! Can’t say it’s been an unlucky day (knock on wood), and it starts with my usual morning routine. My weekly SuperValu grocery delivery arrives around 11am with the same older gentleman named Ciaran who I’ve come to know from a few past deliveries. The weather is clearer out but colder, in the upper 40s lower 50s F. My walking buddy CJ texts to ask if I’d be up for a walk in the afternoon — sure! I take a quick shower and get dressed in warmer layers. CJ suggests an ambitious route through the Stoneybatter neighborhood then all the way out to Phoenix Park, which I’ve never visited.
A zoomed out map of Dublin to show their relative locations:
Stoneybatter is allegedly one of Dublin’s more hipsterish neighbourhoods. I notice lots of shops and restaurants as we walk through the heart of the Stoneybatter village. CJ explains that in the summer they close down the main commercial district along Manor Street for a street fair.
The window display of a funky shop featuring robots catches my eye:
Row houses near the heart of Stoneybatter village and a stone monument:
The Aughrim Street Parish with its striking blue doors:
On Stoneybatter’s western edge, North Circular Road is lined with rows of brick Georgian and Victorian era houses and old London Plane trees:
Phoenix Park is one of the largest urban parks / enclosed recreational areas in Europe. It has a perimeter of 11 km / 6.8 miles long and encompasses 1,750 acres. We cut into the park from Stoneybatter and head northwest. Our destination is the DASH container cafe, a trendy and highly Instagrammable establishment located next to the Hole in the Wall that dates back to 1651 and is famous for being the longest pub in Europe measuring at exactly 100 meters / 328 feet.
The long line at the DASH container cafe:
View of puffy clouds as we wait, with the Hole in the Wall pub stretching down the road in the background:
CJ and I get coffees and sausage rolls (think hot dog sausages wrapped in pastry dough), then head into Phoenix Park’s interior to begin our loop back to the city centre.
We pass by the Áras an Uachtaráin or Presidential Residence (formerly a lodge for the British viceroy). While the President of Ireland is still considered to be the head of state, the role of the position is largely ceremonial. The President is elected for a term of seven years and can serve a maximum of two terms. The current president, Michael D. Higgins, was re-elected to his second term in 2018 in a landslide. The only remarkable thing I’ve heard about him is that he’s quite short at just 5’4″.
Most of Phoenix Park is a sprawling expanse of grassland and trees, and it’s home to a herd of about 600 wild fallow deer. We pass through a more landscaped garden section replete with autumn foliage as we head towards the eastern entrance to the park and back to the city streets.
At the entrance to the park is a curious little groundskeeper house (?) dating back to 1812, with the modern Criminal Courts of Justice rising behind it:
By the time we’re back in the city centre, it’s been about 3 hours since we started our walk. Whew! I clocked in almost 17,000 steps. I take a well deserved rest on the couch as the daylight fades. It will be a quiet Friday evening. My only plans are to do something easy for dinner and watch the latest episode of The Mandalorian.
I’ll end this post with a photo I took earlier in the day of a funny UPS vehicle whose narrow design is well suited for navigating through Temple Bar’s old streets:
Until next time…
