Dublin was founded by the Vikings and has been refounded by computer scientists, twelve centuries later. The city has not lost the charm of James Joyce's descriptions, but in recent times it has seen an army of specialists arrive for the thousand Silycon Valley companies that have settled, attracted by its low corporate tax.
The writer Philippe Delerm says that the first drink of beer is the one that is worth it and that the following ones become increasingly longer, more bland, leaving only a sensation of lukewarm pastiness, of wasteful abundance. Of course, Delerm is French and is used to Gallic, blonde, happy and sparkling beers. They are a sip of youth that gains years as we consume it.
Another thing is Guinness, a dark, bitter and thick beer. Adult since the pub waiter pulls it with that grace that allows it to leave a finger of dense foam almost like shaving soap. It is a tasty beer that does not lose consistency even in the last drop. And, curiously, low in calories: 198 calories per imperial pint, less than a ford of the same measure of skimmed milk.
It may not taste the same anywhere: Guinness was born in Dublin two and a half centuries ago and it is in Ireland where you have to drink it, without rushing or stopping. This beer is considered the soul of the country and in its capital it has a museum that is a small gem, where you can see how it is made but also how to pour it into the jug. The liturgy of a Guinness is no less important; in addition, you have to let it rest for just over a minute so that the nitrogen disappears, and you have to drink it in small sips.
Guiness flows through the pub like a tumultuous river. There is one that is worth a visit, The Temple Bar, with a red façade, which gives its name to an entire neighborhood where there is a pub on every corner. In fact, there are more bars than in all of Norway. Some consider that this is an area that is too touristy, but it is a good suggestion to explore it and let the Guinness circulate through your veins.
I must admit that I have been especially happy drinking dark beer at the Dublin rugby stadium, where the local resident shares everything, even the whiskey – the other great national drink – which in my case I carried in a silver flask. I didn't know how to tell him no, that he had enough with the beer, but I was afraid that he would take it as contempt, so I mixed it up. And rugby seemed to me to be the most fun of sports, without the possibility of being invaded by the bad mood that sometimes attacks the soccer field. Rugby is a sport where almost everything is shared, from emotions to alcoholic beverages, and where athletes who have been beating each other on the grass hug each other as if they were family at the end of the games.
Dublin is a friendly city, of contrasts, with large parks, which can be explored by bicycle, especially since the Californian multinationals (Meta, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Twitter...) have landed with their t-shirt technological troops, although here They soon learn that they cannot do without shelter, that Ireland is not California. In fact, they have their own neighborhood, the Docklands, in the old docks, with state-of-the-art buildings, which contrast with this almost medieval aspect of the urban center, where my favorite hotel stands, the Shelbourne, a five-star hotel that last year It will soon be 200 years old and to which James Joyce refers in his Ulysses.
Furthermore, in room 112 the Irish Constitution was signed in 1922. Not far away, take the wide avenue (O'Connell St), where the old neoclassical Post Office building emerges, where the Irish revolted during Easter against the British Empire, resisting with sword and fire, to achieve independence. It can be visited as a museum and a film is shown about the uprising led by the teacher Patrick Pearse and the trade unionist James Connolly, which is moving.
Another unforgettable place is Trinity College, with its Old Library, which is the closest thing to the Hogwarts school library from Harry Potter. There are few such beautiful sites that accumulate so much wisdom on the planet, including the Book of Kells, a manuscript of the New Testament in Latin from the year 820, which is illustrated with Celtic drawings. Nearby is a pedestrian street, Grafton St, where there are good shops selling local products. Tradition tells us that dandyism had great followers in characters such as Bram Stocker, the author of Dracula, the aforementioned James Joyce, the playwright Samuel Becket or the champion of elegance, Oscar Wilde, who has a splendid sculpture in Merrion Square Park. One can imagine them on this street eating with gloves a delicious chocolate cake from Bread 41, the best bakery in the city.
