Tourist Questions That Broke My Brain (And One That Made Me Cry a Bit)
You get used to daft questions when you’re a tour guide. After a few years, you stop flinching. People are lost, they’re tired, they’re full of jet lag and bad …
Why Dubliners Don’t Say Hello — And What We Say Instead
You’ll notice it if you’re not from here. No one really says “hello.” Not properly. Not like in other cities where people seem genuinely delighted to see you. In Dublin, …
The Famine Sculptures, the Zombie Film, and the American Who Asked for a Selfie
I used to include the Famine Memorial on maybe one in every five tours. Depends on the group. If they looked like they could handle something heavier than anecdotes about …
Hidden Pubs That Still Let You Sit in Silence (If You Nod to the Right Barman)
Some pubs are built for talking. Others are built for people who’ve already done enough of that and just want to sit down without being asked what their plans are …
The Bridges of Dublin (And the One I Always Forgot to Mention)
I gave walking tours of Dublin for years. Not fancy ones — the kind where you start outside a coffee chain and end up next to a bin explaining to …
Statues I Talked To More Than My Ex
I spent twenty years walking Dublin’s streets giving tours. In that time, I had more one-sided conversations with statues than I ever did in my last relationship. Not on purpose. …
How to Cross O’Connell Street Without Getting Killed or Conned
Crossing O’Connell Street shouldn’t be an ordeal. It’s not that wide. There are traffic lights. You’d think people would manage. They don’t. Locals dart like they’ve just robbed something. Tourists …
The Best Pint of Guinness I Ever Had (And the Worst That Still Haunts Me)
Every Dubliner’s got an opinion on where to get the best pint. They’ll argue about it for hours, usually in a place that doesn’t even serve Guinness. I’ve had good …
The Day I Got Locked in St Stephen’s Green
I don’t tell this one on tours. Not because it’s embarrassing — though it is — but because it doesn’t fit neatly between the statues and the shopping tips. You …
Where to Pee in Dublin (And Not Get Judged or Arrested)
This one’s important. People don’t ask it on the tour — too polite — but you can see it in their eyes about twenty minutes in. Happens just after the …