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Dunroamin in Dun Laoghaire
 MALCOLM
ROGERS enjoys a seaside break.
Dun Laoghaire was at one time a byword for Irish people heading to Britain.
Never mind Fastnet Rock this really was Ireland’s Teardrop.
Before the car ferry it was the Irish Mail locomotives which sped emigrants
to a new life and which, it was hoped, would bring them home again.
Today it’s still a key port, with the biggest harbour in the country.
But thankfully Dun Laoghaire is now more concerned with container shipment
and holiday traffic than the melancholy business of emigration.
The harbour is something of a star in its own right its two granite
piers are particularly photogenic, and the East Pier (very popular with
walkers) is featured in the 1996 film Michael Collins. Liam Neeson and
two of his co-stars are seen walking along the seaside promenade while
a band plays on the bandstand, as they still do to this day.
Despite its associations with Michael Collins and that gun-running knight
Sir Roger Casement, Dun Laoghaire’s brightly painted villas, its
parks and palm trees, give the town an almost continental feel.
It’s an atmosphere and appearance which over the last few years
has enhanced the town’s stature as a destination in its own right.
Officially renamed Kingstown in 1821, in honour of a visit by King George
IV, Dun Laoghaire reverted to its ancient name by resolution of the town
council in 1921, one year before Irish independence. The Irish name derives
from “the fort of Laoghaire”, the eponymous King who was an
early supporter of St. Patrick.
Dun Laoghaire’s other famous visitor, many years after the Apostle,
was James Joyce who stayed with his friend Oliver St. John Gogarty in
the Martello tower in Sandycove.
Strangely enough, although there are more than a million words in Joyce’s
opus magnum (and some of them smackfatclackingly long), the word Ulysses
appears nowhere in the text. However, the first chapter is set in the
Martello tower, and is now a museum dedicated to the writer (tel 00 353
1 280 9265)
Having taken your fill of Buck Mulligan and Leopold Bloom, say yes, yes,
yes, oh yes, to a food stop.
Rasam’s on Glasthule Road (tel 00 353 1 230 0600) should do nicely.
Funky décor and edgy Indian cuisine makes this a must for any
serious sub-continent food groupie. Prominence is given to the subtle
blend of herbs and spices scallops in tamarind sauce type-of-thing.
Dun Laoghaire boasts two other essential eateries, proving that the seaside
town is anything but a last resort.
The Real Gourmet Burger (tel 00 353 1 284 6568) in the Pavilion is a high-end
establishment serving exceedingly succulent hamburgers.
The charcoal-grilled lamb burger with mozzarella and pesto is without
doubt dangerously addictive.
A bagel, they say, is a doughnut with the sin removed. Very true, but
now Itsa Bagel (tel 00 353 1 236 0644) also in the Pavilion in Dun Laoghaire,
has gone and put all the sin back in. A bagel for every craving is their
proud boast pumpernickel, poppy seed, raisin etc, with traditional fillings
such as cream cheese and salmon, as well as audacious departures such
as venison mozzarella bagelini with basil pesto.
Should you be heading further afield you really have to stock up at
the farmers’ market in the People’s Park in the town —artisan
cheeses, local vegetable produce, and home-made pumpernickel bread.
Reflecting Dun Laoghaire’s new status as a south Dublin gastro and
tourist destination, the Royal Marine Hotel (pictured below) has just
re-opened after a ?50 million
re-vamp.
These are the digs where Queen Victoria scoffed a 16-course breakfast,
and where that old lounge lizard, Frank Sinatra, made full use of its
bar.
Michael Collins is believed to have hidden out in room 210 with Kitty
Kiernan while his boys took care of the British G men on Bloody Sunday,
and Marconi sent out the country’s first radio broadcast from its
roof.
In operation since 1828, the historic hostelry closed its doors in 2004
for an extensive re-development. The hotel now boasts 228 bedrooms, each
room fully air conditioned with LCD television, mini-fridges, broadband,
executive furniture, decadent bathroom.
The famous Bay Lounge, whose customers have included Charlie Chaplin,
Laurel & Hardy, the Rolling Stones and Princess Grace of Monaco (although
not all together), has been fully restored to its former glory. However,
the hotel also features two new dining areas including a split-level bar
and a bistro.
Currently www.centralr.com is offering double rooms at the Royal Marine
for two people for a total of ?129 per night per room in August. |
