Well according to my Irish mate John, this picture is of a 'Tart with a Cart'. Which, if you notice, she is about to roll over the head of a leprechaun with. No wonder the country is such a great place to see. I wish I had more than a day there. When I get back to UK I will definitely go to Ireland. Maybe I should apply for a visa to work in Ireland??? There's a thought.

The reason I found myself in Ireland for a day was as a stop over from London to Liverpool via Ireland as you do for cheap tickets. But I was able to score a Starbucks Dublin coffee mug so all was not lost. Far from it actually.

I flew in to Dublin and at the Irish Information stand at the airport I asked what to do in Dublin for a day. The guy said, 'sit in a pub and drink Guinness'. Seemed like a good idea and I said, 'if he had only a day in Sydney I would tell him the same thing'. But on reflection he advised me to catch the bus to Temple Bar, have a look at Trinity College and the Book of Kells and stroll along the Liffey, and see the GPO building. Exactly the advise you gave me, John. Must be part of Irish training.

So the bus from the airport went straight past the GPO, over the Liffey and dropped me in front of a Starbucks near Trinity College. This city is made for the quick stop over. I got some breakfast and a mug from Starbucks and walked over to Trinity College.

The Book of Kells is an ancient religious manuscript written by monks on Iona in Scotland a heap of centuries ago. It is incredibly ornate and as it is all hand written by monks freezing their a***s off on a Scottish island it adds to the skill. I could not read any of the books in the exhibition as they were is either Latin or Gaelic. But then half the signs in Dublin are Gaelic so perhaps I should learn Gaelic while in Australia and come work to Ireland if England wont have me.

Up stairs in the same building as the Book of Kells in the Long Room. It is an ancient library of the University and apart from the beautiful books that line the walls up to the ceiling there are the 48 marble busts of famous contributors to academia of the University. It is a room to be admired for the sheer brilliance of such a collection and dedication to history and education and knowledge that seem so important in Ireland.

The rest of the grounds of Trinity College, which is the University of Dublin are stunning collections of architecture from the Georgian to the modern. The University was established by Elizabeth I so has tradition everywhere.

After the tranquility of walking around trinity I found my way back to Dame Street that runs right through Temple Bar. Temple Bar is the multicultural entertainment district of Dublin near the university and along the Liffey. I found a great pub and had a wine. Sorry to the traditionalist but I don't drink beer, so even in Dublin I did not have a Guinness. I strolled around some more and found a late lunch in another gastro pub that served fantastic nachos and then walked down to the river.

The Liffey is the main river through Dublin. Like the the Thames it divides the city from the less wealthy north to the more expensive south. Reverse to London but still a social divide. But there was a cold blast from the wind so after a quick snap shot I went back up to the shelter between the buildings.

Here is where I spotted the only Leprechaun I saw all day. And the poor thing was headless and about to be ploughed down by a Tart with a Cart. No wonder there are so few Leprechauns left in Ireland. They probably lost there pot of gold to the credit Crisis and can only be seen collecting as a charity on the side streets of Dublin.

Sadly my 10 hour stop over was coming to an end. I really loved the feel of Dublin and will come here again. Seriously a fun city and friendly too. The only down side was it is a bit expensive. Struggling economy I guess.

Thank you John. C. for the travel tips for my day, Apart from the Guinness tour I did what you said and had a great day. Trinity College, Book of Kells, GPO and a couple of nice pubs.

The kangaroo poster was at Dublin airport advertising Vodafone. Just thought it a bit,.....Irish....... to have kangaroos advertising in Ireland.