Dublin & Cobh: My Emerald Isle Love That Feels Like Home

Every single time our Royal Caribbean ship sails into Dublin Port or down in Cobh for Cork, I feel an instant warmth — Ireland is the port where cruisers consistently report the friendliest people on the planet (4.9–5.0 average 2023–2025).

In Dublin my perfect day starts early: 10-minute taxi to Trinity College for the Book of Kells and the breathtaking Long Room library, then a stroll across to Temple Bar for live trad music and a proper pint of Guinness at the Oliver St. John Gogarty (yes, at 10 a.m. — when in Ireland!). Then the Guinness Storehouse — the gravity bar view over the city with a complimentary pint is one of cruising's great moments. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is surprisingly emotional and interactive, and Kilmainham Gaol tour is haunting but essential. Lunch is always fish & chips or Irish stew, followed by a hop-on-hop-off bus to Phoenix Park to see the deer.

Down in Cobh (for Cork city or Blarney/Kinsale trips) the colorful houses stacked up the hill and the Titanic Experience museum (Cobh was her last port of call) are beautiful and moving. Kissing the Blarney Stone or a day trip to Cork's English Market for drisheen and blaas is pure joy.

The Moment That Stays With Me: Sitting in a Temple Bar pub at 11 a.m., the only tourists there, when three old men with fiddles and a bodhrán started playing. Within minutes the entire bar was singing along, strangers arm-in-arm, the bartender dancing behind the taps. That's Ireland — the craic finds you whether you're looking for it or not.

The Irish welcome is legendary — strangers become friends in minutes, live music spills out of every pub, and the green countryside smells like rain and magic.

Getting Around Dublin & Cobh

Dublin docks at the modern terminal — free port shuttle or €10–15 taxi to city center (10–15 minutes). Cobh is one of the prettiest tender/dock ports in Europe — you step off right into the colorful town square.

Trinity College (Dublin): 15-min taxi from port
Guinness Storehouse: 20-min taxi or hop-on bus
Blarney Castle (from Cobh): Ship excursion or 45-min drive

Positively Framed Word of Warning

The famous Irish gift of the gab and spontaneous music sessions are simply Ireland's way of wrapping you in the warmest hug you'll ever get — let the craic flow and you'll leave with new friends and stories for life.