Leaving St Audoen’s we walked down Lower Bridge street to the Liffy passing the Brazen Head public house, the oldest pub in Ireland. The present building was constructed in 1754 as a coaching inn but a hostelry has stood on the site since 1198. Given what I’d just learnt about the river one would think the drinkers had wet feet! But a nearby street is called Usher’s Island so the clue is in the name?

The embankment is fairly humdrum along this part until you come to a row of scruffy houses by the James Joyce bridge that look as if they may have known better days. One of them was lived in by his great-aunts and he used it for the setting of a short story called ‘the Dead’. Google lists it as a museum in 2013 but now it is shuttered and sad with an official notice on its battered black railings saying change of use is granted from a visitors centre to apartments.

Just beyond us was another bridge, resplendent in blue and white paint.. the bridge we’d come to see. As we crossed it I searched for the name my friend said was somewhere on it. No joy but as we turned for town I looked back to take a photo and, there, emblazoned forever in the metal facing oncoming river traffic was our friend’s great grandfather’s name!

A triumphant photo was taken and sent off to our friends.

Back to the Halfpenny bridge, stopping for coffee on the way drunk out of china cups for a change.

Then a wander back through Temple bar now coming alive for the lunchtime trade. Our goal was Marks and Sparks food hall for replenishing my redbush teabags supply.

And there was your man, commemorated in a statue. Dublin is full of statues, I’ve discovered.

Dublin is also a mishmash of building styles and periods, always something to make you stop and stare….

Teabags found, it was lunch at a very different kind of place next door to Peter’s pub and then an afternoon of packing and blogging. Out for dinner at the Hairy Lemon again as it was close by and where the portion control is a lottery!

A friend asked if it fed the whole pub! There was live music later but with the whole place crowded and no idea where in the rabbit warren the group, whom we saw arrive, would actually be, we reluctantly called it a night. A very early start next morning for the first ferry…

Thanks, Dublin, it’s been a blast! 😊