And the Guinness Storehouse within strolling distance for the best panoramic views of the city from the Gravity Bar, and best pint of plain.
Although family loyalties will always mean we point in the direction of the Liffeyside institution that is the Workshop bistro bar, next to the Tara Street Dart (or train) station.
Fill up your cart: Strawberry theme
While if you’re wanting some culture, or just get away from the crowds for a breather.
Then Trinity College and its Book of Kells and the National Gallery are havens of peace.
Of course, it’s no coincidence that the Ruby group dedicated their hotel to arguably Dublin’s most famous citizen, one Molly Malone.
Molly’s Dublin
Green for go: Cocktail hour
As its location in Oxmanstown on the north of the river is solid market trading land.
Where you’d not be surprised to find Mrs Brown or her boys.
Once the site of an abbey, the rediscovery of parts of its vault in the 1880s, 7 feet under the street, adds to the mystical allure surrounding the hotel.
Drawing inspiration from the vibrant covered market of 1892, Ruby Molly channels former market trader Anna Lawlor’s story.
Balcony seat: And view of Dublin
A place where farmers sold their fresh produce.
Including the much-coveted strawberries that adorned the tables of Dublin’s finest hotels.
And well-endowed Dublin lasses sold their cockles and mussels, alive-oh.
Rates from €345 (16–18 March). Images and further details available on request.
It’s one love that Jamaicans and the Irish share which is why we brought our evening of travel networking to a bass jumpin’ climax Dub jammin’ with Celtic reggae.
Two islands forged in struggles against the British Empire it was natural that the Godfather of Reggae Bob Marley should gravitate towards Ireland.
And play his last outdoor concert at Dalymount Park in Dublin in the summer of 1980.
The One Love or An Afternoon in the Park gig on July 6 of that year.
I’m all right, Jack: A pirate of the Caribbean
When he braved his failing health to play before a packed stadium, generously charged as little as I£7 to see a global superstar.
Back in the day when any superstar would bodyswerve Ireland in favour of Britain.
The Irish, of course, never forget and Bob remains such a hero today that the Bohemians football club commemorated the concert with a special football shirt of the Great Man.
Let’s get together
Best bar none: Reggae in Dublin
Whisper it but our tickets were even cheaper for our celebration of all things Bob, Reggae and Jamaica.
With a home-grown Celtic Reggae band at the Botanical Garden Opium at the end of our annual Meet the Media networking travel fair.
And don’t worry, nothing that strong was inhaled!
Jamaica has become a growing market, for the reasons of kindred links, love of music, drink, partying and sun… well, OK, only one of the two islands has that.
The Antrim distillery, 50 miles north of Belfast. claims to be the oldest in the world.
Dating back to 1608, granted by King James VI of Scotland and James I of the -hen United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
And with whiskey notes of warmed raisins, oatmeal cookies, orange-slice candies, brown sugar, caramel sauce, cinnamon-roasted hazelnuts, and barrel spice.
Which we, of course, didn’t have to tell you as you’ll already know.
The Suntory story
Turning Japanese: Japan’s pioneers
Suntory: And because all imitation is flattery, the Japanese borrowed from the Scots.
And as we increasingly start to run out of excuses to visit the Land of the Rising Sun a time when we brought Japan to a Scottish whisky isle for goodness Sake.
Now, of course, you need the perfect ingredients.
A Scots groom Stewart, a Japanese bride Hisayo, family and friends.
From the Scottish mainland and the bride’s family from France.
Mix with the Scottish whisky island, Islay, with its ten distilleries which is roughly one for every 300 of its inhabitants.
With the odds improving when you consider some of them will be children.
A humanist celebrant, a fine Islands day, the bridal party in kimonos and kilts.
And you have an occasion with which VisitScotland should surely have been on board.
The perfect mix
Spell it out: Sake making
Now distilleries and breweries can be hit and miss, often slowed up by information overload on mashing and the like.
And folk asking overscientific questions.
Just when you want to get wired into the drink.
There are exceptions, of course, and Ardbeg Distillery on that day especially.
But any day really with its smoky, peaty tincture soothing your soul as well as your palate.
Same with the sake which was shared just like a quaich around the party after Stewart and Hisayo had broken the wooden box open.
Made in Scotland and Japan
Across continents: But Japanese and Scots is a perfect mix
The links between Scotland and Japan run deep.
With our Asian friends’ interest in our usca beatha, or water of life, pricked by a Japanese student in Glasgow University in 1918.
The future father of Japanese whisky Masataka Taketsuru enrolled in the West End of Glasgow.
To study chemistry and learn our distilling secrets.
The Fab Five: And Stewart, far back
And find himself a new wife, Rita, a doctor’s daughter from Dunbartonshire.
And a perfect fusion Scots and Japanese is with our friends Stewart and Hisayo having gone on to forge a new generation themselves.
Now apart from my imminent move into my sixties and a bout of nostalgia holiday providers Heaven Publicity have tipped us the wink.
I always tease my Bandinini and Bandanettes that I never go back to a resort that tries to fob me off with Cava when I want the real stuff, and all roads should lead to Champagne.
While the whole year, or in fact any year, is a good time to visit the Champagne region, east of Paris, notre amis tell us that this weekend is tres bon.
In the far south of Champagne, on the border with Burgundy, in the heart of the Côte des Bar.
Lovely bubbly
Cherie A’mour: Le Scary Une
Boasting 866 hectares of vines, Les Riceys stands out as the only commune to have 3 AOPs: Champagne, Coteaux Champenois and Rosé des Riceys.
Stretching along the Laigne wine valley, the three villages have their own listed Renaissance church, Ricey-Bas, Ricey-Haute Rive and Ricey-Haut, each classified as Historic Monuments.
Its architectural heritage is particularly rich and well-preserved, thanks to its history, the quality of the limestone used, its privileged location outside the war zones and the very specific style of these winegrowers’ houses.
The commune has no fewer than two castles, a dovecote, six chapels, seven wash houses and a market hall of imposing dimensions.
Le Route: And a tour de force
Not to mention the eighteen cadoles and countless winegrowers’ houses, all clad in white stone, the oldest of which date back to the Renaissance.
Of course, what we’re most interested in as you can see, and have followed all these years, is that we prefer the actual sipping to the studying.
So if you’re around Champagne, the region, because we’ll all surely be around the drink anyway, enjoy and Salute.
There will always be next year the 31st and the years to come because the bubbly never really goes flat and all roads should lead to Champagne, and all flights to Paris Charles De Gaulle.
You know how it goes, I scream, you scream, we all scream, and a reason presents itself now to revive our occasional series. Hungry and Thursday… National Ice Cream Month.
There are few foods which conjure up summer and holidays more than the frozen milk or cream dessert which crosses the social divide.
With King Charles (the first one who lost his head) gorging in ice cream which Marco Polo had brought from China, and was scooped up by European courts.
While the First Fathers were known to dig in with George Washington recorded as spending $200 on ice cream in the summer of 1790.
While Thomas Jefferson brought vanilla into the country and had an 18-step recipe for ice cream.
That ice cream kick
All roads lead to rum: Tobago style
Of course one of the secret joys of ice cream has always been that it can carry an alcohol kick for curious kiddies.
And so it is with rum and raisin though we’re not always sure how much distilled molasses goes into your local scoop.
Unless that is you live in the Caribbean.
Where rum is laced through every breakfast, lunch or dinner, particularly over carnival.
And while we lap up every morsel of Bajan culture our favourite rum and raisin ice cream is in Tobago.
Sitting in the treetops bar at Castara Retreats with Porridge and Jeanelle.
Perhaps because we weren’t nursing a monster hangover from Bajan Foreday Morning, although the hair of the dog is always the best way to cure a sore head.
Il gelato
Licked it: Bergamo ices
For many of us, of course, Italia, Il Bel Paese, is the home of the ice cream.
Il gelato conjures up the freshest fruits which brings all our senses alive.
Limone, frutti di bosco or even mandarino all have their takers but for us it has to be La Fragola.
After a day jostling through the alleyways of Venice, in the beating heat of the Roman Forum.
