Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [109]
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Clothing
Temple Bar and the area around Grafton St are the best places for all kinds of designer gear, both new and second-hand.
Costume (Map; 679 5200; 10 Castle Market) From casuals to sparkly full-length dresses, Costume specialises in stylish contemporary women’s wear from young European designers. Its own Costume label sits alongside pieces by Isabel Marant, Anna Sui, Jonathan Saunders and Irish label Leighlee.
Smock (Map; 613 9000; 31 Drury St) This elegant designer shop sells cutting-edge international women’s wear from classy ‘investment labels’ Easton Pearson, Veronique Branquinho and AF Vandevorft, as well as a small range of interesting jewellery and lingerie.
5 Scarlet Row (Map; 672 9534; 5 Scarlet Row) Beautiful, modern, exclusive, minimalist. If that’s what you’re after, try the creations of Eley Kishimoto, Zero, Irish designer Sharon Wauchob and menswear label Unis at 5 Scarlet Row. Owner Eileen Shields worked with Donna Karan in New York before founding her own gorgeous shoe label, which retails here.
BT2 (Map; 679 5666; 88 Grafton St) This is Brown Thomas’ young and funky offshoot, with high-end casuals for men and women and a juice bar upstairs overlooking Grafton St. Brands include DKNY, Custom, Diesel, Ted Baker and Tommy Hilfiger.
Jenny Vander (Map; 677 0406; 50 Drury St) A visit to Jenny Vander is like walking into an exotic 1940s boudoir. The selection of antique clothing, hats and jewellery is pretty wild, although you won’t find many bargains.
Urban Outfitters (Map; 670 6202; 4 Cecilia St) Its loyal clientele think it’s the funkiest shop in town, and they’re not far wrong, with the latest styles complemented by the coolest gift items and even a trendy record store.
Irish Crafts & Souvenirs
Avoca Handweavers (Map; 677 4215; 11-13 Suffolk St) This contemporary craft shop is a treasure trove of interesting Irish and foreign products. The colourful shop is chock-a-block with woollen knits, ceramics, handcrafted gadgets and a wonderful toy selection – and not a tweed cap in sight.
Claddagh Records (Map; 677 0262; 2 Cecilia St) This shop sells a wide range of Irish traditional and folk music.
DesignYard (Map; 474 1011; 48-49 Nassau St) A high-end craft-as-art shop where everything you see – be it glass, batik, sculpture, painting –is one-off and handmade in Ireland. It also showcases contemporary jewellery from young international designers in its exhibition space.
Kilkenny Shop (Map; 677 7066; 6 Nassau St) This shop has a wonderful selection of finely made Irish crafts, featuring clothing, glassware, pottery, jewellery, crystal and silver from some of Ireland’s best designers.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Dublin Airport (Map; 814 1111; www.dublinairport.com), 13km north of the centre, is Ireland’s major international gateway airport, with direct flights from Europe, North America and Asia. For information on who flies in and out of here, Click here.
Boat
Dublin has two ferry ports: the Dun Laoghaire ferry terminal ( 280 1905; Dun Laoghaire), 13km southeast of the city, serves Holyhead in Wales and can be reached by DART to Dun Laoghaire, or bus 7, 7A or 8 from Burgh Quay or bus 46A from Trinity College; and the Dublin Port terminal (Map; 855 2222; Alexandra Rd), 3km northeast of the city centre, serves Holyhead and Liverpool.
Buses from Busáras (below) are timed to coincide with arrivals and departures: for the 9.45am ferry departure from Dublin Port, buses leave Busáras at 8.30am. For the 9.45pm departure, buses depart from Busáras at 8.30pm. For the 1am sailing to Liverpool, the bus departs from Busáras at 11.45pm. All bus trips cost adult/child €2.50/1.25.
Click here for details of ferry journeys.
Bus
Busáras (Map; 836 6111; www.buseireann.ie; Store St), the main bus station, is just north of the river behind Custom House, and serves as the main city stop for Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie).
For information on fares, frequencies and durations to various destinations in the Republic and Northern Ireland, Click here.