When I learned a buddy was planning to travel to Dublin, Ireland, I set about putting together a travel guide of things for him to do on his Irish travel trip. Here are my Don’t Miss and Dismiss Dublin opinions.

Don’t Miss: Trinity College Tour

The student-led tour of the grounds is easily my favorite thing to do in Dublin. I enjoy the school’s interesting history and the guides’ often-humorous insight into Irish college life. The tour also includes a visit to the famous Book of Kells and the library’s impressive long room.

Dismiss: Temple Bar

I admit you should take a stroll through the Temple Bar, but don’t stay long. If you’re looking to hang out with a bunch of other tourists, this is the place to find them.

Don’t Miss: Irish Music Pub Crawl

You bet it’s hokey and touristy, but it’s also a darn good time. Led by local musicians, the tour visits a handful of pubs and provides a fun and educational look (and listen) inside traditional Irish music.

Dismiss: Guinness Storehouse

You can’t visit Dublin without drinking a Guinness. That said, I humbly suggest that you throw back your pint of the dark drink somewhere other than the Guinness Storehouse. The expensive (€15) admission doesn’t cover any of the working parts of the brewery, but provides plenty of opportunity to purchase Guinness-branded souvenir junk.

Don’t Miss: Kilmainham Gaol

I likely would have skipped the Kilmainham Jail, but my lovely wife insisted we visit, and I’m glad she did. The guided tour is excellent and brings the jail’s history to life. Kilmainham is a must for anyone remotely interested in Ireland’s struggle for independence.

Dismiss: O’Connell Street

This big, wide boulevard straddles an uninspiring collection of statues honoring Irish heros and is also home to the 390-foot monstrosity called the Spire of Dublin. We found O’Connell Street so mediocre that we didn’t even take any photos.

Don’t Miss: Number 29 Georgian House

An entertaining museum, Number Twenty-Nine Georgian House represents a middle-class Georgian home and provides an informative look at everyday life in the late 18^th century. As an added bonus, the museum is located right off Merrion Square, a great place to photograph a slew of Dublin’s characteristic and colorful Georgian doors.

The House Hotel in Galway was a breath of fresh air. As soon as we walked through the front door, we were greeted by the concierge who called us by name and made us comfortable as she checked us in. As the concierge visited with Lee about Galway’s tourist highlights, I noticed a whimsical decor and an interesting cat motif. A sign pointing to the room was decorated with a picture of a sleeping cat. The restaurant’s sign had an eating cat and you can only imagine what the cat on the bathroom sign was doing.

Our “mack daddy” suite was large, nicely furnished and included internet access on a large flat screen TV. The suite’s bathroom was fully equipped and very nice.

Although the rooms and common areas were very nice, the true gem of this hotel was the attention to service. The staff were always willing to act as travel guide and help us plan our day, often taking it upon themselves to make our travel arrangements personally. To top it off, they absolutely refused my attempts to slip them some green for their special attention.  They would not accept a thing.

Needless to say, we highly recommend the House Hotel and will stay here the next time we travel to Galway.

Frequent voyagers, Jeff and Lee travel to destinations both far and near. Expect to hear from them often.