Recently, I had my ‘big’ birthday bash in Dublin with a group of my best friends. We stayed in a really funky 4* hotel called the Trinity Capital hotel; it’s close to Trinity College, the main shopping area of Grafton Street, a short walk to the nightlife of Temple Bar area and the riverside.

Apart from the Guinness tour (I recommend the steak and ale stew and mash in the Guinness bar!), the main highlight for me was a visit to the Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison and now a heritage site museum. It is eerie and a painful glimpse into prison life in Dublin over the years. The guides that take you around are brilliantly knowledgeable and really set the scene of the suffering endured.

TIP: The Guinness tastes different in Dublin, so give it a try, even if you think you won’t like it!