Dublin – Ireland
Mid October 2019
Another month, another course, and another excuse to travel.
Renaissance Periodisation is a group in the strength and conditioning world that I’m quite fond of – If you take the topic of resistance training seriously, particularly hypertrophy, you should check them out – Dr Mike & Dr Mel in particular. As far as I’m aware, they’ve never come to Perth, so upon stumbling across an advertisement for a 2 day course in Dublin – I immediately signed up.
One of Amy’s work friends put us in touch with her sister, Finola, who happened to live just off Camden road and 8 minutes from my where my course was to be held. It was perfect.
Course, flights, and accommodation were promptly booked and off we went, leaving in a rush after work on Friday afternoon.
Arriving in Dublin we caught the airport express bus, which I’d highly recommend, as it was cheap, easy, and quick. We were met at the door by Finola’s partner, Sofia, who helped us settle in. It was rather late by the time we actually got to relax, so we ended up just heading to bed. We we’re kept up slightly by a raucous 30th upstairs.
The course began in earnest at 9am the next day. The first thing I remember seeing was Dr Mike at the end of the hall, practically filling it up - The guy is huge and his hamstrings scare me.
The course itself covered all things training, hypertrophy, recovery, and client management, so for a geek like me it was great. The panel was comprised of Drs. Mel Davis, Gabrielle Fundaro, James Hoffman and Mike Israetel, so there was a lot of knowledge in the room. It’s always risky meeting your idols, but the RP team couldn’t have been more approachable, helpful, and generous with their time. Half of them do BJJ too, so I even got to pick their brains about that.
I realised after the fact that rolling with Dr Mike on the ground between sessions would’ve seemed awfully strange to those not in to grappling – but it was great fun.
At lunch I made a break for nearby Zaytoon, a Persian place I went to last time and had fond memories of. Sometimes you need to hit those cravings.
We had realised over the last few months that we were missing the Irish – the people, the culture, the craic. The whole country is just so fun loving, genuine, and enthusiastic, that it’s hard not to like them. So after the first day concluded, we immediately headed out to get amongst it. Our first stop was Whelan’s an older pub around the corner; it had dark lighting, wooden floors and a raft of local beers. It was the perfect place for me to gush about the course to Amy.
Moving on we went with Sofia’s recommendation and tried Damascus Gate, a Syrian restaurant further south, where we had a lovely mix of Syrian moussaka, spiced rice, beef curry, and grape leaf dumplings. The food was fresh, generous, and authentic tasting. Dublin seemed to have a thriving culinary scene; Camden Street was packed with bars and restaurants from around the world – all of which seemed to be full from sundown until the wee hours - It seemed to have changed so much from when we were here last more than 5 years ago.
Moving on, we headed over to the Bernard Shaw, a local favourite. Very hip and almost a little too youthful for us, we had another pint and enjoyed hanging out amongst the raucous crowd – everyone seemingly losing it to the DJ’s 90’s hip hop mix.
Moving on, we briefly stopped at Devitts, but on the way in Amy was accidentally slapped in the face by an awfully drunk girl, which ruined the vibe, so we left.
We instead settled in to Burkes further afield. Quieter and with an older clientele, it suited us better at that point in the night. A well poured cider and Guinness let us settle in and we continued to chat for a time.
We left close to midnight and weren’t surprised to see the state of Dublin’s streets, with people rolling about everywhere. Having been here before, it didn’t catch us off guard, but if it is your first time it can be quite a thing to see how drunk some Irish men and women can get when they set their mind to it.
We soaked up a bit of alcohol at Eddie Rockets by eating a dirty burger and chips, and then headed home to bed.
The second day of the course was just as interesting and finished with a very interesting Q and A on all things strength, plus a bit of myth busting – no you shouldn’t bother doing a detox, drinking vinegar isn't anything to be proud of, and no, putting butter in your coffee won’t make you burn more fat.
That evening, on the recommendation of Amy’s friend Emer, we began our night at Cassidy’s Irish Bar around the corner. It was an excellent recommendation, as the pub was lively and all-together authentic, with a band setting up for the evening and GAA on the TV. We enjoyed a pint while we tried to get our head around Hurling.
We then headed down the road to The Landmark for an Irish stew, soup, and soda bread. I even managed to find a beer that I quite liked from the last time I was in Ireland, a red ale from Franciscan Well. Keep an eye out for it.
Having seen the band at Cassidy’s setting up earlier that night, we felt the need to go back and check them out. The atmosphere had certainly come up a few notches since we were in a few hours earlier, as it was now standing room only – with seemingly every punter singing along to the band. We didn’t know a single word, but it didn’t matter. I stood and enjoyed it all with a Guinness in hand.
The next day began with a run around southern Dublin, running along the canal and through St Stephen’s green. I was surprised at how European Dublin seemed to be, all the way down to the multitude of cyclists going about their morning commute. It all seemed very progressive and it was hard not to compare it to both England and Australia, who both seem backwards in so many ways the longer I’m away from them both. Fortunately Scotland seems to outdo itself for such a small place.
After a quick and rather disorganised breakfast at the Beanhive, we went to see Dublin’s most well-known attraction, the Book of Kells – an ancient and extremely well-maintained series of Christian texts. To be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting, but in reality it was a bunch of old books. I’m interested in history at the best of times, but this exhibition was a bit of a stretch, as there simply aren't many things to see, given the price. Fortunately, the ticket includes access to the spectacular Long Hall of Trinity College – an old, Gothic library, complete with the busts of history’s famous intellectuals.
With Amy having gone on a walking tour the day before, I was then treated to a personalised tour of Dublin from hers truly. Having been to Dublin a long, long time ago, I couldn’t really remember it all, so it was nice to see it all again with fresh eyes – Trinity College, Dublin Castle, the River Liffey, Grafton St, etc.
On Amy’s recommendation, we then stopped by the Little Museum of Dublin, which is exactly that. I was immediately made uncomfortable by the tour guide who was in full character, asking us for audience participation, but once I adjusted to it, the museum turned out to be a very enjoyable way to come to grips with the City of Dublin. As our guide put it, a Viking town, a British colony, and an Irish city. I’d highly recommend the tour if you have a spare hour.
Stopping briefly for Irish Sandwiches at O’Brien’s, we then made way for home to pack our bags and prepare to leave. With plenty of time to spare, we then walked to our bus stop – only to be stopped by a substantial police presence who had completely cordoned off St Patrick’s Cathedral. Apparently, they were investigating a suspicious package. Hardly what you want to be hearing second-hand while in Ireland.
We didn’t really have time to find out any more, so had to then rush downtown to try and find our bus to the airport, which was now diverted due to police actions in the area. What then followed was a very confusing and stressful hour of searching for, and failing to find, our bus. We ended up having to cross the Liffey with a bunch of other confused tourists to find another bus stop.
Later that evening, an internet search revealed that the suspicious package was actually a set of fireworks that were set off in a bin. At first I couldn’t help but be annoyed at how much our day was derailed by something so innocuous, but upon considering the recent history of Ireland and the cultural significance of such an incident, it all made much more sense.
I couldn’t help but reflect at how safe I normally feel in both Australia and Scotland – how free we are from conflict. An odd perspective to be provided right at the end of our trip.
We returned to Glasgow that evening, content for now, having thoroughly enjoyed everything about Dublin – except for the cost. I’d go again happily, so if anyone is keen, just let us know.
JC
"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking"
William Butler Yeats
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