Live it up / Explore your city

Shopping - In general shops are open between 9am and 18.00 Mon-Sat except on Thursday where city centre shops stay open late until 20.00. Late opening for shops in suburban areas is usually on Friday evenings and for most centres is late on other evenings. Many shops in the city are open on Sundays.

- There are two 24/7 supermarkets. Dunnes at Cornelscourt and Tesco in Dundrum

- Gourmet Food Shops :
Fallon & Byrne – Exchequer Street D2
Donnybrook Fair – Morehampton Rd D4
Avoca (downstairs) – Sufflolk St D2
Sheridans Cheesemongers – South Anne St D2
Mosque on Clonskeagh road for North African specialties.

- Farmers Markets: for complete info: www.irishfarmersmarkets.ie
Temple Bar Food Market – Sat. 9am to 5pm
Ranelagh Market – Sun. 10am-4pm on Ranelagh Rd set in a schoolyard, sheltered and intimate where customers can taste everything from cheeses to scones. A farmers market, known in Dublin as the 'Celebrity Market', with visiting rock bands, famous artists, radio hosts, film stars, ministers, all seen to graduate to this market just under the Ranelagh Luas station.
Leopardstown – Fri. 9am-3pm - One of the oldest farmers markets in Ireland, situated at Leopardstown Race Course, Foxrock. Essentially an indoor market, with some outdoor stalls at the entrance makes this an excellent all weather market facility.
Dun Laoghaire,  Sun. 11am-4pm a market in the People's Park. The market traders cover a wide range of fresh organic foods, from breads & cheeses to fresh fruit & veg and lovely cakes. But not just food, there's plenty of nic naks and things for the garden too…
Howth – Sun. 10am-5pm a fishermans and farmers market. With a total of 40 stalls each week throughout the year, and wonderful seafood restaurant and stalls on the Quays of Howth, the market provides a fabulous day out for the family…the kids will love the seals bobbing around in the harbour!

- There are two main pedestrian shopping streets in the city centre of Dublin: Henry Street north of the Liffey and Grafton Street south of the Liffey.  They are both easy walking distances apart and you will find mainstream as well as speciality shops.  Temple Bar is said to be Dublin’s cultural quarter. It is a diverse mix of specialised  shops, markets, and pubs and is located south of the Liffey near Grafton Street.

- There are groups of shops in the ‘villages’ around Dublin like Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire, and Stillorgan, to name a few…

- Woodies DIY (do it yourself) - home improvement stores with tools, hardware, gardening supplies, furniture, paints, etc...check website for locations : www.woodiesdiy.com 

- Dundrum Town Centre - offers over 100 international ‘brand’ stores, 29 restaurants, a 12 screen cinema, a theatre, a town square and  3,400 car spaces. www.dundrum.ie

- School Books for classes in English – books as well as school supplies can be found at Wise Owl Bookshop, 7 Lwr Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan tel:  01 2836477 or Sheerans,1 Lr Main Street,Dundrum under the Luas overpass. They have a website you can use to order the books and have them delivered or pick them up…no queues! www.irish-schoolbooks.com

Cinémas -  The three main cinemas in our area are Movies @ Dundrum (12 screens), Ormonde in Stillorgan (7 screens), and IMC in Dun Laoghaire (12 screens). With new releases and weekend shows it’s common and advised to purchase tickets in advance online to avoid disappointment.

Local Theatres - Pavilion Dun Laoghaire, the Mill in Dundrum, the Mermaid in Bray (for more info check out ‘Sources of Info on Events…’ below.)

Some Favorite Places for Kids: Cabinteely Park (great jungle gyms for all ages), Marley Park, Phoenix Park (Dublin Zoo), Blackrock Park, The Airfield Trust (special programs for kids), Glenroe Farm, Clara Lara, Herbert Park, Lambert Puppet Theatre and Museum, National Print Museum, The Chocolate Warehouse (museum open in the summer),Portmarnock Beach Fry Model Railway Museum, Imaginosity (kids museum), and National Museum Of Ireland. You can find info about all these places on the websites listed below under ‘Sources of info...”.

Some Favorite Places for Adults: Trinity College, Guinness Storehouse, National Gallery, Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), National Museum, Dublin Castle, Chester Beatty Library...again check websites below for more details.

Some Favorite Places for a Walk or Hike: Bray beach, Killiney Hill and beach, Sandycove beach and Dun Laoghaire piers, Greystones Harbour, the Boardwalk along the Liffey...

A great way to see the city is the Hop-on/Hop-off Tour. Open-top red double-decker bus offers a 90-minute tour with live commentary (in French, if needed) and 20 hop-on/hop-off stops. Two to choose from : See www.irishcitytours.com  or   www.dublinbus.ie

Sources of information for events, dining, and having fun in Dublin:

- Dubliner – monthly magazine dealing with entertainment, media, and dining. Available at most book stores.
- Totally Dublin – a hip monthly free magazine found at cinemas, cafes, shopping centres with listings and articles about live music, theatre, clubs, and art.
- www.dublineventguide.com - a wonderful guide to FREE events in greater Dublin (updated weekly)...concerts, festivals, kid activities, art exhibits, etc....
- iWalks are FREE podcast audio guides to Dublin from Dublin Tourism. These convenient guides tell the story of Dublin as spoken by their author, historian and artist, Pat Liddy. There are eleven themes covering many fascinating aspects of the city. You can download the guides and use them as free walking tour guides to the city, or you can just listen to them to discover the fascinating story of Dublin. www.visitdublin.com/iwalks 
- www.dublinks.com - provides info on libraries and activities for kids such as the National Aquatic Centre, National Sea Life Centre, Dublin zoo, theatres, and special festivals for kids.
- www.dublinuncovered.net -  another website for all your tourist needs.
- www.dublintourist.com - things to see and do, maps, getting around...
- www.ticketmaster.ie – All your entertainment needs under one virtual roof with tickets for theatre, concerts, sport, family events, clubs and more!
- The Ticket – the Irish Times weekly guide to entertainment in Fridays paper.
- Irish Independent newspaper – special weekend section on Saturdays.
- www.indublin.ie – “largest directory of pubs, clubs, restaurants...”.
- www.menupages.ie - award winning Irish website with a comprehensive online dining guide.