New Dublin 8 Tourist attraction!
If you are anything like me, as a resident of Dublin 8, you’ve probably being chasing a red train around Thomas Street. Doubtlessly, many people will say they are not like me and put down my misfortune to a clumsy doctor upon my leaving the womb or think that I am making some poorly cryptic reference to drugs. However, while the former is true (or it would at least explain a lot), the latter is not, there is a little red and magnolia train driving around Dublin 8 and I have finally been able to prove it, despite the sympathetic looks I’ve been getting in the office!
Dublin Road Train Tours has been in concept at least since March last year but it seems to be only operating on our streets in the last couple of months. It performs a fully comprehensive tour of the main sites of the city starting from College Green heading to our own Guinness Storehouse via Dame Street before turning at High Street by the Four Courts and heading on as far as the Customs House before returning again to Trinity. The ride itself is a dainty old style steam train body on what is presumably a diesel motor accompanied by 3 similarly styled carriages not unlike the tour train in Fota Park in Cork used to run (sorry just had a flashback from my youth).
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults €14
Seniors €12
3 – 14yrs € 8
Less than 3 €Free
The service operates Monday to Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.
For more details visit Dublin Road Trains Website here.
The real hope, as with any of these tourist developments, is that it brings more business to the area. From my own personal perspective, I’ve always felt that the Thomas Street/James’ Street area could have done a lot more with the facelift project that was given to Smithfield (though I did see its merits there too). We have things to see and do here and a fascinating sub-culture to bring to the fore (our ghost stories and our historical inheritance) through museums, tours and themed shops/restaurants and the real restoration of old buildings but I digress. Expect a follow up review of the tour in the coming months!
