Day 1 in Dublin: Morning

Day 1 in Dublin: Late Morning / Early Afternoon

Right next to the castle is the Chester Beatty Library, a museum dedicated to human creative expression that showcases the texts, rare books, paintings, and more from the personal collection of Sir Chester Beatty, a native New Yorker (born in 1875) who loved to travel and collect art and books from around the world, ultimately settling in Ireland and building his own library. Entry is free and I enjoyed the current exhibits (Arts of the Book and Sacred Traditions) as well as the beautiful garden out front. 1 hour or less
Day 1 in Dublin: Afternoon

After being re-energized by the coffee, take a stroll along Grafton street for [window] shopping and people watching. Some stores I recommend on or around Grafton Street:
- Sporting goods: Elverys Sports which carries local and imported brands at fair prices and has very good service.
- Clothing: River Island is what I consider a nicer H&M or similar to Zara - good quality, less expensive fashion (men and women)
- Quirky and fun gifts: Tiger is a store that you can't quite put your finger on. They sell everything from craft materials to gag gifts to candy and kitchen supplies. Definitely worth stopping in! (Some of my favorites below)
Day 1 in Dublin: Evening

Depending on what part of the city you are staying in, some bars to check out include Cassidy’s (north of the Liffey, a bit hipster, they have board games to play and encourage writing on the walls and bar), O’Donoghues on Baggot street (I only had a chance to walk by but it has the outdoor atmosphere of a German beer garden and looked like a lot of fun) or the Porterhouse by Grafton Street (they have bottles from all over the world as well as multiple local beers on tap... I liked the Chiller, the local light lager).
Day 2 in Dublin: Morning

Day 2 in Dublin: Late Morning / Early Afternoon

Day 2 in Dublin: Afternoon

Day 2 in Dublin: Evening

Alternative things to do in Dublin
Jameson Distillery – Jameson is one of the most popular Irish whiskies and the distillery offers tours to learn more about how Jameson is made. I heard that a few lucky people on each tour get selected to do a taste test of multiple Irish whiskies to share their favorites and guess which is which.
Experience Gaelic Games – a program that introduces people to the traditional Gaelic sports of hurling and Gaelic football and then lets you get out and play!
Croke Park – stadium where rugby, concerts and events take place. It is supposed to be really nice and if there is something going on while you are in town, get tickets! Otherwise, you can go on a tour to see the ins and outs of the stadium.
Day trip to Belfast – about a 2-2.5 hour journey each way, Belfast can be a good day trip for those looking to see another city in Ireland. With rich history and a brand new Titanic exhibit, there is a lot to do to fill up a day. Tours are offered by most tour companies, but you can also just buy round trip tickets on the train and have a black cab take you around for a short tour while you are there for about 7 or 8 Euros.