Dublin

We had the opportunity to spend ~20 days in Dublin in November. Unfortunately, I came down with Covid the week before and Casey had a head cold so we were low key sick most of the time. Being sick definitely colored our impression of the city, but we had a good time and would recommend a visit to anyone who is interested.

We stayed at the Zanzibar Locke, immediately next to the Ha’penny bridge. It made access to Temple Bar and most adjacent areas very easy. I didn’t have to drive for a full 20 days and I loved every second of it.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

img Leica M10-R, Voigtlander Apo-Skopar 90mm f2.8

The city had a constant bustle. People from all over the EU (and the world!), which was the most surprising thing to us. We’d hear three, four, five different languages or accents every day.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

This is sweet Molly Malone. I took this with the Summilux, which remains my favorite lens. I typically paired it with a 28mm but as often as not it was the only one I’d bring. The Leica with either lens disappears under a jacket, which was nice for crowds (read: pubs).

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

The Irish are proud of their literary history! They had a whole museum set up; James Joyce had an entire floor. I’ve only ever read snippets, I need to pick up one of his books.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

In general, we did a lot of walking. Many miles a day. This was taken at St. Patrick’s Park; unfortunately, we didn’t get to go inside.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

For indoor environments I would switch to a 28mm, the Voigtlander Ultron II. It punches way, way above its weight. 28 is still uncomfortable for me but it does a great job at showing the space. This is the Long Hall at Trinity College.

img Leica M10-R, Voigtlander 28mm f2

I’m not super happy with the color grading on these photos; it’s my usual preset, but we typically are outside and it doesn’t always work indoors. See the greenish cast to the shadows below the harp:

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Naturally, we decided to stop in at the Guinness Storehouse. It was very busy. I snapped photos using my Ricoh GRIIIx, which is another piece of gear that’s way better than it should be. Small, sharp, easy to use. I want to write a separate post about it and it’s older brother, the GRIII.

img Ricoh GRIIIx

The last few days there were just seeing the sights. We ended the trip with a pint at Temple Bar at 10am. It was already busy; many groups having a drink, live music, and friendly bartenders. It seemed like an appropriate send off.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4