One Day, One Place: Paddling through heart of Dublin

On a brief visit, the best option is to rent a kayak near the mouth of the River Liffey and paddle through the heart of Dublin. Follow that up with a canal walk, then finish your day with, what else, a drink in a pub and some traditional Irish music. The first whole foods cafe in Dublin (no additives, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors), they serve every sort or morning eats, including a full Irish breakfast if you’re up for it. [...] take a 20-minute walk or hop a taxi to City Kayaking on the Liffey’s north bank at Commons Street on North Wall Quay. City Kayaking will guide you on a two-hour paddle upstream and back, under many of Dublin’s famous bridges, passing such landmarks as the Custom House, Four Courts and St. Paul’s Church. City Kayaking’s pier sits right next to the Jeanie Johnston tall ship, so if you’re not ravenous after your kayaking, take a quick tour before heading for lunch just a short walk past the Samuel Beckett Bridge (the Irish Harp Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava). Chow down at the Boat Bar & Bistro Kitchen on the Cill Airne, a restored tender that once served passenger liners when they stopped in Cork on the run between New York and England. Since you’re on the water, have some seafood chowder or fillet of sea trout. Take a walk along this leafy waterway, passing locks that spill feathery waterfalls into pools and soften the sounds of the busy city around you. Take a moment to share a bench with Patrick Kavenagh (1904-67), Irish poet, who will be waiting for you in repose as a bronze sculpture. If you’re in a good rhythm, continue for a few more locks before returning to Leeson Street and heading back toward the Liffey, through St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin’s signature city-center park. Drop into the historic Shelbourne hotel for a well-deserved pint at the No. 27 Bar & Lounge or afternoon tea in Lord Mayor’s Lounge. Farm is family-owned and operated and serves locally sourced, mostly organic produce in its simple European dishes. Have some comfort food (cottage pie or fish pie) or roast pork or steaks. After dinner, if you’ve been moving fast, catch a play at the Gate, Abbey or Gaiety theaters, but be sure to save time and energy for a stop at O’Donoghue’s Pub on Merrion Row.