Although my partner and I have been together the best part of a decade, we have chosen not to live together, so I have a house in the south city and he has a house in Killiney. We have no set routine, so Sundays can be spent in either place, both of which offer plenty of options for relaxation, which is what we’re generally after. So, if my Sunday Best seems a bit all over the shop, it’s because I live a divided Dublin life.
When we’re Sundaying in the city, I like nothing better than to roll out of bed and head straight for Noshington on the corner of South Circular Road and Washington Street, for one of their hugely satisfying weekend brunch options. I usually go for the blueberry pancakes with bacon, but if I’m feeling up to the challenge, I’ll have their full breakfast complete with homemade nutty Noshington bread. The atmosphere is ‘local’, with people meeting over Sunday papers and big mugs of the best coffee in Dublin 8. In the summer, the garden out back is full of chattering gay guys and girls, so we’re bound to bump into someone we know.
Noshington Café, 186 South Circular Rd, Dublin 8, www.noshington.ie
There’s nothing like a walk from Killiney beach to Dalkey village through Killiney Hill Park to clear the cobwebs after a Saturday night on the tiles. If we’re staying out there, we do it, taking a route at the east end of the beach, up through the alleyway by Bono’s house, onto the Vico Road and then through the park, at the top of which there’s the most spectacular view of Killiney Bay, which never fails to amaze. For a long time we didn’t know we were passing by Bono’s every Sunday (despite all the graffiti in the vicinity saying ‘we love you Bono’), until one day we decided to read the poetry etched into the copper gates at its entrance. ‘Move away from the gates,’ a man on an intercom told us, several times, and slowly we began to understand why there were always Italian students hanging around the vicinity.
Finnegan’s in Dalkey is perfect for an afternoon pint. Not only is the bar my namesake, but it serves the best Guinness in Christendom. If I’m feeling peckish after the energy expended on the walk, I’ll have a plate of my favourite dinner, Bacon and Cabbage. It’s as good as me Mammy’s – well, almost.
Finnegan’s, 1 Sorrento Road, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, www.finnegans.ie
My city house is literally a hop, skip and a very gay jump from Newmarket Square, which is home to Dublin’s flea market on the last Sunday of every month. In another life, when I lived in London, I had a stall at the Portobello flea market, and I loved the whole buzz of it – the banter with the other stall holders, bargaining with customers, the whole business of it. The Dublin Flea Market may be a lot smaller, but it’s perfectly formed and the ideal place to loiter away a Sunday afternoon. I never come away empty handed.
Dublin Flea Market, Newmarket Square, Dublin 8, www.dublinflea.ie
My new favourite place for Sunday evening eats is Wright’s Dispensary in Dalkey. The name of the place is at odds with its fare, which is top of the range tapas, with a slightly Mediterranean flavour. Without fail I order their Goats Cheese and Beetroot Salad which is a little piece of art in itself, the fondant goat’s cheese melts in the mouth with the slightly acidic beetroot. It’s moreish with a capital M, and can be washed down with a choice from an extensive, nicely priced wine list.
Wright’s Dispensary, 31 Castle Street, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, www.dalkeydispensary.ie
Brian Finnegan is the editor of GCN. His first novel, The Forced Redundancy Film Club is in all good bookshops (and Amazon) this week. Tweet him at @finneganba.
