Guinness is Good for you: Dublin to Glasgow (Part 1)

I last visited Dublin more than twenty years ago. 

I was investing money on behalf of an Asian bank in promising technology companies, and we came across an Irish company providing foreign exchange prices and transaction capabilities to global financial services companies. I made several due diligence trips to meet the somewhat odd founder, and his capable team. The deal eventually turned out to be a disaster, and we and the other global investors lost all our money. The founder's odd-ness became front-page news in a bizarre 'I will sleep with your wife for a million pounds' High Court case.

But Dublin has 'Craic'. In my ignorance I tried to buy my first Guinness with a five pound note. I had no Euros, but the bartender was okay with my foreign money. It was the first of very many of these delicious meals-in-a-glass. Due diligence is thirsty work, and I tried many of the famous bars around the city, lots of traditional local music, sawdust and pints and pints of the soothing dark liquid. 

On one trip an old friend since nursery school and his Dad happened to be in Dublin for business, and we caught up over the delicious nectar. Later that night I became fluent in Mandarin and ordered a late night Big-Mac from the Chinese student serving on Grafton street.

On another trip I brought my wife and we were able to meet up with some relatives from the US who were honeymooning in Dublin at U2's hotel. She is a writer, and he was an art-gallery owner, and so we enjoyed the literary shadow of the city and joined a Bloomsday homage to James Joyce's Ulysses.

This year, in late April 2025, I was in town to present Vietnam Holding to 12 interested investors.

I took a morning flight on Singapore Airlines (SQ 308) leaving the Garden City at 0900 and landing in London's Heathrow Terminal Two (Queen's Terminal) at around 4pm. I thought I had plenty of time, but the airside transit to Terminal Five (T5) for the BA flight (BA 824 18:06) to Dublin and the long line in security, left only a little time for a hastily consumed "meal deal' from W.H Smiths. Very few seats at a packed T5, and none of the charging points worked. Really, T5 is a dump. The flight to Dublin was about 80 minutes so I settled in to my book (Seamus Heaney collected poems) and before I knew it was landing on the Emerald Isle. I packed light and so with hand luggage was through the immigration fairly quickly and in a 33 euro taxi to town in the early evening.

My hotel was cool - the Mont Hotel. Around Euro 200 for a night, so not cheap, but cheaper than the venue for my meetings. Nicely styled hotel, and a decent breakfast (about Euro 20 extra).  I wondered around at dusk towards Stephens Green and fought with fortitude the temptation to have a Guinness. I was here to work and had an early start the next day, so just enjoyed the stroll and stretch and called it an early night. Fresh as a daisy the next morning and a short post-breakfast walk to the delightful Merrion Hotel for my first meeting - a breakfast meeting. When you are the presenter it makes sense to have your breakfast before the breakfast meeting - I have learned this through empty stomach experience.

Battle of the Boyne, 1690

At the entrance to the breakfast room was a surprising painting by Jan Van Huchtenburg (1647-1733) depicting the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Here King James II was defeated by William of Orange. After the battle James fled to Dublin and then to France. William - King of England, Scotland and Ireland reigned until his death in 1702. This is a Protestant rallying point in Northern Ireland where it is celebrated with bunting and Orange Day marches every year on July 12th. It is a red Protestant Flag to a Catholic Bull.

The Merrion (very expensive) has an incredible collection of art. The hotel's owner is a seriously minted local entrepreneur.

After a full day of meetings, we retreated, like King James, to a great local pub for a wonderful pint.


Guinness is definitely good for you.

From there it was a sun-soaked walk to the train station for the 18:50 to Belfast.


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