Two of Ireland's dearest passions -- music and drinking -- come together to give the tourist a taste of the sublime.u00a0Krishna Raju00a0on finding the crowd at The Auld Dubliner pub swinging to Jai Ho, and asking a Gaelic waitress for a drink in Kathiawadi Gujarati

Isamahee li yal gharaam! (Allow me, oh my love), a heart-rending Arabic rendition I heard in-flight, haunted me through the seven-hour journey from the Middle East to Ireland. On landing in the capital city of Dublin, Ireland's mellow, temperate air was already awash with traditional Gaelic dance music that was a sharp contrast to the earlier tune. This trip promised a musical treat already.









With the customary British-bashing that the Irish enjoy with Indians, a detailed weather report and a few tips on how to instantly charm Irish girls from various counties, my cab driver dropped me at the city centre at the plush Fitzwilliam Hotel overlooking the scenic St Stephen's Green. I was reminded of a Robaaiyat (quatrain) by legendary Persian mystic poet Omar Khayyam:u00a0

"In springtime, if a heavenly beauty must appear
And offer me a goblet of wine in a verdant field
This may sound blasphemous to the common folk
But even a dog is better than me if I then think of paradise!"

And any paradise would be incomplete without sublime music. At the Green, the soulful strains of Sean Nos
(pronounced Shan Naws: Gaelic for 'old style'), one of Ireland's most ancient singing styles captivated my senses; the singer was one of the country's celebrated vocalists -- Lorcan Mac Mathuna. Despite his fame, Lorcan's simplicity and unconditional sincerity to his ancient tradition was touching. We hummed an old Jig he had taught me, arriving in time for our performance for a Gaelic language radio station Raidi na Life.

Slumdog in Dublin
The sonorous tones of ancient Gaelic language are manna for the jetlagged musician, and when Dr Anthony Cummins, the radio presenter and noted music connoisseur, greeted me with Dia duit (pronounced dia gwit) or 'God be with you', followed by "Namaste, aap Hindi bolte hain?", I knew I was in the right place.

The spirit of Ireland is traditionally described by the three Cs: Caint, Ceol agus Criac (Gaelic for fun, music and
chatting). No wonder then, that their traditional music has captured hearts for centuries and is kept alive with informal sessions at typical, quaint Irish pubs.

This time, a fiddler, a Bodhran player (Irish frame drum), a Uilleann piper and a Tin Whistle player rendered Reels and Jigs over pints of good ol' Guinness, accompanied well into the night by foot tapping and cheering.

Dublin is famous for its Temple Bar pub complex, the seat of musical entertainment enjoyed by tourists throughout the year. While 'bar' is Irish for 'area', which in this case, was once owned by a man named Temple, here, you will find some of Ireland's most popular pubs including The Oliver St John Gogarty's, The Temple Bar Pub and The Auld Dubliner, where I was pleasantly surprised to find the crowd going wild to Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire.u00a0u00a0u00a0

Gulping down Guinness
Musical pub crawls are another of Dublin's fascinating musical experiences, where traditional Irish musicians lead international tourists from one pub to another, rendering old classics, punctuated by hardy Irish humour and anecdotes from history.

At one of the old pubs, we were told about how the scarcity of beer in the town of Cork, south of Dublin, had once led two men to drive down to Devon in England and bring cider in whiskey barrels. The highly potent combination was christened Johnny Jump Up, and so the number 'Oh never, oh never, oh never again, if I live to be a hundred or a hundred n ten. I fell to the ground n I couldn't get up ufffdafter drinkin' a quart of da Johnny Jump up!'

For serious listeners, Dublin's Cobblestone Pub hosts some of the 'less commercial' sessions, attended by die-hard fans of traditional Irish music, while the Gaelic-speaking Conradh Club (pronounced 'Conraah') is the ideally wholesome Irish experience for both, the ancient language and the music.

Having heard hilarious stories of complete intolerance to English at the Conradh, and how a group of Italians were asked to leave the moment they switched from Italiano to an English song, I decided to introduce myself in Kathiawadi Gujarati, my mother tongue. To my utter relief, the dark-haired Gaelic goddess at the bar said English was okay, getting us started with generous pints of Guinness. Phew!

Irish music is originally dance music, and for a foot-tapping treat, Riverdance at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre was more than enthralling. With thematic dance and musical renditions, the young band performed the traditional Irish StepDance, sweeping the audience off their seats.

If there's one country that truly welcomes you, it's Ireland. You won't find a racist slur from its people even in the drunken confines of a pub. Considering that there doesn't exist a direct word for 'no' in Gaelic, the Irish are true to the old saying 'Dee Eyrish dunno how ta say NO!'u00a0

DUBLIN MUST DOs
Eat & drink: Fine dining restaurants like the Peploes Restaurant and Bentleys are a gourmand's paradise. Dublin is a heaven for vegetarians with famous all-veg organic restaurants like Caf ufffd Fresh, Cornucopia and veg fine dining restaurant Juice.
>A tour of The Old Jameson Distillery will earn you a 'diploma' in whisky tasting after an exciting sampling.
Tour: A visit to the Guinness Old Storehouse gives you insight into the making of Ireland's most iconic brews.
}Don't miss Chester Beatty Library, awarded the European Museum of the Year 2002, inside the grand old Dublin Castle. It has an outstanding collection of ancient literature from all over the Middle-East, Europe, India and China, the second largest collection of ancient Quran copies written in different styles of Arabic calligraphy, musical writings, copies of the Old Testament, old army uniforms from Japan, the Mughal Empire, medieval musical manuscripts, along with a copy of the Akbar Namah.
}Visit the Trinity College Dublin. One of the oldest universities in Ireland and one of first major universities in the world, it was established in 1592 and was the first to enroll female students.
}Go to the Old Library in the Trinity College campus. It has the legendary Book of Kells protected in a bulletproof, bombproof chamber. It talks about the early Irish Christian life along with the four Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. The Irish regard it as their National Treasure.
Shop: Grafton Street and Collins Street are home to designer boutiques, souvenirs, handicraft, woollens, fashion wear and style. Browse for some silver Celtic jewellery around the Blarney woollen mills near Trinity College.

Dublin facts

GETTING THERE:
There are no direct flights to Dublin from India. You will require a British visa to fly via London, but the most feasible option is to take Etihad Airways to Dublin via Abu Dhabi.u00a0