Northside Pub Crawl Virtual Cache
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This Virtual Cache should take you to many of Dublin City Centre’s finer Public Houses on the North Side of the River Liffey!
This is a virtual cache with roughly 20 stages! However, all the stages are close together, so the whole cache should only take you about 60-120 minutes (or possibly much, much longer if you decide to sample the quality of Guinness at each stage!). The terrain is flat and you will be walking along concrete for the entire cache, so no specialist clothing is needed. However it might be wise to bring a calculator to figure out the answers at the end. You can visit the pubs in any order, but the order I list them is probably the quickest route to take. The starting point of the cache is quite close to the Connolly train station. This cache can really only be done on foot - leave the car in one of the city's many car parks and head off for a stroll!
Dublin has over 700 pubs, so choosing the best is always going to be a difficult task. This particular group was chosen based on the basis of many factors, such as history, significance, atmosphere, etc. The idea, and much of the text in this cache page, came from Pat Liddy's book, "Secret Dublin" (New Holland Press), which is a must for anyone spending a significant amount of time in the city. The route more or less follows that described in the book, but some of the pubs are different. I'm sure I've left out many great pubs, but there are also many great ones included. Along the route there are several questions to be answered, all of which will help you reach the final pub (Number 17!) on the walk. Email me the name of that pub to complete the cache. All clues are on the buildings' exteriors, so you will not need to go into any of them to get the answers (although most are well worth a visit!)
Satellite coverage may come and go in the city centre, but can usually be picked up from open locations, such as along the River Liffey and at street intersections. I've left out the names of the pubs to encourage people to use their GPS to find them, but if satellite coverage can't be gained, the encrypted hints will tell you which pub to look out for. The coordinates listed above for the cache are those for the first pub.
1) The pub-crawl starts in Dublin's recently developed financial district, the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The first pub is at N53 20.993 W 006 14.961 and was, in the 19th century, the dockmasters office. On the shelves within you will find many of the office trappings and samples of the examined cargoes. How many clocks are on the tower on the pub?
ANSWER A =
2) From here, take a stroll to Connolly Station and admire the new LUAS terminus. The LUAS is Dublin's light rail system, completed in 2004, and is a welcome addition to the capital's transport system. From here, walk towards the central bus station, Busaras, to a pub at N53° 21.008' W006° 15.067'. This pub is a modern craft brewery and also sells a huge range of beers from around the world. Look at the large arrow shaped sign on the front of the pub. How many letter "e"s are there in the last word of this sign?
ANSWER B=
3) From here it's only a short distance to N53 21.053 W6 15.257. This pub and its hotel are popular spots with the guests of the many hostels and B&Bs along Gardiner Street. How many sculptures / plaques showing violins / fiddles on them are at the entrance to the hotel.
ANSWER C=
4) From here, move on N53 20.930 W006 15.464. The name of the pub suggests that, at one stage in its history, the River Liffey might have swept by its door. On the building beside the pub you will find two dates written in Roman numerals. Find the date the building was erected. Bearing in mind that M=1000, D=500, C=100, X=10 and I=1, in what year was the building erected?
ANSWER D=
5) Furthed down the street, at N53 20.918 W006 15.525, you will find a fine traditional pub. What is the street number of this pub?
ANSWER E=
6) Across the road at N53 20.915 W006 15.514 you will find a hotel with a quiet pub. The hotel is popular with tourists and worth a stop if you need a drink at this early stage in the pub-crawl! There are two street numbers listed for this hotel. What number do you get if you add them together?
ANSWER F=
7) At N53 20.911 W006 15.529 you will find a large new pub that used to be home to the O'Connell Street branch of Bank Of Ireland. Today the building houses a comfortable pub which serves delicious lunches. At the front entrance to the building, count the number of harps on the insignia above the doorway to get answer G.
ANSWER G=
8) Make your way northwards up O'Connell Street until you reach a small side street on your right. Pop into the pub at N53 20 940 W006 15.530 for a relaxing Guinness and enjoy the sights and sounds of the many Dublin characters that will probably be propping up the bar. What is the street number for this pub?
ANSWER H=
9) At N53 20.837 W006 15.656 you will find the kind of pub that I dislike the most. This modern pub will probably be recommended as a great spot for tourists in many of the guidebooks to Dublin, but will most likely have all sorts of terrible entertainment going on. The last time I was there (several years ago, so it might have improved!), there were a couple of awful balladeers reminiscing about some distant past events, a DJ who spoke over the records more often than not, and some ridiculous Riverdance - lite / Irish dancing thing was being performed in a corner. Enter at your own risk! What is the even street number of this pub?
ANSWER I=
10) At N53 20.814 W006 15.808 there is a much more enjoyable pub. Inside it has pleasant décor and usually has good music. On the weekends there is a flea market inside How many letters are in the last word of the name of this pub?
ANSWER J=
11) At N53 20.773 W006 15.907 you should be standing at the entrance to the newly built "Italian Quarter", a street of Italian (and other nationalities!) eateries. This street would make a good place for a bite to eat if you were hungry. On the side of the pub, look at all the signs showing awards. Look at the date of the sign on the top right. Subtract 10 from the year to get answer K.
ANSWER K=
12) At N53 20.779 W006 15.949 you will find a fashionable hot-spot located in a modern hotel. If you are trendy enough to get in you might spot some up and coming figures from the entertainment industry here. How many black and white bollards are there at the front corner of this hotel?
ANSWER L=
13) Stroll along the quays to Capel Street, a grand old street now home to many army surplus, D-I-Y and bargain shops. At N53 20.794 W006 16.077 you will find a pub with an, eh, "interesting" name, after the celebrity who runs the pub. Above the doorway you will see and old sign referring to a business that once traded here, "XXXX & Co.". How many letter "a"s appear in the business name? This is answer M.
ANSWER M=
14) At N53 20.754 W006 16.168 you will find a pleasant modern pub. Subtract the number of beer signs sticking out of the front of the pub from the number of windows above the pub?
ANSWER N=
15) The name of the pub at N53 20.748 W006 16.342 reflects the fact that you are now in the heart of the Irish judicial quarter, with the impressive Four Courts building a stones throw away. The building is one of several beautiful buildings in Dublin designed by James Gandon in the latter eighteenth century. Drop into this pub and eavesdrop on the days events in court. How many letters are in the full name for the pub? subtract 1 to get O
ANSWER O=
16) At N53 20.758 W006 16.545 you will find another pub popular with the employees of the courts. Find the number of the postal district that these pubs are in. For those unfamiliar with Dublin's postal system, this is listed on a blue and white street sign nearby.
ANSWER P=
17) All you have to do now is use your answers to find the coordinates of the final pub! This can be done by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing the answers you found along the way. In the following problems,
+ means to add the values
- means subtract the values
x means multiply the values
/ means divide the first value by the second value
For the problems with brackets, figure out the answers in brackets first before completing the rest of the problem -
ANSWER 1 = (E+L)xN
ANSWER 2 = (D/B) + [{(AxP) - G} x N]
ANSWER 3 = H
ANSWER 4 = {(K+I-G)/<(F-C)/I>} + (O/J) + M
Insert your answers into the following coordinates to get the coordinates of the last pub.
(N53 ANSWER 1 . ANSWER 2) (W006 ANSWER 3 . ANSWER 4)
Once you've figured this out, head to the pub and note its name before stopping off for a well earned few pints!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
1) Gur Uneobheznfgre, VSFP; 2) Gur Oerj Qbpx, Nzvraf Fgerrg; 3) B Furn'f Tneqvare Fgerrg; 4) Gur Sybjvat Gvqr, Noorl Fgerrg; 5) Znqvtna’f, Noorl Fgerrg; 6) Jlaa’f Ubgry, Noorl Fgerrg; 7) Tenaq Prageny, B’Pbaaryy Fgerrg; 8) Gur Fnpxivyyr Ybhatr, Fnpxivyyr Cynpr; 9) Neyvatgba Ubgry, Onpurybe’f Jnyx; 10) ?, Yvssrl Fgerrg; 11) One Vgnyvn, Bezbaq Dhnl; 12) Gur Zbeevfba Ubgry, Bezbaq Dhnl; 13) Cnagvone, Pncry Fgerrg; 14) Fva R, Bezbaq Dhnl; 15) ?, Punaprel Cynpr; 16) Gur Dhvyy, Puhepu Fgerrg;