The Main Character's Guide to Dublin
woo's main characters Venus, Ab and Jessie give us insider access to their home city
woo's main characters Venus, Ab and Jessie give us insider access to their home city
Forget tourist traps and timeworn city guides, imagine if you could experience a place through the eyes of a resident? No, not just any local but a sparkly eyed main character. You know, the people who breathe new air into the everyday. Those who know exactly where you should go for a feel-good boogie but also where you should get munchies after. The ones who know that car boot sales are too spenny and instead spend their weekends scouring through untapped thrift shops.
Basically, the people who don’t need to follow trends on TikTok because they inspire them, they’re the muses, creators and makers that make a busy room pause. And no matter where you’re going or what type of traveller you are, it feels better to be on the scene with a main character. To channel this ~romanticised~ energy, woo asked the three stars from our Main Character series for the insider’s guide to Dublin.
Without gatekeeping, Venus, Ab and Jessie take us through the streets and shops in the Irish capital that make them who they are. If you want to feel like the dreamy, wind-in-the-hair protagonist of your life - and have a banging riverside holiday - this guide is for you.
Venus Finds Love
Where do you feel most like a main character in the city and why?
Strolling around South William and Drury Street because of the great vibes, cool shops and lovely people.
Let’s say you’re playing hooky from work, where and how would you spend the day?
Get pastries and coffee from Bretzel Bakery and enjoy by the canal. Then thrift on Camden Street, check out any exhibitions in Douglas Hyde Gallery or Temple Bar Gallery, and finish the day with amazing ramen from Takara.
Top three places to go thrifting?
- Casa, Capel Street
- Dublin Vintage Factory, Temple Bar
- Vincent’s, Georges Street
Where’s the best place to get breakfast and what are you eating there?
Bread 41, I’m having the ice cream French toast.
If someone was looking to buy new sex toys, where would you recommend they buy them from?
Good Vibrations on Capel Street. They have a great selection and the owner’s so nice that he gave me free poppers once.
Ab Opens Up
What’s the best hangover cure in Dublin?
It’s either a Chicken Fillet Roll or a swim in the sea, whichever is the closest.
If your lads are busy and you have the day to experience the city on your own, how would you spend it?
I’d probably go to a gig, somewhere like The Academy's main room. December 14th is always a great day to go there.
Where do you go to feel inspired and create new music?
Live shows are always a great place to get musical inspiration but recently, going anywhere without my phone has been very helpful.
When you’re having a hard day, where do you go to feel more grounded?
It has to be the gym for me. I don’t even go often but when I’m feeling the most down, it's the easiest place to go to feel better about my day.
Let’s say you’re going on a first date, where are you taking them and why?
I have a girlfriend so I can't legally answer this.
Jessie Trusts The Universe
Where do you feel most like a main character in the city and why?
Honestly, it’s just walking along the Liffey river, AirPods in, world out.
If you could recommend just one must do in Dublin what would it be and why?
Sunrise at Clontarf Bay for an early adventure and enjoying a lovely Guinness or 0.0 Guinness in the eve while in town.
No gatekeeping, what’s an insider hack to travelling around in Dublin?
I got a new bike recently and am obsessed. Cycling is great, I’m in a much better mood in the mornings when I reach work. But I don’t do long distances yet so I have to take taxis to some places too.
You’re spending the day outdoors, where do you go to feel closer to nature and what do you do?
I generally go to the beach to feel closer to nature. Hop on the dart, get off somewhere south, and head in for a dip. There’s a few outdoor sauna setups along the coast and they are so nice, just take a picnic with you and relax. But if I can’t do the trek to the beach on that day, I’m lucky that the canal is close to me which is a lovely escape into nature as well.
It’s Friday night, where are you going for a bop? Where are you going after the first place closes down?
Hahaha I don’t really go out that much unless it’s a gig (that’s where it’s at in Dublin tbh you just have to do some digging on the gram). But off the top of my head, some places that I have been to before and enjoyed a bop are Izakaya, Tengu and Wigwam.
Main Character is woo's original comedic series featuring an artist, a rapper and a dancer from the Dublin underground, telling three interwoven stories of personal growth in a candid stream-of-consciousness docu-drama. Watch the full series here.
