Lamb Stew In Dublin, Ireland
“Work is the curse of the drinking class” lamented the Dublin born writer Oscar Wilde, so it was indeed fortunate that when in Dublin there was no reason for us to interrupt drinking for anything as tedious as work! There were enticing pubs on every street and they all seemed packed, irrespective of the hour. The highest concentration of pubs, perhaps anywhere in the world, is in the Temple Bar area, the centre of Dublin’s nightlife and a magnet for tourists.
We consulted dozens of lists of “The Best Pubs in Dublin” and no two of them seemed to overlap. There are establishments for every possible taste. Many of the older pubs are rambling multi-story buildings, with corridors and rooms that seem to sprawl at random. We quite frequently got lost in them while trying to locate the bar, but the interiors were so charming that we did not mind in the least.
One of our favourite pubs was Kennedy’s, which is a lively place next door to Trinity College and popular with students and professors. Oscar Wilde lived a block away, and is said to have whiled away many a Sunday evening at Kennedy’s over a bottle of Stout. They still have a statue of him seated on a bench outside the door, waiting expectantly for someone to join him. In nearby Merrion Square there is a memorial to Wilde, with a stone statue of him reclining on a boulder and gazing sardonically at the world bustling past.
Another city landmark is a bronze statue of Molly Malone, a fishwife who may or may not have existed, but became the subject of an extremely popular song in the 19th century that became Dublin’s unofficial anthem. A statue of Molly Malone, commissioned by the city and unveiled in 1988, has become a cherished part of Dublin despite the chairman of the Arts Council of Ireland sniffing that it was "entirely deficient in artistic point and merit".
The campus of Trinity College forms an oasis of green in the heart of Dublin. At the centre of the square of gracious buildings lies the Campanile, a massive bell tower. Tradition has it that students passing under it when the bell strikes will fail their exams, thereby ensuring that the superstitious give it a wide berth!
One of the highlights of a visit to Dublin for book lovers like us was the Long Hall of the Trinity College library. It contains the oldest volumes in the library and is famous as one of the most beautiful spaces in the world to house books. It also has the Book of Kells, a twelve-century old illustrated manuscript, on display. Two pages of the book are visible at a time and are turned each day. Other medieval manuscripts are on display, on subject that range from the deeply religious, to a monk’s musings on his cat!
Grafton Street is Dublin’s main shopping district, lined with upscale stores, hotels, restaurants and cafes that kept us engaged for hours. The street is well-known for the buskers who perform on it and some of Ireland’s most famous musicians got their start here. Grafton Street ends in St. Stephen’s Green, a lovely haven from the bustle of the city. After our long walk we found a welcome place to rest in the shade while watching swans glide across the lake.
The food we had in the pubs was just as memorable as their charming old world decor. Fish and chips were a great favourite of course, but so was the rich lamb stew served with soda bread or a cap of crisp puff pastry. Each pub had its own special version of this delicious stew and we didn’t tire of trying them all!
My recipe for this classic Irish stew is easy to throw together, is rich and flavourful and tastes even better the next day. Serve with some crusty bread and a pint of Guinness!
Irish Lamb Stew
1 1/2 lb boneless leg of lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp each: olive oil, butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
A sprig of fresh thyme
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef or chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
2 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup tomato paste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Cut lamb into 1 inch pieces. Place in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and paprika.
Place large heavy saucepan on medium heat, add olive oil and butter.
Add garlic, onions and thyme. Saute for 8-10 min until softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
Add reserved lamb and brown for 5 min. Add flour and stir to coat lamb well.
Deglaze saucepan with wine and cook until it starts to bubble gently, about 1 min. Stir to loosen browned bits at bottom of pan.
Add broth, carrots, celery, potatoes and tomato paste.
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook for about 1 1/2 hours or until lamb and vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally. Uncover saucepan and cook off excess liquid if a thicker stew is desired.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Serves four
