The Irish showdown: Dublin v Belfast

By Amy Cooper

As legendary Dubliner James Joyce wrote (in so many words), a good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub. I'd leave that fruitless exercise to the people who enjoy puzzles more than perfectly poured Guinness and rollicking trad Irish singsongs in snugs. Or to people who prefer Belfast.

In any case, Dublin's pubs are not meant for passing. They're for lingering and toasting, singing and declaring everyone in them your new best friend.

To be sure, I'm playing the pub card. This is Dublin, after all, not just the Republic of Ireland's capital, but also heart and hearth of the world's warmest pub culture. There's more to Dublin than booze, but those liquids and the old taverns that ply them are your gateway to Ireland's deep love of storytelling, its musical, convivial soul, and the irresistible Irish cheer known as "craic".

Dublin's pub scene is a bottomless glass of creativity, with song and storytelling built into the bricks. Live traditional music sessions raise the roof in pubs like The Cobblestone, O'Donoghue's and Johnnie Fox's every day and night. Dublin's pubs are intertwined with its illustrious literary history. The Brazen Head, Dublin's (and most likely Ireland's) oldest pub, scored a mention in Joyce's Ulysses, and Jonathan Swift was a regular. Dublin's numerous literary watering holes include Toners Pub (favoured by Joyce and Patrick Kavanagh) and the lovely old 1823-built Palace Bar, frequented by authors Brendan Behan and Flann O'Brien.

Follow the writers' trail through homes and haunts of Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Sally Rooney, Samuel Beckett, Maeve Binchy, W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and many more.

You'll inevitably arrive back at the pint glass, and there's no better place than Guinness Storehouse, the seven-floor source and museum of the Emerald Isle's famed black beverage. Ever dreamed of printing a selfie on the head of your Guinness? This is your chance.

Chase your pint with Dublin's other creative spirit, Irish whiskey, at the Jameson Distillery, where the famous label began in 1780, plus Teeling Distillery, Pearse Lyons Distillery - in an old church - and the Irish Whiskey Museum. Emulate another great artist, Bruce Springsteen, who while visiting Dublin last week went to Trinity College Library to see the precious ninth century manuscript, The Book of Kells, one of the world's most famous and beautiful artifacts. Afterwards, of course, he repaired to his favourite Dublin boozer, the 1766-licensed The Long Hall.

There's plenty more to see in picturesque Dublin: the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the haunting Famine Memorial, Kilmainham Gaol and Dublin Castle, but eventually all roads lead back to the pub. Follow them, for a cultural immersion no other Irish city can match - and may they all rise to meet you.

By Mal Chenu

I don't want to take a craic at Amy but if she reckons Dublin is better than Belfast, she's got it arseways about. Every man and his wolfhound have done Dublin, so cruise the Lagan instead of the Liffey, and make Northern Ireland and its rejuvenated capital the pot of gold at the end of your Irish rainbow.

While both cities are on the same Emerald Isle, Dublin is in Europe and Belfast is in Great Britain, thanks to the Brexiteers. And if you think Brexit made it complicated for tourists to move around, try being Italian olive oil or a French sausage.

Once a tourism basket case riven by sectarian violence, Belfast has reinvented itself and is now a cultural powerhouse and one of the hippest cities in Europe or the UK. The peace walls that were established to minimise inter-communal hostilities during The Troubles are now better known for their art, and visitors exploring the Cupar Way peace wall can download an AR app to enhance the experience.

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The once-dilapidated Cathedral Quarter is now the cultural quarter, its cobblestoned alleys and former warehouses buzzing with street art, live music, trendy bars, beer gardens, nightclubs and restaurants, including the Michelin-starred The Muddlers Club. Drop into the MAC for a feast of visual art, theatre and dance, and a photo of The Permanent Present, a kaleidoscopic sculpture of 400 coloured metal wires in the foyer. The luxe Merchant Hotel is the place to stay - or take high tea with a view - in this part of town.

Belfast is steeped in a proud industrial past, too, a history that echoes throughout the city and which is lionised in its many excellent museums and galleries.

If the story of the RMS Titanic floats your boat, check out Titanic Belfast. This is the city's top tourist attraction, a sprawling museum set in a funky, star-shaped building at the head of the slipway where the world's most famous ocean liner was launched. If you want to go overboard, package your visit with a stay at the nearby Titanic Hotel Belfast, in the building where the ship was designed. At the very least you should have a cocktail (on the rocks, of course) in the hotel's Harland Bar.

More rocks are on display at The Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site just an hour away on the northern coast. This extraordinary natural wonder of 40,000 interlocking hexagonal basalt columns was created by ancient volcanic eruptions, and has inspired centuries of folklore. And you can double down on the myths and legends by adding in a tour of nearby Game of Thrones filming sites, if that's the way you Lannister.

Still preferring Dublin over Belfast as your prime Emerald Isle destination? Take heed of the classic Irish response to someone asking for directions: 'If I were you, I wouldn't start from here.'