There’s a bitterly cold wind a-blowing in Dublin this weekend, so much so it’s shivering the timbers of my little loft. The only thing that can be done is to cosy up by firesides and there is nothing better than the warmth and glow of a real, open fireplace. Here are my top three places to find open fireplaces in Dublin – perfect spots to sip a Hot Toddy, read a book or warm the cockles of your heart.

There is a townhouse on South Leinster Street (that’s the street that flows from Nassau to Merrion Square to you and me) which I have often passed by and enviously looked in the windows of. It is an eighteenth century house which has been beautifully woven into the modern wing of The National Gallery and is accessible only to Friends of the National Gallery.

As part of Dublin Book Festival I was delighted to join Dr Frank Cullen on his walking tour of Victorian Dublin to promote his forthcoming book Dublin 1847: City of the Ordnance Survey (RIA). For a city which is known for it’s Georgian architecture it is great to see Dublin from another angle- the Victorian angle.

We are having a brief respite from incessant rain this weekend with some much needed sunshine so I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about something bright and beautiful which I came across this week – this angel which is located on a building on Grafton Street.

Dublin has been under a heavy cloud of rain for the last couple of weeks and when this happens the only thing to do is take cover. A favourite spot to do this in The Natural History Museum which is affectionately known as The Dead Zoo by Dubliners.

As a world famous literary city Dublin has some of the most beautiful and romantic libraries. These oft forgotten spaces have been a source of knowledge and an oasis of calm for the Irish public for over a century.