capital

DUBLIN is known for great Guinness and cracking craic in the music-filled pubs of Temple Bar.

But what can you do if you’re not there for a boozy break with your mates and are instead travelling with your nine-year-old daughter?

It turns out that the Irish capital is also ideal for families to have, as hometown heroes U2 sang, a Beautiful Day.

My daughter Piper and I had made the short hop by plane on a Friday afternoon, checked in at the basic, but clean and friendly, easyHotel Dublin City Centre and headed straight out for shopping time at landmark department store Arnotts, which dates back to 1895.

Refuelling beckoned, so we headed to The Woollen Mills, a renowned restaurant by the pretty Ha’penny Bridge over the River Liffey.

Great coffee, great steak and, according to Piper, great chicken wings.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

Mains are from £16.50 and I’d go back to try their fry-up brunch.

With a big sightseeing Saturday ahead, we had an early night and were raring to go the next morning.

Our Beautiful Day began at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, a short walk or tram ride east of the city centre.

It might sound a tad dull, but it’s one of the best museums I’ve been to and Piper loved it.

With tickets from £13, it’s a state-of-the-art experience that tells the story of the estimated 70million Irish-heritage people across the world.

It features 20 interactive galleries that bring to life their journeys overseas, past and present.

It turns out that the Irish capital is also ideal for families to have, as hometown heroes U2 sang, a Beautiful Day

Piper particularly loved the sports section, where she got to try out hurling, a fast and furious Gaelic team game similar to hockey.

And there were numerous touchscreen activities and quizzes.

Besides tackling the “passport” treasure hunt, we also loved the Notorious Irish exhibit, where Piper had to jump on to spots on the ground to answer questions about the likes of Wild West gunslinger Billy The Kid, Caribbean pirate Anne Bonny and bank robber and US Prohibition era gangster George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

Emigration history lesson not quite over, we crossed the road to The Jeanie Johnston Famine Ship, which tells the fascinating but dark story of the million-plus Irish people who fled the Great Famine of 1844-52.

Pillaging warriors

The replica ship moored on the Liffey gives an eerie insight into conditions on board and its role in the mass emigration, mostly to the US and Canada.

Next up, Norsemen. You might not associate Dublin with horned helmets and pillaging warriors, but they settled here in the 9th century.

And there’s no better way to find out more than with the Viking Splash Tour on board a World War Two amphibious DUKW vehicle.

You’re handed a Viking helmet as you board, and the guide had us passengers in stitches with a flurry of jokes.

They also encouraged us to shout frequent war cries at pedestrians as we took in Viking history and more modern sights, such as cathedrals and Georgian buildings.

We then plunged into the Grand Canal Basin to pass near the recording studios where U2 began their journey to megastardom. An unmissable tour at £30 per person.

And our discoveries were not over, as we joined excellent guide Gerry McGeough, of Pat Liddy’s Walking Tours of Dublin.

He took us round key sights such as the Oscar Wilde Memorial, the whimsical Giants Garden adventure playground, shopping heaven Grafton Street and the statue of fictional cockles and mussels seller Molly Malone, immortalised in the song that bears her name.

Our Beautiful Day began at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, a short walk or tram ride east of the city centre

After a fun-filled, action-packed day, there was time for a call at the fabled Bewley’s Cafe for the best hot chocolate money can buy, before flopping back at our hotel ahead of a morning flight home.

U2 may have had a global hit with I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, but Piper and I certainly discovered the superb city break we were seeking in dazzling Dublin.

And, yes, I did manage to find time for a quick pint of Guinness.

Feb. 4 (UPI) — The United States has sent a warship to Port Au Prince, Haiti, ahead of the Haitian government’s transition to new leadership on Saturday.

The USS Stockdale arrived off the coast of Haiti on Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command said on X. It joins two U.S. Coast Guard ships already in place: the USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence.

“Their presence reflects the United States’ unwavering commitment to Haiti’s security, stability and brighter future,” U.S. Southern Command said in a post.

On Saturday, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate is scheduled to end, giving way to the installation of new elected leaders. However, it remains unclear who the country’s new leaders will be as a president has not been elected.

Discussions continue over what is next for Haiti after the council voted to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime last week. Three of the five council members were then sanctioned by the United States over attempting to remove Fils-Aime.

Antoine Rodon Bien-Aimé, former member of Haiti’s Lower House of Deputies, said in an interview that all members of the council must step down. The council has agreed with some members explicitly saying they will step down, though other members have continued to be involved in discussions about the government transition.

The council has been in place since 2024 to lead the country until a new president is elected. Haiti is set to hold elections in the summer but gang violence threatens the process.

“Their time is up. They did not give results,” Bien-Aimé said. “They did not respect their accord, what they signed. They have to leave. This is why we were present and will be present to continue to ask for their departure.”

FOR 11 YEARS, Greece had a different capital city that is now known for its romantic atmosphere, neoclassical architecture and Venetian fortresses.

Nafplio used to be the capital of Greece between 1823 and 1824 and is often referred to as one of the most romantic cities in Greece.

It was chosen as the capital due to its strategic location as a fortified port.

This meant that it was a strong base after the capture from the Ottomans during the Greek War of Independence.

Then in 1834, the capital was moved to Athens.

Today, Nafplio is still an amazing place to visit, sitting on the Peloponnese peninsula.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

SI MORE

Ditch Paris and Mykonos… experts reveal most overrated hols and where to go instead

One of the popular attractions in the city is Bourtzi Caslte, which is on a small island in the harbour.

You can head off on a boat trip from the port to see the castle, and some events are hosted at the castle in the summer months.

Architecture throughout the historic city references Venetian, Ottoman and neoclassical influences.

One spot in particular with a lot of fascinating architecture is the city’s Old Town.

Here visitors can walk down cobbled streets to discover marble-paved squares, independent shops and quaint cafes.

In the centre of the Old Town is also Syntagma Square, which is surrounded by historic buildings including the Vouleftikon – former Parliament.

Today it is mostly used as a cultural centre, but the public can access the building at certain times to see the Municipal Art Gallery on the ground floor or attend events.

If you find historical artefacts interesting, you can also head to the Archaeological Museum of Nafplio in Syntagma Square.

If you want to mix history with a hike, head on the 999-step climb to Palamidi Castle.

It takes around 20-35 minutes to climb and is equivalent of climbing a 50 storey building.

Of course, there are several beaches nearby too.

For example you could head to Arvanitia Beach, which features pebbles and can be found at the end of the promenade near the Old Town.

The beach has facilities too, such as sunbeds for hire and a cafe nearby.

One visitor even called it “a small paradise” on TripAdvisor.

For a more family friendly spot, there is Karathona Beach, which is a short walk from the town centre.

The huge crescent-shaped beach has calm clear waters, ideal for paddling in.

One recent visitor said: “Such a beautiful beach and a nice hike from Nafplio along the coast. We really recommend it!

“It is odd that so few people know the coastal trail to these beaches.

To get to Nafplio, the closest airport is Kalamata, which is about an hour and 45 minute drive from Nafplio.

The cheapest month to fly from the UK to Kalamata is April, with return flights costing as little as £60.

For more inspiration on Greek holidays, there’s a small island you won’t have heard of with hidden beaches has new UK flights this summer.

Plus, the tiny holiday island that doubles for Greece in movies – but it’s cheaper and closer to UK.

WASHINGTON — Eleanor Holmes Norton, the 18-term delegate for the District of Columbia in Congress and a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, has filed paperwork to end her campaign for reelection, likely closing out a decades-long career in public service.

Norton, 88, has been the sole representative of the residents of the nation’s capital in Congress since 1991, but she faced increasing questions about her effectiveness after the Trump administration began its sweeping intervention into the city last year.

Mayor Muriel Bowser congratulated Norton on her retirement.

“For 35 years, Congresswoman Norton has been our Warrior on the Hill,” Bowser wrote on social media. “Her work embodies the unwavering resolve of a city that refuses to yield in its fight for equal representation.”

Norton’s campaign filed a termination report with the Federal Election Commission on Sunday. Her office has not released an official statement about the delegate’s intentions.

The filing was first reported by NOTUS.

Her retirement opens up a likely competitive primary to succeed her in an overwhelmingly Democratic city. Several local lawmakers had already announced their intentions to run in the Democratic primary.

An institution in Washington politics for decades, Norton is the oldest member in the House. She was a personal friend to civil rights icons such as Medgar Evers and a contemporary of other activists turned congressional stalwarts, including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and the late Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and John Lewis (D-Ga.).

But Norton has faced calls to step aside in recent months as residents and local lawmakers questioned her ability to effectively advocate for the city in Congress amid the Republican administration’s aggressive moves toward the city.

The White House federalized Washington’s police force, deployed National Guard troops from six states and the federal district across the capital’s streets and surged federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security into neighborhoods. The moves prompted outcry and protests from residents and a lawsuit from the district’s attorney general.

Norton’s retirement comes as a historically high number of lawmakers announce they will either seek another public office or retire from official duties altogether. More than 1 in 10 members of the House are not seeking reelection this year.

Norton’s staunch advocacy for her city

As the district’s delegate, Norton does not have a formal vote in the House. But she has found other ways to advocate for the city’s interests. Called the “Warrior on the Hill” by her supporters, Norton was a staunch advocate for D.C. statehood and for the labor rights of the federal workers who called Washington and its surrounding region home.

She also secured bipartisan wins for district residents. Norton was the driving force behind the passage of a law that provides up to $10,000 per year for students who attend public colleges outside the district. It also provides up to $2,500 per year for students who attend select private historically Black colleges and universities across the country and nonprofit colleges in the D.C. metropolitan area.

In the 1990s, Norton played a key role in ending the city’s financial crisis by brokering a deal to transfer billions of dollars in unfunded pension liabilities to the federal government in exchange for changes to the district’s budget. She twice played a leading role in House passage of a D.C. statehood bill.

Steeped in the civil rights movement

Norton was born and raised in Washington, and her life spans the arc of the district’s trials and triumphs. She was educated at Dunbar High School as part of the school’s last segregated class.

“Growing up black in Washington gave a special advantage. This whole community of blacks was very race conscious, very civil rights conscious,” she said in her 2003 biography, “Fire in My Soul.”

She attended Antioch College in Ohio and in 1963 split her time between Yale Law School and Mississippi, where she worked as an organizer during the Freedom Summer of the Civil Rights Movement.

One day that summer, Evers picked her up at the airport. He was assassinated that night.

Norton also helped organize and attended the 1963 March on Washington.

In an interview with the Associated Press in 2023, Norton said the march was still “the single most extraordinary experience of my lifetime.”

She went on to become the first woman to lead the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which helps enforce anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. She ran for office when her predecessor retired to run for Washington mayor.

Brown writes for the Associated Press.