As we were considering our options and arguing between Paris and Barcelona, Tracey came up with a suggestion: "Why don't you go to Dublin? It's better than the rest of Europe, and you'll have a ball." Amazingly, not one of us had been to the Emerald Isle, so we jumped at the chance. I was put in charge of the arrangements. Finally, after weeks of bugging all my Irish friends for advice, bookings flights, hotels and a car, we arrived in Dublin two days before Christmas.

We had feared that the city would be quiet over this period, with many Dubliners heading for their home counties for Christmas. However, from the moment we checked into the Browns Hotel, it was clear that there were certainly enough revellers to ensure that we experienced the fun of the Irish.

The first thing that struck all of us was how small the city was. It's easy to find your way around, as it is neatly divided by the River Liffey. South of the river are the museums, to the north are the politically-relevant buildings. On both sides of the river you can find the city's legendary bars.

Our first port of call was the famous Temple Bar, where the cobblestones have seen generations of drinkers. We had intended to stop here before heading for a restaurant in nearby Dame Street. However, the spirit of the city overtook us and we ended up on a bar crawl that saw us finally having to call a taxi to get back to our hotel. We were in a more-than-merry mood.

The next morning we started off the day with the traditional breakfast "fry" - an alarmingly large plate of fried bacon, sausages, black pudding (made with pig's blood), eggs and tomatoes. It's a dieter's nightmare - but great for a hangover. And the group needed to be up and running - I had drawn up a list of things to see before we left the city.

First stop was the Dublin Castle. It lies on Cork Hill, was built on the orders of King John in 1204 and was the centre of British power in Ireland. It is home to the famous Chester Beatty Library, a collection of rare manuscripts bequeathed to the country by a rich Irish-American mining magnate. The collection includes early illuminated gospels, beautiful copies of the Koran and icons from Middle and Far East. It sounds stuffy, but the displays were fascinating.

Being Ireland, we had to see something related to the country's patron saint, so we visited St Patrick's Cathedral. People around the globe now celebrate St Patrick's Day, so we found this visit especially interesting . The cathedral stands on one of the earliest Christian sites in the city and St Patrick is said to have baptised converts at a well within the Cathedral grounds.

Next stop was Oscar Wilde's house on Merrion Square. It is said that young Oscar's creative wit was stimulated by the literary salon run here by his mother. A statue of the writer stands in the square. However, the best thing about the statue is that it is adorned with some of the witty one-liners for which he is famous. We had a jolly good time laughing at some of the almost unbelievable wit of the man.

A guide at the house suggested we visit the Dublin Writers Museum in O’Connell Street. There we had a great time going through literary memorabilia, including some priceless letters and other notes and correspondence from writers Brendan Behan, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce.

You cannot visit Ireland without being amazed by the nation's love for Guinness. Even more than the famous Irish whiskeys like Jamiesons and Bushmills, it is the national drink. Experts (that's all Irishmen) will tell you that the glass should be at a 45 degree angle when it is poured and the quality of the pint is determined by the thickness of the white foam rings left in the glass (the thicker, the better). To hear the Guinness story, visit the Guinness Storehouse for a fascinating tour which ends with a drink in the Gravity bar, which has stunning 350 degrees view of the city.

Don't expect traditional Irish fare in most Dublin restaurants - the city is more sophisticated than that. Surprisingly cosmopolitan, you can find restaurants offering cuisine from all corners of the globe. That night we dined at Ely Wine Bar, a basement restaurant just off Baggott Street. We opted for the tasty pasta dishes, made with organic ingredients from the owner's farm in County Clare.

Once again, we trawled the bars. In one bar, in Poolbeg Street, we got chatting with Fred, who owned a bookstore in the area. We 'clicked' immediately, swapping tales and jokes, after which he decided that we should have Christmas lunch with him and his family. We insisted we did not have the time, as we were flying home on Christmas Day, but he insisted, and after giving each of us his address and telephone number, made us solemnly promise that we would not let him down.

The next day we headed for the city's most famous place of learning, Trinity College. Alma Mater to Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift, and a host of Irish revolutionaries, the university was founded by Elizabeth I in 1592 to educate the Anglo-Irish elite. It is a great place to take a stroll, with the best spot to stop off being the Old Library, with its Long Room, memorabilia from the Irish struggles, and the Book of Kells, a medieval illuminated gospel that is one of the city’s proudest relics.

Being Christmas Eve, we still had to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. We started off with a stroll through St George's Arcade and Grafton Street, the city's most exclusive shopping area. For more funky items, we shopped in Cow's Lane in Temple Bar. Before I bought a gift for Fred's family, I phoned him and checked that the invitation had not been an idle bar-room promise. He was adamant that we were expected.

After an early dinner that night, we headed off to the candlelit Christmas service at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. None of us are particularly religious, but we were all touched by the beautiful service, the highlight being the lighting of candles and a performance by the famous Palestrina Choir. We also loved watching the children enthusiastically singing the well-known hymns. We walked home through the icy streets and then piled into my hotel room for the opening of our Christmas gifts.

The next morning, we set off for lunch. Fred and his family greeted us like old friends, making us feel totally at home. He explained that every home had a sprig of holly over the front door and in a lit candle would be left in a window, following the traditional belief that strangers should be guided home at this time of the year. He also taught us the age-old Irish Christmas greeting: Nollaig Shona Duit.

Time slipped away quickly and soon we had to leave for the airport. We hadn't even started on our "Christmas pud" yet, so Fred's wife Betty packed us "take-aways" for the road. Back home in London that night, we felt nostalgic as we sat around eating our Christmas pudding with plastic teaspoons. Ireland had given us a great Christmas and we had been totally charmed by the country and its laid-back lifestyle.