Where to stay/What to do on a Dublin stopover?

You will be fine as a single female traveler. Temple Bar and Grafton Street are full of people, drinkers and non-drinkers alike. Just follow all normal precautions like you would at home.

There are plenty of hotels around the two areas I mentioned, including the Temple Inn, where I stayed, but Trinity College also rents out some of their dorm rooms during the summer if you need to stay on the cheap.

Be cafe where you stay in Dublin. The area right around Temple Bar is very noisy into the wee hours. I'd stay near St. Stephen's Green or Trinity College--the airport bus stops at both locations.

Thanks for the replies so far. That is helpful.

I'm wondering if anyone else can recommend some specific hotels for me?

Thanks again.

I am looking at RS 2013 Ireland Guide Book and for the Trinity College area you might consider either Trinity Lodge on South Frederick Street (near Trinity College) or Trinity College which has accommodations right on their campus.

I think some of the RS tour groups stay at Buswells Hotel which is near St. Stephen Green-also a good and central location, and it is near Grafton Street which is always an entertaining place to spend time. Grafton Hotel has a central location and Albany House (request a quiet room in the back). Fitzwilliam Townhouse is near St. Stephen's Green. All of these hotels have good locations, and I'm such there are more that other posters might suggest. I hope this helps.

We stayed at a hotel in the Ballsbridge Area (not far from Trinity College and near the National Gallery) which we found was a great location for us. We were able to get an affordable deal for the rooms we needed. It is called The Davenport and it is part of a chain of hotels. Last I checked the rooms were fairly pricey so next time we go we thought we'd try Trinity Lodge.

Not long ago there were some postings on this site regarding places to stay in Dublin so you might scroll back and see if you can find that topic. I would find the personal experience of where others stayed very helpful. Personally, I would not stay in the Temple Bar area. I didn't even care for walking through the area but just had to do it to say I did!
Barbara

I just stayed at the Dergvale B&B for a couple of nights alone. The proprietors are super nice and very helpful. Irish breakfast is included and the rooms are spotless. It's on the other side of the River Liffey, but I was happy not to be staying in the Temple Bar area anyway.

I have stayed twice at the Hotel Buswells near Trinity. I would definitely go there again.

The Central Hotel is a great place to stay. Close to everything, great library bar, good rates, and in a safe area. I have stayed there many times and have never had a bad experience. Five minute walk to everything from Trinity College to Templebar to Stephen's Green. Even the museums are close by.