Dublin is a fantastic place to visit, but it isn�t cheap. There is also the �stag night� presence, but as you will be going mid-week you should remain unaffected by that. I am half oirish and for a trip to Dublin I would still recommend the touristy area of Temple Bar for the evening. It�s worth booking a table at Boxty Gallaghers for some good food and I can recommend the open top tour bus to enable you to see the general sites of the city and to get your bearings.
You can stop off at the Guinness brewery during the bus tour, and whilst the museum bit might be a bit on the dull side, you can enjoy a nice pint of Guinness in the Sky Bar before getting the bus back to the Centre. Get off the bus at the Arlington Hotel on the way back (near O�Connel Bridge) and pop in for some more Guinness and some live music. They also serve good food. Not sure what the hotel itself is like for cost, but it is in a good location.
St Stephens Green is also nice for a sunny stroll, and as it�s your birthday I am sure you can convince your husband to buy you something nice on Grafton Street. Have a great time. This is the link for the Arlington which has some good info on it�s website.
http://www.arlington.ie/