Sights in Dublin
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Guinness Storehouse
Like Disneyland for beer lovers, the Guinness Storehouse is an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza combining sophisticated exhibits with more than a pintful of marketing. The highlight of a visit to the museum – housed in an old grain store opposite the original St James’s Gate Brewery – is a glass of Guinness in the Gravity Bar at the top of the building. Check online for admission discounts.
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Old Library
To the south of the square is the Old Library, built in a rather severe style by Thomas Burgh between 1712 and 1732. Despite Ireland’s independence, the Library Act of 1801 still entitles Trinity College Library, along with four libraries in Britain, to a free copy of every book published in the UK. Housing this bounty requires nearly another 1km of shelving every year and the collection amounts to around 4.5 million books. Of course, these cannot all be kept at the college library, so there are now additional library storage facilities dotted around Dublin.
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St Stephen's Green
As you watch the assorted groups of friends, lovers and individuals escaping the confines of the office, splaying themselves across the nine elegantly landscaped hectares of St Stephen’s Green and looking to catch a few rays of precious sun, consider that those same hectares once formed a common for public whippings, burnings and hanging. These days, the harshest treatment you’ll get at Dublin’s favourite lunchtime escape is the warden chucking you off the green for playing football or Frisbee.
The buildings around the square date mainly from the mid-18th century, when the green was landscaped and became the centrepiece of Georgian Dublin. The northern side was k…
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National Museum Of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History
No wonder the British army were so reluctant to pull out of Ireland, when they were occupying this magnificent space, the oldest army barracks in Europe. The building - the museum bit can wait - was completed in 1704 according to the design of Thomas Burgh, whose CV also includes the Old Library in Trinity College and St Michan's Church. Its central square held six entire regiments and is a truly awesome space, surrounded by arcaded colonnades and blocks linked by walking bridges.
Following the handover to the new Irish government in 1922, the barracks was renamed to honour Michael Collins, a hero of the struggle for independence, who was killed that year in the Civil War…
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Trinity College
On a summer’s evening, when the bustling crowds have gone for the day, there’s hardly a more delightful place in Dublin than the grounds of Ireland’s most prestigious university, a masterpiece of architecture and landscaping beautifully preserved in Georgian aspic. Not only is it Dublin’s most attractive bit of historical real estate, but it’s also home to one of the world’s most famous – and most beautiful – books, the gloriously illuminated Book of Kells. There is no charge to wander around the gardens on your own between 8am and 10pm.
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Christ Church Cathedral
Dublin’s most imposing church and famed landmark, Christ Church Cathedral lies within the city’s original Norse settlement and the old heart of medieval Dublin. It was commissioned in 1172 by the Anglo-Norman conqueror of Dublin, Richard de Clare – ‘Strongbow’ – whose tomb is just inside the main door, and Archbishop Laurence O’Toole. Try to visit just before choral evensong to catch the choir’s wonderfully evocative recitals, which bring the cathedral’s rich atmosphere to life.
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Fry Model Railway
Ireland’s biggest model railway is 240 sq metres, and authentically displays much of Ireland’s rail and public transport system, including the DART line and Irish Sea ferry services, in O-gauge (32mm track width). A separate room features model trains and other memorabilia. Unfortunately the operators suffer from the overseriousness of some grown men with complicated toys; rather than let you simply look and admire, they herd you into the control room in groups for demonstrations.
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St Patrick’s Cathedral
This cathedral, which is located a mere stone’s throw from its sibling Christ Church, smack-bang in the heart of old Dublin, stands where St Patrick himself is said to have baptised converts at a well – even if the story isn’t exactly verifiable and the church itself in fact dates from 1191. What is proven fact, however, is that during his 1649 ‘visit’ to Ireland, the one and only Oliver Cromwell converted the nave into a stable for his horses.
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Chester Beatty Library
The astounding collection of New York mining magnate Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875–1968) is the basis for not just one of Dublin’s best museums, but one of the finest of its kind to be found anywhere in the world. Inside you’ll find manuscripts, miniature paintings, books, bindings and calligraphies – including maybe the West’s most stunning collection of Korans – and the world’s second-oldest biblical fragment.
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Hugh Lane Gallery
Whatever reputation Dublin has a repository of world-class art has a lot to do with the simply stunning collection at the Hugh Lane Gallery, which is not only home to works by some of the brightest stars in the modern and contemporary art world both foreign and domestic, but is also where you’ll find one of the most singular exhibitions to be seen anywhere: the actual studio of one of the 20th century’s truly iconic artists, Francis Bacon.
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Iveagh Gardens
Once known to locals as the Secret Garden, the word is out about the beautiful and ramshackle Iveagh Gardens, situated just behind Newman House. The gardens were designed by Ninian Niven in 1863. Features of the beautifully landscaped gardens include a wonderfully rustic grotto, cascade, fountain, maze and rose garden.
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National Museum – Archaeology & History
The mother of Irish museums and the country’s most important cultural institution was established in 1977 as the primary repository of the nation’s archaeological treasures. The collection is so big, however, that it has expanded beyond the walls of this superb purpose-built building next to the Irish parliament into three other separate museums – the stuffed beasts of the Natural History Museum, the decorative arts section at Collins Barracks and a country life museum in County Mayo, on Ireland’s west coast.
They’re all fascinating, but the star attractions are all here, mixed up in Europe’s finest collection of Bronze- and Iron-Age gold artefacts, the most comple…
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Newgrange
From the surface, Newgrange is a somewhat disappointing flattened, grass-covered mound, about 80m in diameter and 13m high. Underneath, however, lies the finest Stone Age passage tomb in Ireland and one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe. It dates from around 3200 BC, predating the great pyramids of Egypt by some six centuries. The purpose for which it was constructed remains uncertain. It may have been a burial place for kings or a centre for ritual – although the alignment with the sun at the time of the winter solstice also suggests it was designed to act as a calendar. The name Newgrange derives from ‘new granary’ (the tomb did in fact serve as a re…
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James Joyce Centre
Denis Maginni, the exuberant, flamboyant dance instructor and ‘confirmed bachelor’ immortalised by James Joyce in Ulysses, taught the finer points of dance out of this beautifully restored Georgian house, now a centre devoted to promoting and preserving the Joycean heritage. Although Jimmy probably never set foot in the house, he lived in the ’hood for a time, went to a local school and lost his virginity a stone’s throw away in what was once Europe’s largest red-light district. We couldn’t imagine a more fitting location for the centre.
The centre owes its existence to the sterling efforts of Senator David Norris, a charismatic Joycean scholar and gay-rights …
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Howth Castle
Most of the town backs onto the extensive grounds of Howth Castle, built in 1564 but much changed over the years, most recently in 1910 when Sir Edwin Lutyens gave it a modernist make-over. Today the castle is divided into four very posh and private residences. The original estate was acquired in 1177 by the Norman noble Sir Almeric Tristram, who changed his surname to St Lawrence after winning a battle at the behest (or so he believed) of his favourite saint. The family has owned the land ever since, though the unbroken chain of male succession came to an end in 1909.
On the grounds are the ruins of the 16th-century Corr Castle and an ancient dolmen (tomb chamber or port…
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Rotunda Hospital
Irish public hospitals aren’t usually attractions, by any stretch of the imagination, but this one makes for an interesting walk-by or an unofficial wander inside if you’re interested in Victorian plasterwork. It was the first maternity hospital in the British Isles – and once the world’s largest – and was established by Dr Bartholomew Mosse in 1748, at a time when the burgeoning urban population was enduring shocking infant mortality rates.
It shares its basic design with Leinster House because the architect of both, Richard Cassels, used the same floor plan to economise. He added a three-storey tower, which Mosse intended to use for fundraising purposes (charg…
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Knowth
The burial mound of Knowth, northwest of Newgrange, was built around the same time and seems set to surpass its better-known neighbour, both in the extent and the importance of the discoveries made here. It has been under excavation since 1962, and has the greatest collection of passage-grave art ever uncovered in Western Europe. Modern excavations at Knowth soon cleared a 34m passage to the central chamber, much longer than the one at Newgrange. In 1968 a second 40m passage was unearthed on the opposite side of the mound. Although the chambers are separate, they’re close enough for archaeologists to hear each other at work. Also in the mound are the remains of six ear…
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Leinster House – Irish Parliament
All the big decisions are made – or rubber-stamped – at Oireachtas na Éireann (Irish parliament). It was built by Richard Cassels in the Palladian style between 1745 and 1748, and was considered the forerunner of the Georgian fashion that became the norm for Dublin’s finer residences. Its Kildare St façade looks like a town house (which inspired Irish architect James Hoban’s designs for the US White House), whereas the Merrion Sq frontage was made to resemble a country mansion. The first government of the Irish Free State moved in from 1922, and both the Dáil (lower house) and Seanad (senate) still meet here to discuss the affairs of the nation and gossip at the exclusive…
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Spire
Soaring 120m over O’Connell St – and the rest of the city – this gigantic needle is impossible to miss, a risqué homage to the fight against one of Dublin’s greatest social ills, heroin addiction. Yeah, right. Dubs excel at gallows humour, but the Spire is neither a joke nor a commemoration of anything in particular, except maybe the notion that for a spell in the 1990s the sky was the limit. But it’s not just an ornament; it is apparently the highest sculpture in the world and, sarcasm aside, it’s a hugely impressive feat of architectural engineering. From a base of only 3m in diameter, it soars more than 120m into the sky and tapers into a 15cm-wide beam of light. It w…
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Oscar Wilde House
In 1855 the surgeon William Wilde and his wife ‘Speranza’ Wilde moved into 1 North Merrion Sq – the first residence built on the square (1762) – with their one-year-old son Oscar. They lived here until 1878 and we imagine that the young Oscar’s genius was stimulated by the famous literary salon hosted here by his mother. The family lived here right through Oscar’s education at Trinity. In 1994 the house was taken over by the American College Dublin. The first two floors have been restored to an approximate version of their appearance in Oscar’s day and can only be visited on a guided tour. Across the road, just inside the railings of Merrion Sq, is a flamboyant statue of …
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St Mary’s Abbey
Where now the glories of Babylon? All that remains of what was once Ireland’s wealthiest and most powerful monastery is the chapterhouse, so forgotten that most Dubliners are unaware of its existence. In its medieval day, this Cistercian abbey ran the show when it came to Irish church politics, although its reputation with the authorities was somewhat sullied when it became a favourite meeting place for rebels against the crown. On 11 June 1534, ‘Silken’ Thomas Fitzgerald, the most important of Leinster’s Anglo-Norman lords, entered the chapterhouse and flung his Sword of State on the ground in front of the awaiting King’s Council – a ceremonial two-fingered salute to Kin…
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St Werburgh’s Church
Of undoubtedly ancient but imprecise origin, St Werburgh’s Church has undergone numerous facelifts: in 1662, 1715 and, with some elegance, in 1759 (after a fire in 1754). The church’s tall spire was dismantled after Robert Emmet’s uprising in 1803 for fear that rebels might use it as a vantage point for snipers. The church is closely linked with the history of uprisings against British rule; interred in the vault is Lord Edward Fitzgerald, a member of the United Irishmen, the group that led the 1798 Rising. In what was a frequent theme of Irish rebellions, compatriots gave him away and he died as a result of the wounds he received during his capture. Ironically, his cap…
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Ireland's Eye
A short distance offshore from Howth is Ireland's Eye, a rocky sea-bird sanctuary with the ruins of a 6th-century monastery. There's a Martello tower at the northwestern end of the island, where boats from Howth land, while a spectacularly sheer rock face plummets into the sea at the eastern end. As well as the sea birds overhead, you can see young birds on the ground during the nesting season. Seals can also be spotted around the island.
Doyle & Sons takes boats out to the island from the East Pier of Howth Harbour during the summer, usually on weekend afternoons. Don't wear shorts if you're planning to visit the monastery ruins because they're surrounded by a thicket of…
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National Print Museum
You don’t have to be into printing to enjoy this quirky little museum, where personalised guided tours are offered in a delightfully casual and compelling way. First watch a video relating to printing and its place in Irish history, then take a wander amid the smell of ink and metal, and through the various antique presses that are still worked for small jobs by a couple of retired printers doing it for the love of the craft. The guides are excellent and can tailor the tours to suit your special interests – for example, anyone interested in history can get a detailed account of the difficulties encountered by the rebels of 1916 when they tried to get the proclamation prin…
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St George’s Church
If you’re on the north side, the steeple of this deconsecrated church may catch your eye. The church was built by Francis Johnston from 1802 in Greek Ionic style, and the 60m-high steeple was modelled on that of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. Although this was one of Johnston’s finest works, and the Duke of Wellington was married here, the church has been sorely neglected – probably because it’s Church of Ireland and not Roman Catholic, it has to be said. The bells that Leopold Bloom heard in that book were removed, the ornate pulpit was carved up and used to decorate the pub Thomas Read’s, and the spire is in danger of crumbling, which has resulted in it be…
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