Dublin

Dublin Castle

Dublin is a classical European city with a large number of small, old buildings. Dominating the city is the Guinness brewery and the large number of small restaurants.

O'Connell Street

Shopping is concentrated in the city around O'Connell and Grafton Streets. Nassau Street is for the well-to-do.

Molly Malone Statue on corner of St. Andrew's and Suffolk streets

Things to See

Temple Bar is a good place to wander about with it's many small boutique- style stores and many trendy bars and restaurants. As with any area of this type it is good to keep an eye on your belongings.

Temple Bar

Guinness Storehouse

Factory Site

(Official Site https://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en) The single most popular tourist attraction in Dublin, the tour of the storehouse includes a sample of Guinness to boot! Located a short distance west of the town centre the Guinness Storeroom attraction has an admission charge. Evidently, there are no non-alcoholic options available so teetotallers take note.

Trinity College

(Official Site https://www.tcd.ie/) The Book of Kells is the highlight of this old college in the heart of the city. Regular tours are run by current or former students dressed in the robes of Trinity students (see https://www.tcd.ie/visitors/tours/ for details). Tours include entrance to the Book of Kells exhibit which is often crowded so be prepared to queue, though, in my experience, the queue does move quite quickly (it can be cramped inside, however). The Kells exhibit ends in the “Old Library” which is spectacular looking like something straight out of Harry Potter and containing some important pieces of Irish history.

Old Library at Trinity College

St. Patrick's Cathedral

(Official Site https://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/) The biggest of the two cathedrals in Dublin best known for where Johnathan Swift (famous author of such books including Gulliver's Travels) was a priest but also as the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Beside the cathedral there is a small, formal garden park that can be crowded but is a precious bit of green space in the city. There is a small admission charge for visitors to the cathedral (entrance is through the door on the north side).

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Other Highlights

A few other places to visit around the city:

  • Christ Church Cathedral - Not as impressive as St. Patrick's but still not too bad (an interesting walk through the undercroft as well)
  • Dublin Castle - Not so much a castle as an administrative centre of the city. You can pay an entrance fee to visit the old castle at the back of the complex away from Dame Street behind City Hall.
  • Dublinia - Opposite Christ Church cathedral, “Dublinia” is an attraction that shows the history of Dublin including it's Viking heritage. A bit touristy and great for kids but interesting nonetheless. There is an entrance fee.
  • Glasnevin Museum - Oddly, this old cemetery a short distance to the north of the city centre has an interesting and modern museum.

Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum

Getting Around

Transportation is good, with parking VERY scarce in the centre of the city itself. If driving, it is a good idea to park at one of the DART (Dublin Area Regional Transit – train) stations and take the train into the city. Inside the city, there are numerous city buses and trains (including light rail). For tourists thare are a number of “hop on, hop off” tour companies operating in the city (see Dublin City Bus Tours for one such company with good service).

The River Liffey

We found using the “Leap” card an easy to use option which is card that can be used on all public transport in Dublin (tap on/tap off) and can be topped up as and when required (a deposit is required but this is refunded on return of the card). There are options for unlimited travel for 1, 3 or 7 days. Cards can be purchased at many locations throughout the city including newsagents and corner stores (as well as at the bus and travel information desk at the airport). See https://about.leapcard.ie/ for details.

Further Information

For further information, please see: