Photo: (From upper left) The President's House in the Phoenix Park, Chester Beatty Library, Old Jameson Distillery tour, The National Museum of Decorative Arts, and Temple Bar shops.
As the capital of Ireland, Dublin has hundreds of world-class attractions — from castles, cathedrals, galleries and museums to landmark Viking era lanes, pristine parks and historic buildings and squares graced with intricate Georgian architecture.
Here is a brief summary of the prime places to visit in the following categories - Top Ten Attractions; Buildings & Monuments; Museums, Galleries & Exhibits; Parks & Squares; and Notable Neighborhoods. They are classified into these five categories of interest, and then listed in order of “must do” importance, depending on the amount of time you have in Dublin.
Note: most attractions are closed for a few days at Christmas and on Good Friday.
Top Ten Attractions
Trinity College, College Green at Dame St. (tel. 01-608-2320), is the oldest university in Ireland, founded in the heart of Dublin 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. With an impressive 300-foot-wide Palladian façade, the university is comprised of many historic buildings surrounding a wide cobbled quadrangle. The single most visited place on campus, however, is the Colonnades Gallery, home of The Book of Kells, a one-of-a-kind hand-written and illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels, dating back to the 9th century or earlier. Open daily except Sunday mornings during October – May. Web site: www.tcd.ie/library
Dublin Castle, Castle St., off Dame St. (tel. 01-677-7129), is the historic center of Dublin. Built between 1208 and 1220, it contains some of the oldest surviving architecture of the city. Highlights include two original towers – a circular keep known as the Record Tower (1214) and the Birmingham Tower (14th century), as well as the State Apartments, a setting for government ceremonial functions such as the inauguration of Ireland’s Presidents and meetings with heads of state. Open daily. Web site: www.dublincastle.ie
Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Church Place (tel. 01-677-8099), was originally built by the Normans as a wooden church in 1038 and has been enlarged and rebuilt over the years. Highlights include a crypt considered to be Dublin’s oldest surviving building. Today it is the mother church for the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough of the Church of Ireland (Anglican/Episcopal). Open daily. Web site: www.cccdub.ie
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Patrick’s Close (tel. 01-475-4817) is Dublin’s oldest Christian site, a place reputed to be where St. Patrick baptized converts. A church has stood on the site since the 5th century but it was not elevated to a cathedral until 1213. Today it is the longest church in Ireland, with a 300-foot interior, and walls covered with memorials. The massive west tower, dating from 1370, houses the largest ringing peal bells in Ireland. Open daily. Web site: www.stpatrickscathedral.ie
The Chester Beatty Library, Dame St. (tel. 01-407-0750), named the European Museum of the Year in 2002, is a world-famous collection of Early Christian writings, Islamic and East Asian manuscripts, paintings, prints, and printed books. The works were assembled by a single collector, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty who bequeathed his treasures to the Irish people when he died in 1968. It is housed in the Clock Tower Building of Dublin Castle. Open daily except closed on Mondays in October – April. Admission is free. Web site: www.cbl.ie
Dublin Writers’ Museum, 18 Parnell Sq. N (tel. 01-872-2077), provides a look at Dublin’s (and Ireland’s) literary achievements including exhibits on Ireland’s four Nobel Prize winner for literature – Shaw, Yeats, Beckett and Heaney, as well as the city’s other famous scribes, from Swift and Wilde to O’Casey, Joyce, Behan and Binchy. Open daily. Web site: www.writersmuseum.com
Malahide Castle, Malahide (tel. 01-846-2184), with its impressive array of turrets and towers, is Dublin’s finest castle home and well worth the 8-mile trip north of downtown to visit. Nestled on a 250-acre parkland estate, it was built in 1185 by Richard Talbot and occupied by the Talbot family for nearly 800 years. The interior includes authentic Irish furniture and portrait paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries, and the grounds comprise a 20-acre garden with more than 5,000 species of plants and flowers. Malahide Castle is also the home to Tara's Palace, one of the world's most significant Dolls’ Houses. Open daily. Web site: www.malahidecastle.com
Dublin Zoo, Phoenix Park (tel. 01-474-8900), is Ireland’s #1 attraction for families, with over 600 animal and bird species on view. Set in a beautiful landscape of 66 acres, the zoo is home to giraffes, zebras, hippos, rhinos, cheetahs, lions, and chimps, as well as a unique “city farm.” Open daily. Web site: www.dublinzoo.ie
Guinness Storehouse, St. James’s Gate (tel. 01-408-4800), is a 30 million euro visitor centre, and the gateway for visiting the Guinness Brewery. Step inside and enter a giant pint-shaped glass atrium, and then follow a walk-through “Guinness Experience” tour, explaining how the famous black brew is made. The tour culminates in a sampling of the drink in the “Gravity Bar,” a rooftop pub with 360-degree views of Dublin. Book online and save 10% off admission price. Web site: www.guinness-storehouse.com
Old Jameson Distillery, Bow St. (tel. 01-807-2355), tells the story of one of Ireland's prime beverages - whiskey, originally known as "uisce beatha" - the water of life. Housed in the original Jameson Whiskey Distillery (circa. 1780), this visitor centre combines an 8-minute audiovisual on the tradition of distilling with 20-minute walk-around tour of the whiskey-making process. The tour culminates in the "Tasting Room" with an opportunity to sample the finished product. Open daily. Web site: www.whiskeytours.ie
Public Buildings & Monuments
Áras an Uachtaráin, Phoenix Park (tel. 01-670-9155) is the sprawling white-pillared residence of the President of Ireland, a home with a long history (dating back to 1751) and an impressive collection of Irish memorabilia. The house was originally a private hunting lodge, then for 140 years (1782-1921) was the residence of British viceroys, followed by 16 years of British Governors General, and finally in 1938 it became the home of Ireland's Presidents. Eight presidents have lived here including the incumbent Mary McAleese. Tours are given only on Saturdays (9:45 a.m. to 4:20 p.m) on a first-come basis, assembling at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre. Web site: www.heritageireland.ie
Bank of Ireland, 2 College Green (tel. 01-671-2261), is a unique windowless structure, built in the 18th century to house the Irish Parliament. When the Parliament voted itself out of existence in 1800, the building became the headquarters for the Bank of Ireland. Even though it has served as a working bank ever since, you can still tour the original House of Lords room (on Tuesdays). The adjacent Bank of Ireland Arts Centre hosts lunchtime music concerts and a banking museum (open Tuesday-Friday). Bank building open weekdays.
General Post Office (GPO), O’Connell St. (tel. 01-705-7000), is more than a place to buy stamps – it is one of Dublin’s great historic icons. Built in 1814-18, it was one of the last great public buildings of the Georgian era, but its prime claim to fame is that it was a pivotal stronghold of the Irish struggle for freedom. The Republic of Ireland was proclaimed here in 1916. Open daily. Web site: www.anpost.ie
Leinster House, Kildare St. (tel. 01-678-9911), is the meeting place of Ireland’s government. Dating back to 1745, this building is said to have been the model from which James Hoban, the Irish-born architect later designed the White House in Washington, DC. Advance reservations are required for tours. Open Tuesday – Thursday, May to September. Web site: www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/tour/kildare.asp
City Hall, Dame St. (tel. 01-672-2204), is a focal point of Dublin's history. Built in 1769-1779, it was originally the city's Royal Exchange where Dublin merchants came to trade stocks and shares. It was taken over by the Dublin Corporation in 1851 and renamed Dublin City Hall. A fine example of neo-Classical architecture, it has a massive domed rotunda with marble columns and flooring, a pair of cantilevered stone staircases, frescoes depicting Dublin history, statues of prominent Dubliners and a distinctive circular mosaic of the Dublin coat-of-arms (granted to the city in 1607). Open daily except Sunday mornings. Web site: www.dublincity.ie/cityhall
The Custom House, Custom House Quay (tel. 01-888-2538) is one of Dublin's great landmarks designed by James Gandon over 200 years ago and long regarded as a masterpiece in European neo-classicism. Tours are conducted continuously and include a 10-minute audiovisual, assembling in the Clocktower area. You can also enjoy great views of Dublin and the River Liffey from the huge Georgian windows. Open daily mid-March to November, and on Wednesday-Friday and Sunday in November to mid-March.
Mansion House, Dawson St., is the home of Dublin’s Lord Mayor. Dating back to 1710, it is a study in Queen Anne-style architecture, with a fanciful exterior. Although the interior is not open to the public, the outside of the building is well worth a photo stop.
St. Audeon’s Church, High St. (tel. 01-677-0088), is Dublin’s only surviving medieval parish church, built by the Normans in c. 1190. The churchyard has been turned into a park to showcase the old city walls dating back to 1214. A set of steps leads down to St. Audeon’s Arch, the only gateway of the old city that is still standing. Open daily, June – September. Web site: www.heritageireland.ie
St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Cathedral & Marlborough Sts. (tel. 01-874-5441), is the equivalent of a cathedral for Dublin’s Roman Catholic population, since the city’s two main cathedrals (St. Patrick’s and Christ Church) both belong to the Church of Ireland (Anglican/Episcopal). This building combines two architectural styles – a Greek Revival façade with a Renaissance-style interior. Open daily. Web site: www.procathedral.ie
St. Michan’s Church, Church St. (tel. 01-872-4154) is a 17th century edifice built on the site of an early Danish chapel (dating back to 1095). The most unique feature of this church is its underground burial vaults where bodies are remarkably well preserved because of the dry atmosphere. The church’s organ is also said to have been the one that Handel first played his “Messiah” in Dublin. Open Monday – Saturday.
The Chimney, Smithfield Village (tel. 01-817-3800) is Dublin’s version of the Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building - a 220-foot viewing tower providing rooftop views of Dublin’s Fair City. Originally built in 1895 as a smoke stack for a distillery, it has been cleverly revitalized with a glass exterior elevator. The 44-second ride whisks you 16 flights to a two-tiered glass enclosed observation platform which provides 360-degree panoramic views of the city. Alternatively, you can climb or descend via the 257-step spiral staircase on the inside of The Chimney. Open daily.
The Spire, O’Connell St., is a slim needle-style stainless steel monument built in 2003 as Dublin’s (and Ireland’s) tallest structure (394 feet).
Museums, Galleries & Exhibits
Dublinia, St. Michael’s Hill, Christ Church Place (tel. 01-679-4611), is a walk-through exhibit that re-creates the sites, aromas, and sounds of medieval Dublin. Roam the narrow streets, mingle among the craftsmen and guildsmen at work, visit a typical merchant’s house of the 15th century and enter a medieval parish church. Open daily. Web site: www.dublinia.ie
Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), Inchicore Rd., Kilmainham (tel. 01-453-5984), is a museum of Irish history, focusing on what it was like to be imprisoned for the cause of Irish freedom from 1796 to 1924. Learn about the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867, and 1916 via exhibits and a guided tour. Open daily. Web site: www.heritageireland.ie
Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Military Rd., Kilmainham (tel. 01-612-9900), is Ireland’s showcase for contemporary and modern art. It is housed at the former Royal Hospital, a magnificent 17th century building that is an attraction in itself. Closed Monday. Web site: www.imma.ie
National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square W. (tel. 01-661-5133) is home to an outstanding collection of European master works from Rembrandt and Caravaggio to Goya, as well as extensive works by Irish artists. Open daily. Web site: www.nationalgallery.ie
Dublin City Gallery – the Hugh Lane, Charlemont House, Parnell Square N. (tel. 01-874-1903), is the municipal gallery for the city of Dublin, containing the largest public collection of 20th century Irish art, as well as Impressionist masterpieces by Renoir, Degas and Monet. The most recent acquisition is the Studio of Francis Bacon containing over 7,500 items. Web site: www.hughlane.ie
National Museum of Decorative Arts & History, Benburb St. (tel. 01-677-7444), is devoted to the country’s decorative arts. The collection ranges from period furniture to Irish country furniture as well as Irish silver, fabrics, ceramics, and glassware. The structure itself, with a sprawling quadrangle, is a landmark dating back to 1701. It was built for use by the British forces and it remained in continuous use for almost three centuries until it was demilitarized. Since 1922, the complex has been known as Collins Barracks, in honor of Michael Collins, one of Ireland's heroes and subject of the 1996 film "Michael Collins." Web site: www.museum.ie
National Museum of Archeology and History, Kildare St. (tel. 01-677-7444), is devoted to Ireland’s earliest days, from 7,000 B.C. Two major permanent collections include The Treasury, featuring Celtic and Medieval art such as the Ardagh Chalace and Tara brooch; and Or, the finest collection of prehistoric gold artifacts in Europe. Closed Monday. Web site: www.museum.ie
National Museum of Natural History, Merrion St. (tel. 01-677-7444), is a zoological museum showcasing two million species of wildlife and insects from Ireland and the far corners of the globe, some still thriving today and others long extinct. Closed Monday. Web site: www.museum.ie
Number Twenty Nine, 29 Lr. Fitzwilliam St. (tel. 01-702-6165) is a restored 18th century Georgian home, with authentic furnishings and artifacts, as well as carpets, curtains, floor coverings, decoration and plasterwork, as they would have been in the period 1970-1820. Closed Monday. Web site: www.esb.ie/main/about_esb/numbertwentynine/default.htm
James Joyce Centre, 35 N. Gt. George’s St. (tel. 01-878-8547), is an 18th century Georgian townhouse dedicated to the life, times, and works of Nobel Prize winning Dublin-born author, James Joyce. Open daily except Sunday morning. Web site: www.jamesjoyce.ie
Shaw Birthplace, 33 Synge St. (tel. 01-475-0854) was the first home of George Bernard Shaw’s family and where the Nobel Prize winning writer spent his youth. It is furnished in typical Victorian Dublin style. Open May-Sept. except Wednesday. Web site: www.visitdublin.com
Oscar Wilde House, 1 Merrion Square (tel. 01-662-0281), is the childhood home of the literary icon Oscar Wilde who resided here for 23 years (1855-1878), as did his parents, Sir William and Lady Wilde (also known as the poetess, "Speranza"). Although the house now belongs to the American College, the two lower floors are open to the public. Guided tours are conducted on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Web site: www.amcd.edu
Parks & Squares
Phoenix Park, on the city’s west side, is one of the largest (1,760 acres) and most beautiful city parks in Europe – with ornamental gardens, nature trials, forests, pasturelands, and playing fields. Opened in 1747, it is home to assorted wildlife as well as the residences of the Irish President and US Ambassador. The park has a visitor centre, with exhibits on the area from 3,500 BC to the present day. Open daily. Web site: www.heritageireland.ie
St. Stephen’s Green, the oldest of Dublin’s Squares, is a 22-acre oasis of greenery in the heart of Dublin, just off Grafton St. Dating back to medieval times but first enclosed in 1670, “the Green” is full of flowers, shrubs, and trees of all descriptions, as well as a garden for the blind, statuary, fountains, gazebos, an ornamental lake, and a band shell which is a setting for free lunchtime concerts in the summer months.
Fitzwilliam Square, surrounded by beautiful Georgian townhouses, was first developed in the 1820’s. As Dublin’s smallest and best preserved Georgian Square, it is also the only park in the city that is open only to residents of the square (accessible by key). Even though you can’t get in, it is worth a stroll along the exterior, to absorb the flavor of 18th century Dublin.
Merrion Square, laid out in 1762, has always been a very distinguished address for Dubliners – residents of the townhouses facing the park have included Daniel O’Connell, W.B. Yeats, the Duke of Wellington, and Oscar Wilde. The park is open to the public, and contains flowers, trees, shrubs, benches and a fountain dating back to 1791.
Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, off O’Connell St., is dedicated to all those who died in the cause of Irish freedom. The central feature of the garden is a large cruciform-shaped pool dominated bya sculpture depicting the Children of Lir.
Notable Neighborhoods
The Old City is the core of Dublin - the original Viking settlement, from which “Dubhlinn” evolved. The early Viking settlers built a fort on the River Liffey in 841 AD, and during the 10th century Irish kings laid claim to the area. Today it encompasses High Street, Cornmarket and other streets around Christ Church Cathedral and Wood Quay. Some of the old city walls still stand near St. Audeon’s Church on High St.
Temple Bar is the Irish equivalent of New York's Greenwich Village or Paris' Left Bank, a melting pot for the artistic and avant-garde. Trick cyclists whiz by, pavement artists create colorful chalk sketches, buskers play music on every corner, and students just "hang out" at the many sidewalk cafes and pubs. Located in a 10-block area on the south bank of the River Liffey, between Trinity College and Christ Church Cathedral, Temple Bar is easily recognized by its array of old Victorian and Georgian buildings painted in bright primary colors. Major highlights include the Irish Film Centre, a must for movie fans; Meeting House Square, an open-air entertainment and market area; Arthouse, an innovative center for the creative arts; Temple Bar Music Center, a learning and performance space for all types of music; and The Ark, a children's cultural center. Web site: www.temple-bar.ie
Smithfield Village, on the northwest side of the River Liffey, is an up-and-coming neighborhood, with open markets and a wide plaza, surrounded by new residential buildings. It is predicted to be a future Temple Bar. Attractions include the Irish Whiskey Corner and The Chimney viewing tower.
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