Things to do in Dublin
Dublin is a city of stories, from Viking origins to Ireland's revolution, all best told over a pint. These are the essential experiences.
Trinity College and the Book of Kells
Founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, Trinity College holds the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels created around 800 AD, probably by monks on the Scottish island of Iona. The Long Room, the college's eighteenth-century library hall with 200,000 old books, has been undergoing a conservation project, with some books temporarily removed; an immersive experience complements the visit. Book timed tickets online.
Guinness Storehouse
Ireland's most popular paid attraction is set in a former fermentation plant at St James's Gate. Seven floors explain brewing, advertising and the history of Guinness, culminating in the Gravity Bar with 360-degree city views and a pint included in the ticket. Book in advance for discounts.
Kilmainham Gaol
This former prison, opened in 1796, held many Irish revolutionaries, and the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed in its Stonebreakers' Yard. Guided tours are moving and excellent but often sell out, so book weeks ahead.
Whiskey distilleries
Irish whiskey has undergone a renaissance. Visit Teeling Distillery in the Liberties, the first new distillery in Dublin for over 125 years when it opened in 2015, the Old Jameson Distillery in Smithfield, the Roe & Co distillery or the Pearse Lyons Distillery in a former church.
Museums and galleries
The National Museum of Ireland's archaeology branch on Kildare Street has Celtic gold, Viking finds and preserved Iron Age bog bodies. The National Gallery includes Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ and works by Jack B. Yeats. The Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle, with manuscripts from around the world, is free. EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum, explores how 10 million people left Ireland. The Little Museum of Dublin on St Stephen's Green is a fun overview of twentieth-century city life.
Dublin Castle and Christ Church
Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922. Explore the State Apartments and Chapel Royal. Christ Church Cathedral, founded around 1030, has an extensive medieval crypt, and St Patrick's Cathedral, where Jonathan Swift was dean, is Ireland's largest church.
Traditional music and pubs
Head to The Cobblestone in Smithfield, O'Donoghue's on Merrion Row, where The Dubliners started out, or The Brazen Head, which claims to be Ireland's oldest pub with origins in 1198. The Long Hall and Kehoe's are classic Victorian bars. A literary pub crawl links the haunts of Joyce, Behan and Beckett.
Parks
St Stephen's Green is a Victorian park in the heart of the city. Phoenix Park, one of the largest enclosed urban parks in Europe at about 707 hectares, has herds of wild fallow deer, Dublin Zoo and Áras an Uachtaráin, the president's residence.
Coast and cliffs
Take the DART to Howth for a cliff walk around the peninsula and fish and chips by the harbour. Go south to Dalkey, Killiney Hill and the Forty Foot, a sea swimming spot at Sandycove used year-round. The James Joyce Tower in Sandycove features in the opening chapter of Ulysses.
Festivals
St Patrick's Festival in March includes a huge parade; Bloomsday on 16 June has Edwardian costumes and readings; and the Dublin Theatre Festival in autumn is one of the oldest in Europe.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
In the CHQ building in the Docklands, EPIC tells the story of the millions of Irish people who emigrated and their influence around the world, with interactive galleries. Nearby, the Jeanie Johnston is a replica of a nineteenth-century emigrant ship.
Literary Dublin
Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature. The Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) in Newman House on St Stephen's Green holds a copy of Ulysses known as Copy No. 1. On 16 June, Bloomsday, fans in Edwardian dress retrace the route of Leopold Bloom. The Marsh's Library, opened in 1707, is the oldest public library in Ireland.
Gaelic games at Croke Park
Watching hurling or Gaelic football at Croke Park, which holds about 82,000 people, is an unforgettable experience, especially during the summer championship. The GAA Museum and the Skyline rooftop tour are open on non-match days.
Phoenix Park
At about 700 hectares, Phoenix Park is one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe. A herd of fallow deer roams freely, and the park contains Dublin Zoo, the Wellington Monument and Áras an Uachtaráin, the residence of the President of Ireland, which offers free Saturday tours.
Day trips
Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains has a sixth-century monastic site with a round tower and lakes. Newgrange in the Boyne Valley, a passage tomb built around 3200 BC, is older than the pyramids of Giza. Malahide Castle is reachable by DART.
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