Museums
National Museum, Kildare St.
The National Museum Of Ireland was built in the 1880s to the design of Sir Thomas
Deane. The treasury houses priceless items such as the Broighter gold boat,
while Ór- Ireland's Gold, an exhibition focusing on Ireland's Bronze
Age gold, contains beautiful jewellery such as the Gleninsheen Gorget. Other
permanent displays include Irish Silver and glassware, the Viking exhibition,
the War of Independence exhibition and more.
Location: Kildare Street, beside Dáil Éireann.
How to get there: Bus:7, 7a, 10, 11. DART: Pearse or Tara.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 2-5pm.
Admission: Free.
Natural History Museum
This museum is crammed with antique glass cabinets containing stuffed animals
from around the world. The Irish room on the ground floor holds exhibits on
Irish wildlife. Inside the front door are three huge skeletons of the extinct
giant deer, better known as the "Irish elk". Also on this floor are
shelves stacked with jars of bizarre creatures such as octopuses, leeches and
worms preserved in embalming fluid. The upper gallery houses the noted Blaschka
Collection of glass models of marine life, and a display of Buffalo and Deer
trophies. Suspended from the ceiling are the skeletons of a fin whale, found
at Bantry Bay in 1862, and a Humpback whale, which was found stranded at Inishcrone
in County Sligo in 1893.
Location: Merrion Square West, beside the National Gallery.
How to get there: Bus:7, 7a, 8.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 2-5pm.
Admission: Free.
Telephone: (01)-6777444
Fax: (01)-6777828
Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art
Housed in a finely restored 18th century building known as Charlemont House,
this gallery is situated next to the Dublin Writers Museum and across the street
from the Garden of Remembrance. It is named after Hugh Lane, an Irish art connoisseur
who was killed in the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 and who willed his collection
(including works by Courbet, Manet, Monet, and Corot) to be shared between the
government of Ireland and the National Gallery of London. With the Lane collection
as its nucleus, this gallery also contains paintings from the impressionist
and postimpressionist traditions, sculptures by Rodin, stained glass, and works
by modern Irish Artists, with emphasis on the first half of the 20th century.
In April through June, a summer concert series takes place, free of charge,
at the gallery, on Sundays at noon.
Location: Parnell Square., Dublin 1.
Opening Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9;30am-6pm; Saturday, 9:30am-5pm; Sunday,
11am-5pm.
Admission: Free; donations accepted.
Chester Beatty Library and Gallery of Oriental Art
Formerly, until recently located in Ballsbridge, the library was bequeathed
to the Irish nation in 1956. This collection of books contains approximately
22,000 manuscripts, rare books, miniature paintings, and objects from Western,
Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern cultures. Highlights include copies of the Koran,
Islamic manuscripts and biblical papyrus dating from the early 2nd and 4th centuries
A.D.
Location: Stable Yard, Dublin castle, off Dame Street.
Opening hours: 10am-5pm Tues-Fri; 2pm-5pm Sat; tours on Wednesday and
Saturday at 2.30pm.
Admission: Free
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Gallery
National Gallery
This purpose-built gallery was opened to the public in 1864. It houses many
excellent exhibits, with more than 2,000 works on display. Although there is
much emphasis on Irish Landscape art and portraits, every major school of European
painting is well represented.
Location: Merrion Square West
Admission: Free.
How to get there: DART to Pearse Station. Bus:5, 7, 44, 45, 47 &
48.
Opening Hours: Monday - Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 10am-5:30pm,
Thursday 10am-8:30pm, Sunday 2-5pm.
Admission: Free.
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Historic Buildings
Trinity College Top
Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth. It was not until the 1970's that Catholics
started entering the university, as they were banned by the archbishop. Among
many famous students to attend the college were playwrights Oliver Goldsmith
and Samuel Beckett. Trinity's lawns and cobbled quads provide a pleasant haven
in the hearth of the city. The major attractions are the Old Library and the
Book of Kells, housed in the Treasury.
Opening hours: Monday- Saturday 9:30am-5:30am, Sunday noon-5:30pm.
How to get there: DART to Pearse or Tara Street. Buses: 14, 15, 46 and
others.
Location: College Green.
Admission: Free.
Leinster House: - Dáil Éireann- Irish
Parliament
Originally built for the Duke of Leinster in 1745, the building's Kildare Street
façade resembles that of a large town house. Bought by the Royal Dublin
Society in 1815. The government obtained it in 1922 for parliamentary use and
bought the entire building two years later. Visitors can arrange to tour the
main rooms, including the Seanad chamber, and can sit in the public gallery
in the Dáil.
Location: Kildare Street.
Admission: Free.
Bank of Ireland, College Green
The prestigious offices of Ireland's national bank began life as the first purpose-built
parliament house in Europe. Completed in 1739 it served as Ireland's Parliament
until the Act Of Union in 1801 this imposed direct rule on Ireland from London.
Today attendants lead tours that point out the coffered ceiling and oak panelling.
There are also huge tapestries of the Battle of the Boyne and the siege of Derry,
and a splendid 1,233-piece crystal chandelier dating from 1788. The present
building also known as Grattan's Parliament was completed in 1808 after additions
were made.
Opening hours: Monday- Wednesday & Friday 10am-4pm, Thursday 10am
-5pm.
Guided Tours: Tuesdays: 10:30am, 11:30am, & 1:45pm or by appointment.
Telephone: (01)-6615933.
Location: College Green.
Admission: Free
City Hall
Erected between 1769 and 1779, and formerly the Royal Exchange. It is a square
building in Corinthian style, with three fronts of Portland stone. Since 1852,
however it has been the centre of the municipal government. The interior is
designed as a circle within a square, with fluted columns supporting a dome
shaped roof over the central hall. The building contains many items of interest,
including 102 royal charters and the mace and sword of the city.
Location: Lord Edward street, Dublin 8.
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am-1pm and 2:15-5pm.
Admission: Free.
Telephone: (01)-6796111.
Number 29
Situated in the hearth of Dublin's fashionable Georgian streets, this is a unique
museum - a restored four-story town house that reflects the lifestyle of a Dublin
middle-class family during the period 1790 to 1820. The exhibition ranges from
artefacts and works of art of the time, to carpets, curtains, floor coverings,
decorations, paintwork, plasterwork, and bellpulls The nursery also includes
dolls and toys of the era.
Location: 29 Lower Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2.
General Post Office (GPO)
Built in 1818 halfway along O'Connell Street (formerly Sackville street), the
GPO (right) became a symbol of the 1916 Easter Rising. Members of the Irish
Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army seized the building on Easter Monday (24th
of April) and Patrick Pearse read out the Proclamation of the Irish republic
from its steps. The rebels remained inside for almost a week, but shelling from
the British eventually forced them out. Inside the building is a sculpture of
the legendary Irish warrior Cuchulainn, dedicated to those who died for their
part in the Easter rising.
Location: O'Connell Street.
Opening Hours: 8am-8pm Monday-Sat. 10.30am-6.20pm Sunday.
Admission: Free.
Custom House
No view of Dublin's skyline is complete without a tableau of the Custom House,
one of Dublin's finest Georgian buildings. Designed by James Gandon and completed
in 1791, it is beautifully proportioned, with a long classical façade
of graceful pavilions, arcades, columns; a central dome topped by a 16 foot-
statue of Commerce; and 14 keystones over the doors and windows, known as the
Riverine Heads because they respect the Atlantic Ocean and the 13 principal
rivers of Ireland. Although burned to a shell in 1921, this building has been
masterfully restored and its bright Portland stone recently cleaned.
Location: Custom House quay, Dublin 1.
Opening Hours: These figures were not available at time of publishing.
Admission: Free.
Telephone: (01)-8882000.
Four Courts
The home of the Irish law courts since 1796, this fine 18th century building
overlooks the north bank of the River Liffey on the west side of Dublin. With
a sprawling 440-foot façade, it was designed by James Gandon and is distinguished
by its graceful Corinthian columns, massive dome (64 feet in diameter), and
exterior statues of Justice, Mercy, Wisdom, and Moses. The building was severely
burned during the Civil War of 1922, but has been artfully restored. The public
is admitted only when court is in session, so it is best to phone in advance.
Admission: Free.
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm.
Telephone: (01)-8725555.
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Parks and Gardens
St. Stephen's Green
St. Stephen's Green was enclosed in 1664. The 9 hectare(22 acre) park was laid
out in its present form in 1880. Landscaped with flowerbeds, trees, a fountain
and a lake, the green is dotted with memorials to eminent Dubliners. The 1887
bandstand is still the focal point for free daytime concerts in summer.
Opening hours: Daylight hours.
Merrion Square
Merrion Square is one of Dublin's largest and grandest Georgian squares. On
three sides are Georgian Houses and on the other the garden of Leinster House,
and two museums. Many of the houses predominantly used as office space - have
plaques detailing the rich and famous who once lived in them. The attractive
central park features colourful flower and shrub beds.
Opening hours: Daylight hours.
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Church
St. Patrick's Cathedral (C of I)
Ireland's largest church was founded beside a sacred well where St. Patrick
is said to have baptised converts around 450A.D. A stone slab bearing a Celtic
cross and covering the well was un-earthed at the turn of the century(20th).
It is now preserved in the west end of the cathedral's nave. The original building
was just a wooden chapel and remained so until 1192 when Archbishop John Comyn
rebuilt the cathedral in stone. Much of the present building dates back to work
completed between 1254 and 1270.
Location: St. Patrick's Close, Dublin 8.
Opening Hours: April-October: Monday-Friday 9am-6pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm;
Sunday, 10am-11am 12:15pm-3pm. November-March: Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm; Saturday,
9am-4pm, Sunday, 10:30am-11am 12:15pm-3pm.
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Libraries
Chester Beatty Library and Gallery of Oriental Art
Formerly, until recently located in Ballsbridge, the library was bequeathed
to the Irish nation in 1956. This collection of books contains approximately
22,000 manuscripts, rare books, miniature paintings, and objects from Western,
Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern cultures. Highlights include copies of the Koran,
Islamic manuscripts and biblical papyrus dating from the early 2nd and 4th centuries
A.D.
Location: Stable Yard, Dublin castle, off Dame Street.
Opening hours: 10am-5pm Tues-Fri; 2pm-5pm Sat; tours on Wednesday and
Saturday at 2.30pm.
Admission: Free
National Library Top Attraction
Opened in 1890 to house the collection of the Royal Dublin Society, this library
contains a vast collection of books, manuscripts, records, photographs and maps.
If you want to trace your family tree go to the Heraldic Museum in the Genealogical
Office a few doors down at Nos. 2 and 3 Kildare Street. You can also check any
Irish newspaper ever.
Location: Kildare Street, left of Dáil Éireann.
Opening Hours: January-November: Monday 10am-9pm, Tuesday and Wednesday
2-9pm, Thursday and Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 1am-1pm.
Admission: Free.
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