Local Host Picks
Chester Beatty Library
This award-winning library and art museum is housed in the 18th century Clock Tower building. It contains the personal collection of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, a wealthy American miner who bequeathed it to the Irish public. It houses a collection of rare art and religious manuscripts from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Christchurch Cathedral
Formally known as The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, it is the elder of the capital city's two medieval cathedrals, the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral and it has a rare (for Ireland) crypt filled with interesting artifacts.
Dublinia
The Dublinia exhibition covers the formative period of Dublin's history from the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in 1170 to the closure of the monasteries in the 1540s. There are many exhibits here which include videos, models and reconstructions. The ground floor houses a large-scale model of Dublin around 1500, a display of artifacts from Wood Quay, and reconstructions.
Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane
The Hugh Lane Gallery houses exceptional 20th-century art by Irish and European painters, including Francis Bacon, whose studio was transferred from Reece Mews in London in 2001 and provides exciting insight into the artist's life, inspirations, unusual techniques and working methods.
Doheny and Nesbitt Pub
Dublin is filled with over a thousand pubs, most of them fairly noisy and boisterous. If you're looking for a pub where you can actually have a conversation, head to the intimate journalists' haunt of Doheny and Nesbitt on Baggot Street, which dates back to the late 1800s.
Grafton Street
Along this pedestrian street, you'll find some of Dublin's best shopping, street performers and musicians, not to mention the renowned Bewley's Oriental Café. Step in and indulge in freshly brewed coffee and delicious pastries.
IFC (Irish Film Centre)
Independent film buffs will enjoy the two art-house cinemas and comprehensive bookshop in the Temple Bar district. The café/bar/restaurant is worth visiting in its own right, if only to marvel at the award-winning architecture.
James Joyce Museum
Visit the James Joyce Tower, one of a series of Martello towers built to withstand an invasion by Napoleon, which now houses a museum devoted to the life and works of the great Irish writer. The tower was also the setting for the first chapter of his masterpiece, Ulysses.
Kilmainham Gaol
Built in 1792, Kilmainham Gaol is Ireland's most famous disused prison. It held throughout the years many famous Nationalists and Republicans in members of the Society of United Irishmen (1798), Young Irelanders (c1840s), Fenians and Land agitators, Parnell, Davitt. The leaders of the 1916 Ester Rising were executed here. Kilmainham Gaol was closed in 1924. This building gives a good insight into the history of Irish Republicanism.
Octagon Bar
This Dublin watering hole in the Clarence Hotel, owned by U2's Bono & The Edge, attracts a nice mix of locals, residents, tourists and the odd celebrity. Take in the relaxed atmosphere while enjoying one of their famous cocktails.
National Gallery of Ireland
The collection includes over 2,500 paintings and some 10,000 other works in different media including watercolors, drawings, prints and sculpture. The gallery's highlights are the Yeats Museum, and works by Vermeer, Caravaggio, Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet.
National Museum of Ireland
Walk into the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street and you are magically transported back in time; a short stroll will take you all the way back to 7,000BC. The new and fascinating Kingship & Sacrifice exhibition centers on a number of recently found bog bodies dating back to the Iron Age.
Merrion Square
Admire the city's largest square, framed on three sides by beautifully maintained Georgian houses. Oscar Wilde, whose statue reclines on a rock at the north-west corner of the park in the middle of the square, lived at No. 1, W.B. Yeats at No. 82 Merrion Square.
Afternoon Tea at The Lord Mayor's Lounge
Sink into a deep armchair at the Lord Mayor's Lounge at The Shelbourne Hotel, overlooking St. Stephen's Green, for an afternoon of tea and pastries. Even the teabags are special, they are sheathed in fine silk rather than paper or cotton.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Built in honor of Ireland's patron saint, Saint Patrick's Cathedral stands adjacent to the famous well where tradition has it Saint Patrick baptized converts on his visit to Dublin. The cathedral is today the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland (Anglican).
The Iveagh Gardens
The Iveagh Gardens is one of the finest and least known of Dublin's park and gardens. Located south of St. Stephen's Green, you will find a beautiful spot secluded from the city noise and bustle. The gardens feature a box hedge maze with sundial, rustic grotto and water cascade, archery grounds and woodlands.
St. Stephen's Green
Take a break in St. Stephen's Green, the inner-city public park, laid out in 1880 at the initiative of Sir Arthur Edward Guinness, a member of the Guinness brewing family. The Victorian park is a sanctuary from the bustle of the city streets with tree lined walks, shrubberies, colorful flowerbeds, herbaceous borders and an ornamental lake. In the summer months you can also enjoy lunchtime concerts.
Temple Bar Area
Immerse yourself in Dublin's cultural quarter! Along its narrow, cobbled streets between the Bank of Ireland and Christ Church Cathedral, you will find many Irish cultural institutions as well as outdoor cafés, hip restaurants, unusual shops and some of the city's best night spots.