Dublin is a small capital with a huge personality, and what it lacks in ‘prettiness’ it makes up for in character, especially with its chatty, witty and charismatic locals. Get yourself down to the iconic, bustling Temple Bar for the true Dublin experience, with live music, one of Ireland’s largest collections of whiskey (with over 450 bottles of whiskey and bourbon on offer), solid pints of the “Black Stuff” and locals Irish dancing in the middle of the pub.
When you’ve recovered from your night out on the tiles (or maybe cobbles), there are plenty of attractions to see:
Kilmainham Gaol
Chilling and eery Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 as the county jail for Dublin, Ireland. Although it was quite a modern jail for its time, conditions were appalling. The cells were damp, cold and dark, as they did not have windows, lighting or heat; only a single candle that had to last for two weeks. All types of prisoners were imprisoned there, including rising leaders and women, men and small children accused of robbery. The youngest prisoner is believed to have been only seven years old. The prison was not segregated by age or sex, and it was common practice to hold up to five people in a cell. Men could have an iron bed, but women and children had to sleep on straw pallets on the floor. When the Irish Potato Famine hit the country in 1845, thousands of people stole food to survive and this deteriorated the conditions in the jails, as the cells were packed with people, overflowing out into the corridors. Nevertheless, many preferred to stay in prison rather than be free and starve to death. Book online as far in advance as possible to get your preferred visiting time.
Guinness Storehouse
Learn how to perfect the famous two-part pour at the Guinness Storehouse, after discovering everything about the brewery’s history and the brewing process with audiovisual, interactive displays across its seven floors. Once you’ve pulled your pint, take your brew to the top floor bar to enjoy whilst taking in the panoramic views.
Trinity College, The Old Library and the Book of Kells
Take one of the entertaining tours, carried out by the students, of the beautiful university grounds with its fine Georgian architecture.
Situated outside the Main Library is the bronze globe named ‘Sphere Within Sphere’. The inner ball represents the Earth and outer ball represents Christianity. The design of the internal layers, which look like the gears or cogwheels of a complex machine, symbolizes the fragility and complexity of the world.
“The sphere is a marvelous object, from the world of magic, wizards, whether it is of crystal or bronze, or full of water…It reflects everything around it, creating such contrasts that it sometimes is transformed, becoming invisible, leaving only its interior, tormented and corroded, full of teeth”. “That’s what drives me to make the spheres: breaking these perfect, magic forms in order reveal its internal ferment, mysterious and alive, monstrous and yet pure; so I create a discordant tension, a conflict, with the polished shine: a unity composed of incompleteness. In my sculpture, the shape of today’s world contains within itself the form of the ‘ideal city’ as conceived by the artists of the Italian Renaissance. This, in turn, contains my hopes and dreams, and those of countless other citizens of the world.” ~ Arnaldo Pomodoro.
The greatest treasures are held in The Old Library, which usually has a long line of visitors waiting to get a glimpse of the Book of Kells and the Long Room. A glimpse is likely to be all you will get, as both are rarely without a crowd of people trying to muscle in to take a peek!
