Visit Dublin: tours, photos and sightseeing guide

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Visit Dublin (Ireland)


Sections:	Introduction
	Guinness Storehouse
	Trinity College
	Dublin Castle
	Other museums
	James Joyce
	Oscar Wilde
	Wellington Monument
	General Post Office
	The Spire
	Cathedrals
	Statues
	Food, drink & music
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

This page provides a brief introduction to Dublin, the capital city of the Irish Republic (Eire). The city is named after a Black Pool ("Dubh Linn") near the castle.

The Custom House (completed in 1791)
was set alight by Irish nationalists in 1921

Ha'penny Bridge (until 1919 everyone had to pay
half a penny to cross this bridge over the River Liffey)

	Dublin (Eyewitness Travel Guides) Editor: Jane Ewart Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Date: September 2003		Top 10 Dublin Authors: Polly Phillimore, Andrew Sanger Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Date: January 2005
	The Golden Book of Dublin Author: Betty Barrett Publisher: The O'Brien Press Date: March 2003		"Time Out" Dublin Editor: Christi Daugherty Publisher: Time Out Group Ltd Date: November 2004

Recommended music to listen to when reading this page: Molly Malone (opens in a new window)

GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

The top visitor attraction in Dublin is the Guinness Storehouse in St James's Gate. You can find out about the history of Guinness and see how it is made. You finish at the Gravity Bar, where you can have a free pint of Guinness and enjoy the views over the city. Guinness has been brewed in Dublin since 1759.

Visitors taking a group photo
outside the brewery

A pint of
draught Guinness ...

... straight from
the barrel

The museum explains
the production process

The Guinness
factory buildings

Guinness adverts are
well-known worldwide

Guinness is Guinness: The colourful story of a black-and-white brand
Author: Mark Griffiths
Publisher: Cyan Books
Date: May 2004

TRINITY COLLEGE

Trinity College is Ireland's oldest university and is located in College Street in the centre of Dublin. It was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth the First, one of its purposes being to lead the conversion of Ireland from the Catholic to the Protestant faith: for many years Catholics were not allowed to study here.

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript dating from the 9th century. It is a copy in Latin of the four Gospels of the New Testament, illustrated with many fine Celtic designs. It is one of the treasures displayed in Trinity College Library.

The Book of Kells

Illustration from the Book of Kells

The Book of Kells
Author: Bernard Meehan
Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
Date: January 1995

Another visitor attraction inside the college is the Dublin Experience, which presents a summary of Dublin's history (this is only open during the summer months).

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DUBLIN CASTLE

Dublin Castle is located in Dame Street. It is a mixture of buildings of different architectural styles. The Record Tower is the oldest part, dating from 1207. The castle was a symbol of British rule in Ireland, and was attacked unsuccessfully during several rebellions. It was handed over to the Irish people in 1922. The State Apartments, Undercroft and Chapel are open to visitors.

Bedford Tower, in the
Upper Yard

View of Dublin Castle
from the gardens

Chapel and round Record Tower,
viewed from the Lower Yard

OTHER MUSEUMS

There are many other museums in Dublin. Among these are:
- Dublinia on St Michael's Hill (near Christchurch Cathedral): here you can discover what life was like in Dublin during the Middle Ages
- Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square: an 18th century mansion presenting the lives and works of Dublin's famous writers
- National Gallery of Ireland on Clare Street / Merrion Square West: a collection of Irish and European paintings and sculptures

Dublinia

Dublin Writers Museum

National Gallery of Ireland

JAMES JOYCE

James Joyce (1882-1941) was one of the great writers of the 20th century. He was born in Dublin, but left Ireland in 1904. Much of his work is based on daily life in Dublin. His most famous book is Ulysses (1922). Other works include Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939).

James Joyce Centre in
North Great George's Street

Statue of James Joyce
(just off O'Connell Street)

Ulysses
Author: James Joyce
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
Date: May 1998

Ulysses [1967] (DVD)
Studio: Arrow Film Distributors Ltd
Date: February 2004

OSCAR WILDE

There is a statue of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) in Merrion Square. He was another Dublin-born writer, whose most successful plays were Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). He is also remembered for his many witty sayings, some of which are engraved on nearby stone tablets. Some examples are:

"Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes"
"I can resist everything except temptation"
"A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it"
"Who, being loved, is poor?"
"I have nothing to declare except my genius"
"The suspense is terrible: I hope it will last"

Statue of Oscar Wilde

Some of Oscar Wilde's famous quotations

The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
Author: Oscar Wilde
Publisher: Collins
Date: January 2005

The Oscar Wilde Collection (2 DVDs)
Studio: Cinema Club
Date: April 2005

WELLINGTON MONUMENT

The Wellington Monument is located in Phoenix Park. It was built to commemorate the victories of the Duke of Wellington (Sir Arthur Wellesley). It was finished in 1861. It is one of the tallest obelisks in Europe (205 feet high): it was meant to be even taller and to have a statue of the "Iron Duke" on a horse, but money ran out. There are four bronze plaques around the base, cast from cannons captured at the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke of Wellington is not popular in Ireland. Although he was born in Dublin, he wasn't proud of the fact: he is reported to have said, "Just because one is born in a stable, one doesn't have to be a horse".

The obelisk

View of monument from the Guinness Storehouse

One of the bronze plaques

GENERAL POST OFFICE

The General Post Office is located in the middle of O'Connell Street. This building was a stronghold of the Irish Volunteers in the 1916 Easter Rising. The rebels held out for a week, but the leaders were then captured by the British and executed. After the "Free State of Ireland" was created in 1921, postboxes in Dublin were painted green: the red ones were regarded as being public symbols of Britain.

General Post Office: centre of
the 1916 Easter Rising

Irish
postbox

The Easter Rising: A Guide to Dublin in 1916
Authors: Conor Kostick, Lorcan Collins
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Date: April 2000

THE SPIRE

The Monument of Light in O'Connell Street is known informally as the Spire. It is 120 metres high: the world's tallest sculpture. The sunlight shines off it during the day, and at night the top is lit up. This design, by Ian Ritchie, won a competition to create a new monument in Dublin for the new millennium.

View from the base of the Spire

CATHEDRALS

Saint Patrick's Cathedral is in Patrick's Close. The writer Jonathan Swift, famous for his satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels", was the Dean here from 1713-1747. This is the national cathedral of Ireland.
Christ Church Cathedral is in Christchurch Place. Founded in 1030, this is Dublin's oldest building.
The choirs from both of these cathedrals took part in the first ever performance of Handel's "Messiah" in 1742.

St Patrick's Cathedral:
where Jonathan Swift was Dean

Christ Church Cathedral:
Dublin's oldest building

Plaques for famous Irish writers have been put up in the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral

Gulliver's Travels
Author: Jonathan Swift
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date: December 2004

Gulliver's Travels [1996] (DVD)
Studio: Cinema Club
Date: September 2000

STATUES

The Famine Memorial is located on Custom House Quay. During the Great Famine in the mid 19th century over a million Irish people died or left Ireland to escape hunger (many emigrated to America or Britain). Many people blame the British government for this crisis: it refused to provide food aid even after the potato crops repeatedly failed due to disease and poor weather.

Molly Malone was a lady who sold fish on the streets of Dublin, but supplemented her income by also working as a "lady of the night". You can see a statue of her near the entrance to Trinity College. There is a famous Irish folksong about her:

In Dublin's fair city, where girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she pushed her wheelbarrow, through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh! Alive, alive oh! Alive, alive oh!"
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"!

Now she was a fishmonger, and sure 'twas no wonder,
For so were her mother and father before,
And they each wheeled their barrow, through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh! Alive, alive oh! Alive, alive oh!"
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"!

She died of a fever, and no one could save her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.
Now her ghost wheels her barrow, through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh! Alive, alive oh! Alive, alive oh!"
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"!

FOOD, DRINK & MUSIC

FURTHER INFORMATION

Dublin Tour bus
(live commentary in English)

Dublin Tour bus (recorded
commentary: various languages)

Tourist Information Centre

* Booking a tour
Trip to Dublin from London for St Patrick's Festival: Travel/Tours/Company/AndersonTours
Tours starting in Dublin: book here

* Visitor information
Tourist Information: http://www.visitdublin.com
Guinness Storehouse: http://www.guinness-storehouse.com
Trinity College: http://www.tcd.ie/Visitors/attractions.html
Dublin Castle: http://www.dublincastle.ie
James Joyce Centre: http://www.jamesjoyce.ie
City guide: http://www.dublin.world-guides.com

* Weather forecast for Dublin
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0031

* More photos
360 degree panoramic pictures: http://dublintown.net

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LINKS

Introduction to Ireland: Britain/Countries/Ireland
St Patrick's Day celebrations in London: Ideas/Album/StPatricksDay
Visit Northern Ireland: Travel/Tours/NorthernIreland

Home page: Home

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© UK Student Life 2002-2011

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