St Patrick’s Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in all of Ireland, tracing its origins back almost a thousand years to 11th century Dublin. At the time the building was conceived to honour Ireland’s patron saint, with support forthcoming. By 1220 the magnificent Gothic structure of archways and spires present today was standing as Ireland’s proudest monument to Christendom. So much has happened around St. Patrick’s over the years that the site is occasionally visited by archaeologists keen to unearth secrets of Ireland’s medieval past.
Despite its historicity, the cathedral’s prime purpose continues to be as a place of worship. While services proceed freely, those visiting to sightsee and observe the relics and architecture are asked to pay a modest entrance fee, the entirety of which goes toward keeping the ancient building maintained in all its beauty. The cathedral also plays an active role in the community, organising charitable fundraisers, school visits with the local St. Patrick’s Grammar School, and of course the yearly Christmas and Easter services and prayers.
The Gaiety Theatre is Dublin’s oldest theatre in Dublin, it being the home to some of the most expressive and flamboyantly talented stage performers in Ireland for nearly 150 years. The attractive, columned brick building reflects its 19th century heritage – within its historic walls shows are hosted in various theatrical genres all year round. As the theatre’s name implies, comedies receive top billing – the events schedule encompasses Christmas pantomimes, light-hearted comic romances, emotional and heart wrenching tragicomedies, and lively musicals.
Having been a popular family venue for so many years, today the Gaiety Theatre draws theatregoers resident locally and visiting Dublin. The festive season is especially busy, with the traditional Christmas panto drawing full houses through the entire school holidays. Many age-old practices are kept alive, with the audience encouraged to sing along to the musical numbers played upon stage, while the occasional surprise appearance of the Good Fairy has her throwing sweets at kids in the audience!
The Howth Head in Fingal County is a stunning area of national beauty perfect for a day’s stroll. The area offers picturesque views across the eastern Irish coastline and Dublin Bay, from the splendid green hills to the sandy beaches below. Close by is the Dublin suburb of Howth, which has a number of cafes, tea rooms and eateries suitable for the eager traveller to enter and gain respite from the brisk yet refreshing coastal breezes.
The Howth Head is a superb place to walk, with pathways leading out near the lighthouse. All around the area the rolling green hills, beaches and rocks constantly lashed with waves offer up reason aplenty for Ireland gaining its nickname of The Emerald Isle. A day out in Howth is quite easy for those staying in or near central Dublin, with the Dublin Bus services running regularly out to this picturesque region, and the local Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) running trains to the area’s old station with characteristic expedience.
The Old Jameson Distillery is where one of Ireland’s national treasures – Jameson’s whiskey – is created. Located in the Smithfield Village area of Dublin, the distillery offers a fantastic visitor’s experience in that it offers tours and tasting experiences to locals and visitors alike. Sampling the fantastic malt whiskey that is Jameson’s is the main attraction, while scholarly knowhow regarding age-old still techniques employed at the company facilities are heard with interest. The old stories from the distillery’s long and eventful past plus details regarding how good whiskies are kept in cask for years will pique any interest.
An estimated 350,000 people yearly pass through the Old Jameson Distillery, making it one of Dublin and Ireland’s most frequented attractions. Capitalising on their sterling reputation for scrumptious spirits, Jameson has established at the premises JJ’s Place, which offers food to go with one’s whiskey, while a gift shop offers those passing through the opportunity to have their name placed upon a bottle of Jameson’s reserve.
Leopardstown Racecourse in County Dublin is the perfect place to enjoy a day at the races and perhaps a flutter or two while you’re there. The racecourse is roughly 8km south of Dublin’s city centre, and is easily reachable by car or public transport. Racing events ensue regularly at Leopardstown, with the course having served its purpose for 130 years now.
Those visiting at race time will be impressed by the amenities present, from the relaxing and modern Filles Café Bar serving snacks and drinks to the nearby Madigans Pub. Those wishing to make a day of the occasion can enjoy dinner at the Silken Glider restaurant which serves traditional Irish food in a gourmet fashion. The Paddock Food Hall meanwhile offers great wholesome dinners and steaks for those preferring simple good grub. Leopardstown has both Christmas and summer festivals, with membership available to locals and regular visitors to the Dublin region, making it a comprehensive place to enjoy real Irish horse racing.
The Abbey Theatre is the largest theatre in Dublin, putting on an impressive variety of productions including Shakespearian dramas, classic Irish shows by Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, plus seasonal summer and festive shows. The playhouse has a rich history, with the renowned Irish poet W.B. Yeats involved in its founding back in 1904. Today the venue works hard to preserve both its traditional Irish heritage, while simultaneously embracing stage trends which have emerged from other nations.
Nowadays the Abbey Theatre remains on the lookout for the best performing talents locally around Dublin, nationally around Ireland, and internationally from theatre schools situated in major cities globally. This enterprising approach in talent scouting keeps the roster stocked with fresh faces which in turn attract regular influxes of theatregoers to the auditorium. This sustained local membership eagerly take their seats to behold these skilled thespians ply their craft.
The Waterways Ireland visitor centre offers a unique and informed perspective into the vast channels and tributaries of water which run throughout Dublin and wider Ireland. Insight into how man tamed and made use of these flowing waters, plus regular expeditions to the greatest examples within the country, comprise the program of events at the centre. A distinctly modern structure, the Waterways centre is fashioned in gleaming white with a small marina jetty suitable for boat stopovers alongside.
Tourists in Ireland who plan to ride the Liffey or other rivers, for instance upon a canal barge, will be impressed at the navigational equipment and knowhow on offer in great quantity within the Waterways visitor’s centre. Demonstrations of how to operate ships and barges, plus regularly departing walking tours that tell of Dublin’s history from a marine perspective, further enhance this intriguing establishment.
The National Gallery of Ireland chronicles Irish and European art from the medieval era right up to the modern day. It is by far the biggest arts venue in Dublin and Ireland entire, with a history going back to the 1850s when Dublin hosted a spectacularly successful exhibition of the fine arts. With a persistence and doggedness uniquely Irish, the fundraising campaign to build what is now Dublin’s National Gallery took a decade.
The results were profound and spurred by government support which saw a sizable grant every year going towards purchasing or leasing art from across Ireland and wider Europe. Given that the gallery’s 150th anniversary has recently passed by, the stock of portraiture, landscapes and vivid period pieces give the National Gallery of Ireland a must for visitors to the capital wishing to observe and absorb the culture present.
Overlooking the Liffey in stately fashion, The Custom House in Dublin is a beautiful example of a neo-classical building, forming one of the centrepieces of the Dublin city centre with its magisterial archways and columns. A copper-domed belfry topped off with a statue of Commerce, while a variety of pediments showcase statues designed to personify the four major continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and America as well as Gods and Goddesses of antiquity such as Mercury, Neptune, Plenty and Industry.
The Custom House in itself is a popular place for tourists to visit, with many spending a good half hour or more admiring and photographing the sculptures and craftsmanship which is in bountiful evidence. The local government in the modern day renovated and cleaned the stonework, which is comprised of locally quarried and manufactured Ardbraccan limestone.
The Trinity College Library, colloquially named the Old Library, is the largest library in Ireland. It is the site of the beautifully illustrated, 1200 year old Book of Kells, whose ancient pages Queen Elizabeth II, among others, have perused. The library is constructed in the fabulously decadent style that defines much of old Dublin, and is an essential attraction for visitors stopping by Trinity College University. The Old Library’s importance to Ireland’s intellectual, religious and social history mean its contents, panelling and structure are kept in perpetually immaculate shape.
Those visiting the library are commonly dazzled by its Long Room – an arched corridor almost 300 years old that features many of the books and tomes of the library either side, with busts of famous figures lining each separate row of shelves. The room’s striking, centrepiece status is topped off by The Trinity Harp which is a wonderful example of a Renaissance string instrument in full working order over 500 years since its original completion.