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Ireland > Leinster > County Dublin & Dublin City 1

Dublin is a county as well as a city. County Dublin runs from Dun Laoghare (pronounced Dunleary) about 8 miles (13km) south of the city of Dublin, to Howth in the north. Dun Laoghare is a popular resort in its own right and a busy ferry port. If you catch a ferry to Ireland from Wales, you'll most likely arrive here. - Dublin was called "Eblana" in AD140 by the Greek philosopher Ptolemy, and today it is the Republic of Ireland's capital city, now sprawling over a large part of this area, and still growing fast. However, like the Dubliners themselves you have an amazing choice of things to do in and around the Dublin city area, from the superb nightlife to the modern museums and art galleries, great little sea-side resorts along the coast, the lavish gardens of Howth Castle, or the unique and wonderful collection of wonderful Irish furniture and paintings at Malahide Castle - its all here in a city not to be missed.

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Dublin City, Ireland's top attraction since the Vikings turned up over 1000 years ago for a spot of pillaging has become one of Europe's youngest and "coolest" cities. It's a very compact city and like other great cities, it's a great walking city and perfect for exploring on foot. The Liffey River runs through the middle of Dublin separating the north side from the south, however access is extremely easy from one side to the other as it is spanned by a multiple of bridges at regular intervals. Pubs around Dublin's refurbished Temple Bar district absolutely buzz in the evenings, filled with young and old people enjoying a night out. The Brazen Head on Bridge Street, just north of the Liffey, is said to be the oldest pub in Dublin - it's a good place to start!

Currently, our pick of pubs in the Temple Bar area (they are all good though!) is the popular "Oliver St John Gogarty", with original live Irish folk music each night upstairs, and the quieter, beautifully authentic grand old Irish Pub the "Palace" in nearby Fleet Street, frequented by local Dubliners. A good inexpensive restaurant nearby serving great food is the "Elephant & Castle" at 18 Temple Bar, where dinner for two with simple - but great food costs about 30 Euro. Temple Bar is located just over the Liffey River, a 5 minute walk from O'Connell Street, (Dublin's main city street) and is close to nearby Trinity College and Christchurch Cathedral. It's very much the place to be, a cultural quarter crammed with restaurants, cafes, studios, galleries and theatres. A fantastic nightlife, great pubs, a choice of accommodation ranging from 5 star luxury hotels to more modest bed and breakfast accommodation, great art, theatre and museums.

The Dublin Post Office on O'Connell Street has a remarkable history and is no ordinary Post Office, as it was from here on its steps (the Post Office has not changed much since this time) that Padraig Pearse and his men seized the Post Office on Easter Monday in 1916 (The Easter Monday Uprising) and proclaimed the Republic of Ireland from its steps. The British responded by shelling the bejesus out of it and most of O'Connell Street from a gunboat on the river Liffey. The rebels held out for over 5 days, but were eventually captured and summarily executed by the British, however, from this was born the flame for the Republic of Ireland.

Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College is a haven of cobbled squares, gardens and quiet parks. It was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I and it's greatest treasure is the superb 9th century illuminated Book of Kells exhibition, ancient manuscripts of extraordinary beauty. The Long Room is the university's world famous library, with over 200,000 old books in an atmosphere of hushed reverence and tranquil, muted light. It is a must see, just for the atmosphere alone, and can be visited as part of the Book of Kells exhibition.

St Patrick's Cathedral is a short walk from St Patrick's Close and marks the spot where a holy well was discovered by St Patrick the patron Saint of Ireland. St Patrick's Cathedral is absolutely magnificent, and is the largest church in Ireland. Devastated by the Cromwellian wars, it was restored in the mid 1860's through the generosity of Benjamin Guinness, the famous founder of Guinness stout. The cathedral is open daily and is the last resting place of many famous Irish sons and daughters, amongst them Dean Swift (Gulliver's Travels) and his pupil and great love, Stella. It is a soaring, breathtaking cathedral and a must visit.

Christ Church Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Dublin and Glendalogh in the Church of Ireland, was founded in 1038AD by Sitric, King of the Dublin Norsemen (Vikings). Originally a simple wooden church, it has grown somewhat over the centuries. Be sure to view The Leaning Wall of Dublin - the north nave wall. It's been almost 18 inches (about 45cm) out of perpendicular since 1562, and it's too late to fix it now.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." - Old Irish saying.

Dublin Castle is located in the ancient heart of Dublin, where it began life under the Vikings over a thousand years before. The castle was the home of British rule in Ireland, and hated by the Irish until it was given back to them with the first provisional Irish government in 1922. Today it is used for state banquets and other ceremonial occasions. The State Apartments within are breathtaking, and also worth visiting in the castle is St Patrick's Hall, the Undercroft, with its original foundations of the first Viking fort and Dublin's original fortified medieval city wall, the Record Tower where Red Hugh O'Donnell escaped in 1592, the Church of the Holy Trinity, and nearby City Hall. Today the castle is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle of old and new with breathtaking Georgian facades along side some pretty crass 19th century architecture and remaining bits of ancient medieval buildings - along with some interesting paint schemes, but overall it is fascinating and a must visit.

The Custom House on the Liffey is one of Dublin's finest heritage buildings. The Visitor Centre is located around the Dome or Clock tower area. This graceful building was restored after a disastrous fire in 1921, when supporters of Sinn Fein set it ablaze. They saw it as symbolising British imperialism and they torched it to celebrate their 1921 electoral victory.

Dublin Writers Museum is situated in an 18th century mansion, dedicated to celebrating the lives and work of Dublin's literary celebrities over the past 300 years.

The Liffey Boardwalk is a recent Dublin attraction, completed for the millennium. Eleven bridges across the river have been illuminated and a 12-feet-wide (four-metre) boardwalk has been built from O'Connell Bridge to Capel Street Bridge on the North Quays, a distance of nearly half a mile. The timber structure is supported by steel brackets attached to the quay wall, and is accessible from four bridges: O'Connell, Ha'penny, the new Millennium Footbridge and Grattan.

Guinness Hopstore - a moment's silence please - you are entering the home of Guinness stout, one of Ireland's most famous exports. This handsome four-storey building houses "The World of Guinness Exhibition", displaying Guinness advertising past and present. There is, of course, a bar, where you can sample Dublin's most celebrated brew at your leisure.

Howth is a pretty town, once a major port but now known mainly for fishing and Howth Castle. The castle is no longer open but the gardens (ablaze with rhododendrons in season) may be visited - and there's a popular golf course nearby.

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