12 Great Things To Do In and Around Dublin, Ireland
Thinking of visiting Dublin, Ireland, in 2018. Here are 12 things that my family and I enjoy doing in no particular order. Clearly there are three kinds of things we like doing: visiting historic sites, walking and taking in the scenery, enjoying a pub and some music!
Newgrange Stone Age Passage Tomb: Older than the Pyramids of Egypt
Newgrange is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Stone Age monument, built around 3200 BC. It is situated in the historic Boyle Valley, packed with walks and ancient historic sites. You can take a bus or drive from Dublin out to the Newgrange site. The site is only accessible by tours, which are many every day from the museum (which is a fascinating visit in of itself). As part of the tour you walk can go into the monument, down the narrow corridors underground. It really takes you back across the millennia of Irish life. On the shortest day of the year the sun goes down the corridor to touch the back wall of the monument underground. Ancient people were amazing engineers and scholars of the stars!
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl: Where James Joyce meets the Pint of Guinness
Actors take you on a walk around the pubs of Dublin that feature in the books of James Joyce. Outside and inside the pubs they do short re-enactments from the books. The actors are great fun (including my friend and TV actor Frank). Rest assured you have the opportunity to sample a pint, or whatever drink takes your fancy (and with your pocket) in the pubs. It’s a great way to learn about the city and make new friends.
Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk and Villages: Great Views and Restaurants!
Bray and Greystones are two great coastal towns at the end of the Dublin local train network, separated by a beautiful mountain. Take the train out to Bray. The train ride in of itself has wonderful views of Dublin bay (make sure to get a seat on the sea view side!). From the station walk along the beach (perhaps taking in an ice-cream along the promenade) to the beginning of the cliff walk path. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to walk to the village of Greystones, home of some wonderful restaurants. Alternatively, walk from Greystones, and at the end of the walk drop into Cassoni’s Fish and Chip shop. The view of the sea from the restaurant is fantastic and the staff friendly. The food is simple fish (in many forms), chips or a traditional breakfast! My family’s favourite place to eat.
Killruddery House and Gardens: Beautiful Grounds, Fantastic Café
Located in Bray (accessible by local commuter train from Dublin city centre), Killruddery House and Gardens is for me one of the most magical places on the earth. The early years of my children’s lives are packed with walks in the gardens followed by cake and herbal tea in the café. Mint tea comes from their herb garden! The grounds are regularly used for TV and movies. Look out the house and you see the lakes from the Tudors TV series. The family that own and operate the house have done a wonderful job of maintaining and developing their centuries old family home. A hidden charm is the open Opera theatre. I used to sit there sometimes for the peace and quiet, peppered by the children jumping up and down the natural steps.
Maynooth Walking Tour and Village: Stunning Architecture, Numerous Restaurants
Maynooth is a beautiful village and Ireland’s only university town. It has a huge array of restaurants and pubs to fit all budgets. The university campus dates back to the 1795 and is the home to one of Ireland’s greatest hidden architectural gems: The College Chapel. Take the campus walk and learn about the history of Maynooth (once the virtual capital of Ireland) and have the chance to visit the College Chapel. Each of the 454 stalls are individually carved. Look up at the ceiling, where saints are depicted: which one is Judas (hint: the one with the hidden face!). Enjoy the rich light from the stain glass windows. Sing a quick song and you will have done so in the same place as the University’s World Champion Choir (even a bad voice like mine sounds better there). Alternatively, go to the other side of the village and take a walk around the grounds of Carlton House, a five star hotel, a home of Irish Golf and rugby. Find out how both the College and Carlton house were both once owned by the same powerful family.
Slane Castle and Village: Wonderful Castle Tour, Picturesque Village, Home Rock and Roll!
Slane is about 45 minutes drive from Dublin (there is also a bus service from the city to Slane). As a teenager I remember the day that the Castle had a huge fire and much of the wonderful art and history seemed lost. The Conyngham family have lived in the castle since the 18th century. They have done an amazing job of renovating the castle and developing the grounds. The local tour guides do a great job of bringing the history of the castle to life. Slane is the home of Irish Rock and Roll, hosting major outdoor concerts with vast people, enjoying to the music of artists such as U2, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, REM, Bruce Springsteen, the Kings of Leon and many others. The village of Slane is picturesque and well worth a visit in of itself.
Croke Park Museum: Heart of Irish Spirit, Volunteerism & Sports – 3rd Largest Stadium in EU
https://crokepark.ie/gaa-museum-tours/gaa-museum
To understand Ireland you need to understand the GAA, whom organise our three Gaelic Games: Hurling, Football and Handball. There is a GAA club in every village, town and city of Ireland, and clubs right across the world. At the heart of the GAA is Volunteerism and the Amateur ethos. The third largest stadium in Europe, Croke Park, hosts over 82000 fans, whom freely intermingle and enjoy the love of Irish sport. You will have the chance to walk onto the pitch. Think about taking the additional tour from the top of the stadium and see a view of the city. Most of all to walk around the museum and learn about our games. You will have a chance to try out hurling a unique game. Explore and see if your country has a GAA club: likely that it does!
Whelans Pub and Music Venue: Live Music, Great Gig Venue, and a Good Pint too
Whelans is a great place for live music and a pint. The pub has its own concert venue, where I enjoyed many a concert there over the years. Past artists include Mumford & Sons, Artic Monkeys, Damien Rice, Ed Sheran, Hoizer, Republic of Loose, The Corrs, The Strypes, amongst many others. Go along and see what Dublin music has to offer!
Little Museum of Dublin: Packed with History of Dublin, Fun Tours, in Heart of City
The Little Museum is located in the heart of Dublin on Stephen’s Green, around the corner from the Dail (Irish Parliament), Grafton Street (one of the best shopping streets in the country), Trinity College (home of the Book of Kells, amongst others), and the large Stephen’s Green park itself. The Museum is small, but packed with donations from the Dublin public, taking you though the life of the city. The owners and tour guides have an amazing knowledge of the city passion for Dublin.
Kilmainham Gaol Museum: Prison and Execution Place of the 1916 Revolutionaries
During Easter 1916 Dublin was gripped by a revolution, the centre piece of which was the Proclamation of the Republic of Ireland. The military element of 1916 was put down by overwhelming British army forces. Those that signed the Proclamation were arrested, imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol and most executed. This act turned the republicans into martyrs and was a catalyst for the war of independence and the political freedom of Ireland. The tour of the Gaol takes you through the social history of Ireland for centuries up to the 1916 executions. It is a moving visit. Afterwards you could always walk across the road to the Museum of Modern Art and walk around the city seeing what ultimately these men created.
Chester Beatty Library – free admission.
Next to Dublin Castle, and near Christ Church, is one of the gems of the library world. The Chester Beatty library is a wonderful window into the cultures of the world through their texts and art. It has one of the largest and insightful exhibitions of ancient and sacred Islamic and Christian texts. It also has a wonderful collection of East Asian art and clothing. Afterwards have a coffee, cake or lunch in their lovely restaurant, the Silk Road, which focused on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food.
iMOBTS Conference – Maynooth 28-30 June 2018
https://mobts.org/index.php/imobts-call-for-papers/
If you are a business academic, then why not join us at the International MOBTS conference, where teachers of business and management come together to share their best practices and experiences of teaching. It is a community where you can learn about what works in the classroom and share ideas and exercises that work in the class room. Most of all it is an opportunity to network with your fellow teachers from around the world, sharing the joys of teaching and working together to become better educators for our students. Had to get a plug in for the conference given that we at Maynooth are proudly hosting it! To find out more about the conference following this link: https://mobts.org/index.php/imobts-call-for-papers/
UWL Head of Accounting / ACCA Global Council Member
6 年Oh I wish I read this before I visited last month! I could have done the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk...
Learning Advisory Associate Manager at Accenture & Wildlife Nut (Wildlife Journalist, Wildlife Surveyor, Environmental Awareness (talks and workshops), Environmental Activist)
6 年Great piece Peter. Great choices for the list and wonderfully described.