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Ireland
Elegant well-restored Georgian building with Arts & Crafts murals and giant coat of arms in Rotunda, with some really good restaurants close by. Don't forget the official measurement outside on the wall.
Cork Hill, Dame Street, Dublin 2
Evocative photos of old Ireland in right-sized gallery. Other good places to pop in nearby include the Film Centre.
Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 +353-1 6030 200
The Chester Beatty Library is a wonderful collection of old manuscripts and artefacts of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and a few of its offshoots.
The importance of the items and the background on them is very impressive, and the museum hosts a very elegant and complete display of the works (beautiful garden enclosed within the old Dublin Castle as well).
The Chester Beatty Library.
Dublin Castle,
Dublin 2,
Ireland
Tel: (+353 1) 407 0750
Fax: (+353 1) 407 0760
Email: info@cbl.ie
www.cbl.ie/
The Chester Beatty Library and Galleries are situated in the gardens of Dublin Castle in the heart of the city centre. They are a two minute's walk from Dame Street via the Palace Street Gate of the Castle and close to Christchurch Cathedral (enter via the Ship Street Gate of the Castle). Nearest DART Station: Tara Street.
Bus Routes
13, 16, 19 & 123 (from O'Connell St)
Open
October - April: Tuesday - Friday 10.00am-5.00pm
May - September: Monday - Friday 10.00am-5.00pm
Saturday, 11.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday, 1.00pm - 5.00pm
(Closed 1 January, Good Friday, 24, 25 and 26 December, Monday public holidays)
Known locally as the Dead Zoo, the museum itself is a museum piece, with stuffed animals in glass cases, and hunting trophies everywhere and draws upon draws of butterflies and insects. The whole place is exactly like a normal Victorian museum. But without sideburned attendants.
Merrion Square West
www.museum.ie/naturalhistory/
Ireland's National Gallery (not to be confused with the nearby National Museum sites!), tucked away near the Dail (Parliament) buildings, is home to a collection that's quite simply staggering.
There are over fifty rooms which take you through the ages of Irish art, from 17th century painters to the extraordinary work of Jack B Yeats - WB's brother. There's plenty of Italian Renaissance painting and Dutch masters to keep you going as well, and some great modern Irish portraiture. Add a fantastically-stocked shop and two great cafes to the mix and well, you've got the makings of a whole day's worth of wonder, and occasional repose.
National Gallery of Ireland
Merrion Square West
Dublin 2
www.nationalgallery.ie/
Fantastic museum with exhibitions of Irish and international work. Set in the former Royal Kilmainham Hospital, the formal gardens are also worth a stroll.
www.imma.ie, Irish Museum of Modern Art Kilmainham
Four is devoted to the development of an uninhibited artistic exploration of ideas, discourses and new trends in contemporary art and its practices. It sees its function as promoting, supporting and bringing contemporary art, curators and the artists who take part in its evolution to the public's attention.
11 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, near the Tara Street Dart station;
tel: 00 353 (0) 86 365 1256;
www.fourdublin.com
I am a frequent business visitor to Dublin and have always been disappointed by the homogenised nightlife. There is a high gloss about the club habitués of Dublin yet these shiny people confuse sophistication with formality. The clubs and bars have no concept of edginess. However, on this most recent visit, I discovered Dublin’s best kept secret, Fresh and Clean. This an eccentric and at times unnerving experience where live art meets jazz meets champagne. This is an incredibly exciting club concept, which could change Dublin’s nightscape. Admission is 80 euros. Check it out.
Varying locations in city centre;
tel: +44 77901 853 216
On the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, which lasts for over two hours, the emphasis is firmly on 'Literary'. There are just a couple of 20-minute breaks for refreshment along the way. The rest of the time we're treated to entertaining and informative performances by two actors.
The pubs are those that were frequented by the writers we learn about. There's also a stop at Trinity College, where we hear about Oscar Wilde and others. Perhaps we can be inspired by the spirit of these places (and I'm not referring to the whiskey).
It's also a great way to meet fellow travellers, as there are opportunities to chat along the way, and at the end of the crawl.
I'd highly recommend this particular brand of pub-crawl to any visitor (indeed, any Dubliner). Full details are available on the website.
Tel: +353 1 670 5602; www.dublinpubcrawl.com
It's the GAA (Gaelic football) east coast provincial final around the middle-end of June in the GAA's impressive new Croke park stadium.
A TV series that ran from 2001 to 2003 for three series, it is a milestone in Irish TV drama. A snapshot of three diverse young men trying to hold it together while living in a vast city centre pad, think This Life without the inherent cynicism and massive consumption of narcotics.
A better introduction to contemporary Dublin than The Commitments, as it captures something of how much the city has changed since the economic boom whilst delivering a genuine taste of Dublin's charm and cool. Most people I know watched this with a permanent smile on their face.
Buy the dvd online at: www.buy4now.ie/rte/productdetail.aspx?pid=929&loc=P&catid=7
Probably Dublin's finest museum in this writer’s humble opinion. It’s housed in the magnificent Royal Hospital in Kilmainham and boasts regular touring exhibitions, from Andy Warhol and Anthony Gormley to Yoko Ono and Joseph Beuys and all points in between.
The galleries are airy and spacious, sensitive to installation requirements and free of any overt pretentiousness. In other words, you don't have to have a deep understanding of art to enjoy the place. There is a good (if pricey) coffee shop on site.
The grounds surrounding the gallery are suitable for leisurely walking; the main avenue leads you directly to Kilmainham Gaol (about 10 minutes walk). War Memorial Gardens are nearby and the National Museum is one Luas hop away from nearby Heuston Station. Essentially, it forms the heart of the emerging museum district, and the Guinness brewery is close to hand also.
West of the city centre, 10 minutes walk from Heuston Station (Luas and Intercity services). Tour buses from the city centre include a visit on their routes, and regular bus services from city centre (nos. 68, 69, 78A, 79); www.modernart.ie/
The best (maybe only) local in the centre of Dublin. Basic - even down-at-heel - it succeeds in being both pretentious and unpretentious at the same time. Pullulates with penurious artists, wannabe Joyces and alcoholic has-beens diluting their woes in stout. Staff are firm but fair and sometimes friendly. You can have any grub you want as long as it's a ham and cheese toastie or a variant thereof.
The walls are chock full of the patrons' art - a democratic explosion of crap and colour that does much to brighten the dim interior. You never know, you may even pick up a future Hib-Art gem for next to nothing. Quirky. Incomparable. Essential.
15 South William Street, Dublin 2; tel: 677 9320
An intimate museum where all the great Irish writers are waiting for you. See the typewriter Lady Gregory used to type up the prospectus for the orginal Abbey Theatre while Willie Yeats dictated. Lovely tearoom in the back.
On the north side of the Liffey, a short uphill walk from Parnell Square.
www.writersmuseum.com
There’s always something innovative and thought-provoking on here. The theatre is in an architecturally-interesting building too. Right in the middle of Temple Bar.
39, East Essex St, Temple Bar;
www.project.ie/
In a nondescript inner suburb of north Dublin, this is a truly amazing example of late Georgian architecture.It's not an exaggeration to call this one of the finest examples of late classical architecture in Europe. The casino, was in effect a private pleasure house for men only (the wife had the main house!) within a larger estate, which has now entirely disappeared. It looks small close up, a deliberate optical illusion. Inside is a stunning array of perfectly designed rooms.
Malahide Road, about 3km from the city centre.
This new development officially called Quartier Bloom, but universally called the Italian Quarter is a great little slice of modern urban development. It's a private laneway built by a developer called Wallace with an obsession with all things Italian - so he has stuffed it with some great little Italian shops, wine bars and restaurants. The Enecotta della Langhe is particularly popular for its wines and anti-pasta. It's not generic Italian, most of the units are run by people from one village in the Lombardy region, so the food and wines are all from that area. The giant mural along one side is now a favoured landmark in Dublin - it's a reproduction of da Vinci's Last Supper, but featuring people taken at random off the streets of Dublin - Jesus is an Indian student in Trinity.You can amuse yourself by looking for the secret code in the picture revealing the artist's favourite football team.
Just north of the Millennium Bridge on the quays. Close to the Jervis Luas stop.
Moore Street has become the centre of the new multicultural Ireland. There are lots of traditional old stalls (probably the cheapest place to buy meat and vegetables in Dublin), but there is also an amazing collection of shops and restaurants owned and run by the Chinese, Russian, and African communities.
Moore Street is just off Henry Street, leading to Parnell Street
The main centre for foreign and art movies in Dublin. The institute is in a lovely converted Society of Friends building and is a great meeting point for anyone interested in cinema. There are training events, movie seasons, a bar and specialist shop. A lovely place to hang out, although the food and service in the bar is a little substandard.
Eustace Street in Temple Bar
About 1 hour outside Dublin and older than the pyramids of Egypt, Stonehenge, and the lost cities of South America, Newgrange is stunning. Artistic, awe inspiring, and a mathamatical/astronomical marvel - do not leave Ireland without visiting this ancient structure. The construction itself is magnificant and a wonder even in these modern days. Entering into the passageways which were also used as tombs the atmosphere is perfectly dry. There are other passage tombs nearby called Knowth and Dowth.
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