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Ireland
First built in 1904, this renovated pint-shaped factory building homes a showcase of the history behind the internationally renowned Guinness brand.
During the visit you will know more about the beer's ingredients, the brewery process, the Guinness family, the original site's lease document, the brand and advertising (Pelican, etc...), the Guinness book of records and other curious facts like the barrel-making process or ancient Guinness ships for transportation.
And at the end of the tour, there's nothing better than downing a good old pint at their Gravity Bar! Located at the top of the building, the nearly 360 degrees view from it is awesome and definitely a highlight of the tour.
As you can imagine, it's a really popular site for tourists and is now more branding-led now it's not owned by the Guinness family any more. A bit pricey, yes, but slightly cheaper if you book online, and definitely worth going if you also consider Guinness to be one of the biggest Irish icons to date.
Also, if you're in the area for a while, why not pop into the old prison? It's at a stone's throw from the factory and was a hidden gem of my Dublin visit.
www.guinness-storehouse.com
Open 7 days a week from 9.30am – 5pm (last admission is at 5pm).
Late opening during July and August until 7pm (last admission is at 7pm).
Creepy crypt with real mummies. Used to be able to shake hands with one of them. Tour guide is as mad as a brush. Very cool.
Church Street, Dublin 7
Former Irish Parliament building - a good few minutes' diversion from the traffic outside.
College Green - opposite entrance to Trinity College
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
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/
It may not quite live up to the name, but there is something regal about The Palace. Maybe it’s the high, vaunted ceilings. Or perhaps the tiled floors lend it that touch of royal class. It could be its impeccable breeding, dating as it does back to Victorian times, and once the haunt of Yeats, Behan, Kavanagh and other illuminati of Irish literature. But probably it’s the presence of all those pretenders, perched on their thrones, issuing one edict after another.
Address: 21 Fleet Street, Dublin 2.
Telephone: (353-1) 6779290
Mentioned more than once by Joyce, it is a true Dublin literary pub. That said, it hardly looks the same as it did in the great man’s time – the decor a bit reminiscent of a 70s cruise ship disco. But it has great seafood and pints, and the soundtrack is the hum of strong opinions strenuously aired. Joyce would approve.
Address: 21 Duke Street, Dublin 2.
Telephone: (353-1) 6775217
Take a trip outside Dublin to Glendalough (glen of the two lakes), a village in County Wicklow complete with lake and an ancient monastic settlement from the 6th century. A very magical place not far from Dublin city.
www.heritageireland.ie/en/HistoricSites/East/GlendaloughVisitorCentreWicklow
People have been drinking in a pub on this site since 1198. Great atmosphere, peat fires, a wonderful smoking zone forecourt, and the stew is quite something. Hey, it's even a wireless hot spot.
20 Lower Bridge Steet, just off Merchant's Quay
The largest disused prison in Europe, and a pivotal place in Irish history. This is where the leaders of the 1916 rising were held and executed, and where thousands of ordinary prisoners were held from 1796 to 1924, when Eamonn DeValera was the last person to be released.
I was a tour guide here for two years, so I am biased, but I think it is the one of the best places in Dublin for a visit. If you want to understand recent Irish history, this is the place for you.
Inchicore Road, Dublin 8;
tel: +353 1 453 5984;
Buses: 51B, 51C, 78A, 79 from Aston Quay
Built in 1976, Kilmainham Gaol is one of Europe’s largest unoccupied jails. Rebels from the 1916 rising were murdered here and it has an eerie, sad and humbling aura. Learn about Ireland’s struggle for independence on the tour (apparently the best in the city).
Inchicore Rd, Kilmainham Rd, Dublin 8; www.kilmainham-gaol.com
This hidden gem is considered by many to be one of Europe's finest memorial gardens. It was designed by the great English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It's dedicated to the Irish dead of the first world war. It is beautifully maintained, a real little oasis by the River Liffey, across from Phoenix Park.
South Circular Road, Islandbridge. It's about 10 minutes walk from Heuston Station (Intercity rail and Luas stop)
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.
Wander through the melancholy, crumbling beauty of Glasnevin cemetery, resting place of Irish revolutionary heroes, including Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. Near the back gate, stop for a drink on a wooden bench at Kavanagh's, the popular and amazingly unaltered old gravedigger's pub.
Buses 40 or 40A, B and C from Parnell Street; www.glasnevin-cemetery.ie/
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