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Dublin Attractions
Our great location in the heart of Dublin means that you can walk or take a short bus ride to most of the major tourist attractions in Dublin.
Within 10 minutes walk of the school
Temple Bar is in the heart of Dublin City and is a shopping, dining, entertainment and exploring feast for the senses. On a typical Irish morning, Temple Bar wakes up to the smell of steaming espresso, the clatter of kegs of Guinness rolling off delivery trucks and rainwater running down the cobblestones to the Liffey.
The shop doors and windows swing open to the most colourful streets in Dublin. With public spaces, pedestrian only areas and local open air shops, services and artisans that just don't exist anywhere but here, it's easy to see why Temple bar is the most vibrant and energetic part of Dublin
Known as Dublin's Cultural Quarter, Temple Bar boasts a large selection of cultural centres and galleries. There is accommodation to suit all budgets, restaurants and cafes offering food from all around the world, and late night bars and traditional Irish pubs, ensuring that temple bar has something to suit every style and taste.
The Book of Kells is celebrated for its lavish decoration. The manuscript contains the four Gospels in Latin based on a Vulgate text, written on vellum (prepared calfskin), in a bold and expert version of the script known as "insular majuscule".
The place of origin of the Book of Kells is generally attributed to the scriptorium of the monastery founded around 561 by St Colum Cille on Iona, an island off the west coast of Scotland. In 806, following a Viking raid on the island which left 68 of the community dead, the Columban monks took refuge in a new monastery at Kells, County Meath. It must have been close to the year 800 that the Book of Kells was written, although there is no way of knowing if the book was produced wholly at Iona or at Kells, or partially at each location.
It has been on display in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin from the mid 19th century, and attracts over 500,000 visitors a year. Since 1953 it has been bound in four volumes. Two volumes are on public view, one opened to display a major decorated page, and one to show two pages of script. The volumes are changed at regular intervals.
St. Stephen's Green was enclosed in 1664. The 9 hectare(22 acre) park was laid out in its present form in 1880. Landscaped with flowerbeds, trees, a fountain and a lake, the green is dotted with memorials to eminent Dubliners. The 1887 bandstand is still the focal point for free daytime concerts in summer.
The collection spans from the 14th to the 20th centuries and includes all the major Continental Schools. Irish painting is charted from its re-emergence in the 17th century to Jack B. Yeats, Ireland's most important 20th century artist. Portraits by Hamilton, Barry, Lavery and Orpen hang alongside a tradition of landscape (Roberts, O'Conor, Hone) and subject painting (Danby, Osborne, Leech).
The Italian School is the second most numerous. Early gilded altarpieces and Renaissance treasures by Fra Angelico, Mantegna and Titian precede one of the most distinguished collections of 17th century paintings outside Italy. A Caravaggio, rediscovered in Dublin, is shown with his European followers, while in the Baroque Gallery there are large canvases by Lanfranco, Maratta, Rubens and others.
In the French School, 17th century classicism is represented by Claude, Vouet and four subjects by Poussin. There are sparkling paintings from the rococo (Fragonard, Nattier, Chardin) and neoclassical works by J.L. David and Gérard. The Chester Beatty Gift of 19th century landscape and subject paintings contains academic, Orientalist and plein-air artists. The Impressionists' room has Monet, Sisley, Pissarro and Gonzales and into the early 20th century, Signac, Picasso and Nolde.
The collection of Dutch 17th century masters was built up in the last century and has been crowned by the Beit Gift of works by Vermeer, Metsu, Ruisdael and Hobbema. Spanish painting is predominately religious, with an El Greco and altarpiece from the Escorial Palace by 'El Mudo' among the early works. An early Velázquez and several pictures by Murillo and Zurbarán are 17th century highlights and there are four examples by Goya.
British painting is strongly based on portraiture, but with many Irish sitters or connections. Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Raeburn dominate the 18th century alongside Romney, Kauffman and Wheatley.
Dublin Castle is situated in the very heart of historic Dublin. In fact the city gets its name from the Dubh Linn or Black Pool (dubh = black), on the site of the present Castle Gardens and Coach House.
The Castle stands on the high ridge, the highest ground in the locality, at the junction of the River Liffey and its tributary the (now underground) Poddle, which formed a natural boundary on two sides. It is very probable that the original fortification on this easily defended strategic site was a Gaelic Ringfort, which guarded the harbour, the adjacent Dubhlinn Ecclesiastical Centre and the four long distant roads that converged nearby.
Described by the Lonely Planet as not just the best museum in Ireland, but one of the best in Europe, the Chester Beatty Library is an art museum and library which houses the great collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968). The Library's exhibitions open a window on the artistic treasures of the great cultures and religions of the world. Its rich collection from countries across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe offers visitors a visual feast. Chester Beatty Library was named Irish Museum of the year in 2000 and was awarded the title European Museum of the Year in 2002.
Egyptian papyrus texts, beautifully illuminated copies of the Qur'an, the Bible, European medieval and renaissance manuscripts are among the highlights of the collection. Turkish and Persian miniatures and striking Buddhist paintings are also on display, as are Chinese dragon robes and Japanese woodblock prints. In its diversity, the collection captures much of the richness of human creative expression from about 2700 BC to the present day.
The National Museum is home to Ireland’s premier cultural institution and home to the greatest collections of Irish material heritage, culture and natural history in the world.
Within 20 minute walk
Dublin is famous as a city of writers and literature, and the Dublin Writers Museum is an essential visit for anyone who wants to discover, explore, or simply enjoy Dublin's immense literary heritage.
At the Writers Museum, Dublin’s literary celebrities from the past three hundred years are brought to life through their books, letters, portraits and personal items.
Whatever you think you know about Irish literature, you’re sure to find something to astound and delight you at the Dublin Writers Museum. Did you know, for example, that Oscar Wilde was a promising pugilist during his days at Trinity College, and that Samuel Beckett, had he not turned out to be one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, would also have made a name for himself in the TCD cricket first eleven ?
Located in Dublin's city centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery, which is funded by Dublin Corporation, houses one of Ireland's foremost collections of modern and contemporary art. The original collection, donated by the Gallery's founder Sir Hugh Lane, has now grown to include almost 2000 artworks, ranging from the Impressionist masterpieces of Manet, Monet, Renoir and Degas to works by leading national and international contemporary artists. The Gallery also has a dynamic temporary exhibitions programme which encourages contemporary dialogue, often encompassing the permanent collection, as well as exploring new expression in multimedia. The Gallery also stages historical and retrospective exhibitions, particularly of Irish art.
The GAA Museum was established to commemorate, recognise and celebrate the GAA's enormous contribution to Irish sporting, cultural and social life since its foundation in 1884. Located in Croke Park, GAA headquarters, the museum is open daily throughout the year.
The GAA Museum, situated under the Cusack Stand in Croke Park, was first opened in September 1998 by An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. The GAA Museum looks at the birth and growth of the GAA at home and abroad, and its unique role in the national movement and cultural revival in Ireland. The vast collection of artifacts which include hurleys, jerseys, trophies,medals, programmes, publications and banners illustrate the development of Gaelic Games whilst preserving and presenting the unique heritage of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
The gardens aim is to explore, understand, conserve, and share the importance of plants.
The National Botanic Gardens a place where leisure, recreation and education are all compatible for the enjoyment of visitors.
The Garden traces its origin back to 1795. The Gardens were originally a private collection for members of the Royal Dublin Society, but were opened to the general public in 1805. The Curvilinear range was begun in 1843, but not completed until 1869. The east wing was built by William Clancy, but the remaining sections were built by Richard Turner, and his son William. This is the most important building in the National Botanic Gardens, and it's central dome was featured for many years on Irish stamps. The range was faithfully restored in 1995. The Palm house was put up in 1884, when the previous building was damaged in a storm. This building and its accompanying Orchid House and Camellia house wings was restored in 2004.
Located in the heart of the St James’s Gate Brewery, GUINNESS STOREHOUSE® is Ireland’s No. 1
international visitor attraction. Our staff will be pleased to welcome you and bring alive a real segment of Irish history.
http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/Index.aspx
Dublinia is an interactive exhibition tracing the history of Dublin from the capture of the city by Strongbow and his knights in 1170 up to the dramatic closure of the monasteries under Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.
This accurate portrait of life in medieval Dublin allows visitors to witness the sights, sounds and smells of a bustling city through life-sized reconstructions. Visitors can find out, how criminals were punished in the pillories, how heavy medieval armour really was and what happened if you had a tooth ache 700 years ago. Highlights include a busy medieval market, a rich merchant’s house, a noisy medieval street and a fascinating scale model of the late medieval town.
