A guide to the attractions in Ireland's capital city, which will make your trip to the Emerald Isle more entertaining.
Ireland had become, for good reason, one of the most popular vacations spots in the world. A "proper" trip to the "The Emerald Isle" would, ideally, take at least two weeks, and allow the traveler to get a quick overview of this beautiful country. However, with the hurried lifestyles many of us find ourselves in these days, this is not always feasible. So where should you go for a true taste of Ireland when your time is limited?
The most obvious choice, and a good one, would of course be the captial city of Dublin. While Dublin has a large city feel, it also has a very typical Irish "feel" which means a pleasant combination of old and new and is populated by extememly courteous and friendly people. As justly famous as Ireland is for its scenery, no small part of its charm is its people. You seldom get the impression of meeting someone who is thinking "Remember be nice to tourist. "Instead what you normally run into are geniunely friendly people who are thinking "Any one interested in Ireland is all right with me." The people of Dublin are proud of their city and their country and want to you to share that pride.
For the money, the best place to stay in Dublin is Jury's Christchurch Inn. There is another Jury's Inn in Dublin and a Jury's Hotel, as well, which offers somewhat more luxurious accomodations, but even if budget considerations were not a factor, I think I would still choose the Christchurch Inn as the place to stay. The location is splendid, being within an easy walk of the most popular sites in Dublin and it is also, literally across the street from the Christchurch Cathedral, built in the thirteenth century.
A small admission charge allows you to take a self-guided tour of the historic old church, which is still used for services on Sunday. A pedestrian overpass connects the catherdal with the Dublina Museum, highlighting Dublins medieval period. This isanother attraction worth seeing and has a small, though excellent, gift shop.
A short walk for the Christchurch Cathedral brings you the River Liffey, which runs through Dublin and while walking along the river, you many want to tour "Dublins Viking Adventure", an interactive museum devoted to the days when the city was a Viking outpost.
The tour begins with you seated on a mock-up of a Viking ship which rocks and sways realistically, as an intense thunderstorm plays on the movie screen in front of you, (younger children may find this a bit frightening). Your boat "docks" in Dublin and you are met by museum workers in Viking garb who greet you and escort you to the village where they entertain you with stories of the life style of people of that time. You will see them performing everyday tasks. Well worth the small admission charge.
Leaving the museum you can continue to stroll along the Liffey, where you will come to the famous "Ha'penny Bridge", a Dublin landmark, built in the eighteenth century and named for the toll that used to charged to cross over. Free now, of course, this gently arching span is closed to all but foot traffic and has to count as one of the "must see" sights in this old city.
Upon crossing the bridge, you can walk up the street a short ways to come to the "General Post Office", (GPO), one of the most historic sites in a city full of history. It was here, at the GPO, that the proclamation was read out declaring an Irish Republic, when the "Easter Rising" of 1916 occcured. The GPO was also the headquarters for the patriots during that ill-fated rising and bullet marks still scar the columns of the building. A series of oil paintings depict scenes from the Rising are inside.
Also close to the Christchurch area, is the National Museum, where it would be possible, I think, to easily spend an entire day without being the least bit bored. Exhbits from Irish pre-history to modern times are displayed, including some amazing gold jewelry. Nearby is the Museum of Natural History, containing a widely varied display of Irish (and other places as well) wildlife.
One place you absolutely must not miss is Grafton Street. A walk down this broad lane, closed to motor traffic, will be one of the highlights of your stay. Shops and restaurants flank both sides of the street.
Interspersed along the way are very talented street musicians, playing everything from traditional Irish music to classical and always doing a wonderful job of it. It cannot be described, only seen and experienced. String quartets, flutists, bagpipers and even stepdancers are from one end of the street to the other. When one stops, you have only a short walk to find another.
The street ends at St. Stephens Green, where you can take a pony cart ride, a relaxing and enjoyable way to past the time. The drivers are, even for Dubliners, friendly and informative, people smile and wave as you pass, and even motorists are courteous as they carefully slip by.
There is one site I consider a must see, but it is somewhat out from the area I have kept us in so far. This is the Killmainham Gaol (jail). A short bus ride from the city takes you to this poigant building. Built in the 1700's it was used largely as a political prison and now is a monument to Irish liberty, for it was here that the men of the 1916 rising were brought and it was here that they were executed. A tour of the prison shows you the tiny cells, the small chapel where Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford were married and had ten minutes together before his execution. You will see the courtyard where the executions took place. It is a somber place, but one that should be visited as it reminds us how high the price of freedom sometimes is.
This short article, of course, is in no way a full tour of Dublin. A book could be written on visiting this wonderful city, and has been. However, there is nothing that can be writtened that compares with the magic of actually being there, If it is true that there is no place like home, then Ireland must follow very closely behind and "first among equals" in Ireland is a trip to Dublin.
