Sightseeing in Dublin

Dublin Writers Museum
18 Parnell Square, DUBLIN 1
475-0854
Five minutes walk from O'Connell Street. Ten minutes walk from DART Connolly Station.
Bus Numbers 10, 11, 11A, 11B, 13, 13A, 16, 16A, 19, 19A
January to December: Monday - Saturday 10.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday and Public Holidays: 11.00am - 5.00pm.
Late opening June, July and August: Monday - Friday 10.00am - 6.00pm.
Adult £3.10 12-17 £2.60 Children 3-11 £1.45
Family Ticket (2 Adults and 3/4 children) £8.50
Facilities include cafe, restaurants and stores. The museum holds exhibitions and readings and has a special room devoted to children's literature. Tara's Palace is one of Ireland's largest doll houses and is located here, built entirely by Irish craftsmen, with furniture assembled from all over the world.

Dublin Zoo
Phoenix Park, DUBLIN 8
6771425
Buses: 10 from O'Connell Street, 25 & 26 from Middle Abbey Street
Mon - Sat. 9.30- 6. Sundays 10.30 - 6.00
Adult £6.30, Children £3.70, Senior Citizens £3.70,
Café / Restaurant / Gift shop
Located in Phoenix Park, the zoo is set in 30 acres of landscaped grounds around ornamental lakes where over 700 animals and tropical birds from around the world can be seen. A daily "Meet the Keeper" and feeding program provide the opportunity to learn about the many rare and endangered species that live in Dublin Zoo. In addition, there are always new babies and also animals on breeding loan from other Zoos and Wildlife Parks to be seen. Be sure to visit the New World of Primates and see the monkey islands. Fringes of the Arctic features polar bears, snowy owls and arctic foxes. Afterward, take a train ride around the Zoo.

Dublinia
Christchurch, DUBLIN 8
6794611
Bus Number 50 from Eden Quay; Bus Number 78A from Aston Quay
April - September 10.00am - 5.00pm daily
October - March 11.00am - 4.00pm
Monday to Saturday, 10.00am - 4.30pm Sunday and Bank Holidays
Admission: Adults £3.95, Family Ticket £10.00 (2 adults and 2 children)
Under 5's Free
Description: Dublinia has been developed by The Medieval Trust to recreate the formative period in the city's growth from the arrival of the Anglo Normans in 1170 to the closure of its monasteries by Henry VIII in 1540. It is situated in a beautifully preserved building in the heart of the old city, next to Christchurch Cathedral, to which it is linked by an elegant bridge. Journey through time and experience the drama and magic in life-like displays of memorable episodes in Dublin's history over 400 years. The scene then moves to everyday life in medieval Dublin. A scale model of the city, with commentary and sequential lighting, shows the location of public buildings and the layout of the streets. Life-size reconstructions illustrate the city environment of the Middle Ages. Medieval artifacts excavated at nearby Wood Quay provide information on the lives of the citizens. As an exciting finale to the exploration of Dublin's past, climb the 17th century St Michael's Tower for a unique panoramic view of modern Dublin.

Dublin's Viking Adventure
Essex Street West, Temple Bar, DUBLIN 8
679-6040
Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 4.30 (last tour at 4.30pm)
Closed Sunday and Monday
Closed 1 - 2. November - February
Adults £4.95, Over 65 and Students (12-17) £3.95, Children (3-11 ) £2.95
Family tickets (2 adults and 3/4 children) £13.50
An opportunity to travel through time at Dublin's Viking Adventure! An exciting, live and interactive experience of life in Viking Dublin A Norse guide leads the fascinating journey through a Dublin of long ago. Walk the narrow streets of the Viking town of 'Dyflin' and chat with the locals, observe their daily work and even experience the sounds and smells of the city. Located close to Wood Quay, the heart of the 9th and 10th century Viking city, the Viking adventure also houses an extensive collection of artifacts discovered during the excavation of this site, considered to be the most important of its kind outside Scandinavia. These excavations revealed a mighty store of Viking treasures and provide information that makes Dublin's Viking Adventure as authentic as it is entertaining.

Hey Doodle Doodle
14 Crown Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
672-7382
Open seven days a week
Hey Doodle Doodle is Ireland's only paint it yourself Ceramic Studio. Pick your own ready to paint piece (tile, mug. dish etc) and then stamp stencil or paint it your own way. Pieces are then fired and glazed in kilns . Collect your masterpiece a few days later or have it mailed it to you. You pay for your piece and the time it takes to paint it. Everything else is included: paints, use of materials, instruction and the glazing and firing of the piece. It's the ideal place to relax, have fun with friends, and flex your creative muscles! Prices range from £6.00 - £35.

National Wax Museum
Granby Row,Parnell Square, DUBLIN 1
8726340
Monday to Saturday 10am - 5.30pm, Sunday noon - 5.30pm
Admission: Adults £3.50; Students £2.50; Children £2.00
Buses: 11, 13, 16, 22, 22A from Westmoreland Street
Discover a world where fantasy and reality combine and heroes of the past and the present come alive before your eyes. Look twice at the man reading his Irish Times in the lobby of the museum! The Children's World of Fairytale and Fantasy is a display that especially appeals to children as they wander through the Kingdom of Fairytales to find the magical lamp and the all powerful genie! The main section of the wax exhibition broadly reflects the historical and cultural development of Ireland. Here you will find life sized figures heroes such as Robert Emmet, Wolfe Tone, Parnell, the 1916 leaders and Presidents; together with the literary figures: Joyce, Yeats, and their contemporaries. A particularly attractive feature is the life-size replica of Leonardo de Vinci's 'Last Supper'. Displays have an informative and educational narrative which can be heard at the touch of a button. The Chamber of Horrors is for the brave! For those who don't enjoy the sound of clanging chains and blood curdling screams, there is a separate entrance that bypasses the Chamber and goes directly to the Hall of the Megastars. Here visitors will meet the stars of the glittery world of rock and roll in the form of: Michael Jackson, Madonna and all time great Elvis Presley.

Natural History Museum
Merrion Street
DUBLIN 2
6777444
Busses: 7, 7A, 8 (Burgh Quay). Nearest DART Station: Pearse Station (Westland Row) or Museumlink.
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 2pm - 5pm Closed Good Friday
Admission: Free
The Natural History Museum which is part of the National Museum of Ireland, is a zoological museum containing collections illustrative of the wild life, both vertabrate and invertebrate, of Ireland. There is also an extensive African and Asian exhibition. The Irish Room is located on the ground floor. Irish mammals are displayed in the center of the floor including: red deer, squirrel, otter, hare, badger, fox etc. Irish birds are also exhibited, a special feature being the displays of sea birds and kingfishers. At the rear of the ground floor, visitors may see displays of butterflies and other insects. The skeleton of the extinct giant Irish deer is also on display. The World Collection is located on the first floor and galleries. Other notable displays include: apes and monkeys, Indian elephant, zebra, giant panda, pygmy hippopotamus etc. Birds and fish are exhibited in the galleries. Skeletons of two whales stranded on the Irish coast are suspended from the roof.

Newbridge House
Co. Dublin, DONABATE
843-6534
April - Sept : (Closed Mon.) Tues.- Sat 10am - 5pm Sun & Public Holidays 2 - 6. Closed for lunch from 1 - 2. Coffee Shop remains open. Oct- March: Sat, Sun and Bank Holiday: 2 - 5.
Adult £3.00 Child £1.65
Café / Restaurant /Car parking /Gift shop Picnic Site/ toilets/ no dogs allowed
Twelve miles north of Dublin City on the Belfast road. Bus 33B from Eden Quay. Suburban rail from Connolly station.
An 18th century manor set on 350 acres of park land, twelve miles north of the city center, Newbridge House has one of the finest Georgian interiors in Ireland. Each room open to the public has its own style of antique and original furniture The house appears much as it did 150 years ago. The house was designed by Richard Castle and built in 1737 for the Archbishop of Dublin. It contains elaborate stucco plaster work by Robert West. The period atmosphere of the house is further accentuated by the presence of a fully restored courtyard, surrounded by: a dairy, estates worker's house, carpenter's shop and a blacksmith's forge; all displaying nineteenth -century tools and implements. The grounds also contain a twenty-nine acre traditional farm, complete with farmyard animals, a delight to any young visitor.

The Chimney
Smithfield Village, Dublin 7
676-9575
Buses 25, 25A,67, 67A From Middle St. 68,69,79 from Aston Quay, 90 from Connolly, Tara & Heuston Stations. All buses stop at merchant's Quay except for the bus from Heuston Station which stops at Arran Quay
Mon- Sat 9.30-6 Sunday 10.30-6.
Adult £3.00, Children £2.50
Discover Dublin from above by taking a trip skyward to the top of Dublin's only observation platform offering 360-degree panoramic views of the city. The existing distillery chimney, built in 1895, has been redeveloped to provide Dublin with a major viewing point, 220ft high. The Chimney has a two tiered glass enclosed observation platform at the top, which is serviced by a glass panoramic elevator running up its side.

Children's Season (Theater Festival)
Ark Children's Cultural Center
11A Eustace Street Temple Bar, Dublin 2
670-7788
All cross-city buses
Admission: £2-£6
Runs with the Dublin Theater Festival and provides performances for children by international and domestic theater companies. Mime, animation, music and puppets are all featured.

Lambert Puppet Theater
5 Clifton Lane, Monkstown Co.,Dublin
280-0974
DART Monkstown or Salthill Bus 7,7A,8
Box Office: 9:30-5 daily
Show: Sat. 3:30pm and in summer on Sun. also at 3:30pm
Admission: £4.50
A year round children's theater that offers imaginative and enjoyable retelling of all the old fairy tales.

The Fry Model Railway
Malahide Castle, Demesne
8463779
Bus number 42 from Beresford Place (near Busaras). Suburban rail from Connolly station to Malahide.
April - Oct: Mon- Sat 10. -5.; Sun and public holidays:2-6.
Nov- March: Sat, Sun and public holidays: 2. - 5.
Closed for tours from 1.-2 all year.
Adult £2.90 Child (3-11) £1.70
Family Ticket (2 adults and 3/4 children) £7.95
Combined tickets available with Malahide Castle or Tara's Palace.
Car parking
The Fry Model Railway is a unique collection of handmade models of Irish trains, from the beginning of rail travel to modern times. Not only Ireland's largest miniature railway, the exhibition is unique in that it is a working railway covering an area of 2,500 square feet. Situated in the beautiful grounds surrounding Malahide Castle, this delightful collection is a treat for railway enthusiasts.

The GAA Museum
Croke Park, DUBLIN 3
Tel: 836-3222
May to Sept: Mon - Sun. 9.30 - 5. (last admission 4.30pm)
Oct to April: Tues. - Sat. 10. - 5. (last admission 4.30pm)
Sunday 12 - 5.00 Closed Mondays.
Adult £3.00, Child under 12 £1.50; Students (with ID) £2.00
Family (of 4) £6.00, Children (under 5) FREE
Café / Restaurant/ Gift shop

Croke Park is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Ireland's largest sports organization and the home of Ireland's national sports of Hurling and Gaelic Football. The GAA Museum, which is the biggest sports museum in Ireland, opened during the Summer of 1998 and is located on the ground floor of the New Stand in Phase 1 of the Stadium Development. The Museum charts the origins of the GAA and its role in the country since 1884. The displays include artifacts, trophies and "tools of the trade". The use of modern audio visual and touch screen technology will bring you the heroes, the great games, the great goals and the great saves of yesterday and today. The exciting specially developed interactive displays will allow visitors to try out the unique skills required to play the national games. The visit culminates in one of the museum theatres where visitors can explore the excitement of All Ireland day in Croke Park, in the unique audio visual presentation "A Sunday in September".