Welcome to Dublin, I was born and bred here so I should know what I am talking about, right? Possibly of Viking descent? my maiden name Doyle means Dubh Ghaill or dark stranger and we can trace our roots back to Font Hill, right next door to the Guinness brewery which kind of explains a lot?

Never mind, Dublin is steeped in history from medieval times to the present day with an 800 year chunk of British rule which hugely influenced the built environment and of course our culture? We Dubliners are fiercely proud of our city and its history, especially the rebel bit? And although it has seen enormous changes in the last few years with the rise of the Celtic tiger, now extinct..... we all have our favourites, places we grew up with that are much the same as they always were, full of real history and character and well worth seeing if you want the real deal....

The following are my Top 10 attractions in Dublin most of which are free listed alongside each of these are 10 other interesting things to do and see in the area that you wont find in many of the guidebooks. The city is very compact and easy to get around, you can always, hop on a city tour bus, the Luas tram or just pick an area and walk around and Go n'eiri an t'adh leat - Good Luck !

Susan's Top 10 favourite attractions in Dublin

1 Dublin Castle
2 Guinness Storehouse
3 Collins Barracks, National Museum of Decorative Arts.
4 Hugh lane Gallery, Parnell Square
5 Christchurch Cathedral.
6 IMMA, Irish Museum of Modern Art.
7 Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park.
8 The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle.
9 The National Museum, Kildare Street
10 Dublin Zoo

For more information on each of the above visit http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/dublin.html or download my free Iphone app guide My Dublin by Susan Byron