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An American student's guide to the best tourist spots in Dublin



The Molly Malone statue, erected in 1988 by the Dublin City Council, attracts flocks of picture-snapping tourists. The statue's inspiration, the 1883 song "Molly Malone" (also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City"), is probably not based on any historical person. - flickr.com The Temple Bar pub in the Temple Bar district is an absolute tourist trap that attracts an older crowd. - The Temple Bar Until the revolution, Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland; 18th-century additions jut out from one surviving mediaeval tower. The Castle is now a tourist attraction and used as a site for state events and conferences. - trinitylodge.com Under the Castle lie the remains of the original city wall of Dublin, built after the Norman conquest. The Castle site may have been a Gaelic ringfort before the Vikings and Normans, successively, conquered it and used it as the seat of their own fortifications. - blog.travelpod.com Phoenix Park was a hunting preserve for the Viceroy, the crown representative in Ireland, until 1745, when it was opened to the public. Its fallow deer are now wild; the park also holds the residence of the President of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin Zoo, and the Wellington Monument. - ratestogo.com The Bow Street building of the original Jameson Whiskey distillery is now a tourist attraction; Jameson is presently distilled in Cork. - irish-net.de The Guinness factory tour takes visitors through museum displays like this one; the actual brewing takes place in adjacent buildings, with more modern equipment than that on historical display. - Laura Bryn Sisson Clonycavan Bog Man is one of several Iron Age bog-preserved bodies on display at the National Museum of Ireland's Archaeology branch, in the permanent exhibition 'Kingship and Sacrifice.' Clonycavan Bog Man is notable for his hairdo, which he set in place with a special fixative compound. - Sven Shaw Stop by the National Library's Yeats exhibit to brush up on your literary history. - Wikipedia Trinity College, Dublin, synonymous with the University of Dublin, was founded in 1592 and is ranked by international education surveys as the best university in Ireland. - Catherine Treyz The Long Room of Trinity's Old Library is open for visitors but not for student study. Also on display is the illuminated Gospel manuscript the Book of Kells, ca. 800. - National Geographic The Arts Block and Berkeley-Lecky-Ussher libraries are constructed in blocky style out of concrete, in contrast to the classic buildings that surround the Trinity College quad. - archiseek.com The General Post Office served as uprising headquarters for the 1916 Easter Rising against the British; as such, it remains a potent symbol of nationalism for the Republic of Ireland. - blog.travelpod.com The General Post Office served as uprising headquarters for the 1916 Easter Rising against the British; as such, it remains a potent symbol of nationalism for the Republic of Ireland. - Catherine Treyz Bullet scars cover the GPO, results of the British assault on the rebellion headquarters during the 1916 Easter Rising. - Catherine Treyz The Gate Theatre, just off O'Connell and Parnell St., is a staple of Dublin's excellent theatre scene. - dublin-life.co.uk The town of Avoca in county Wicklow is the base for Avoca Handweavers. The mill on the banks of the River Avoca was used for weaving wool as early as 1723; the company today maintains retail stores selling women's clothing, housewares and food, in addition to the traditional Avoca knits. - Catherine Treyz Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry, co. Wicklow, charges admission fees to the historic mansion and manicured gardens, but walking the Estate's grounds and taking in views like this one remains free. - Laura Bryn Sisson This view of Lough Leane in Killarney National Park speaks for the park itself. The best way to take in the park is by bike, available in the adjacent town of Killarney. - Laura Bryn Sisson Ross Castle, on the shore of Lough Leane, was built in the late 15th century. - Laura Bryn Sisson The city of Galway - the fourth-largest in the Republic of Ireland - is a necessary seaside overnight for a trip from Dublin to the Aran Islands. - Laura Bryn Sisson Inis Mór is the Ireland many Americans expect to find. The largest of the Aran Islands, Inis Mór is windswept, with ancient stone fences enclosing small farm plots, and the remains of houses in the old whitewashed, thatched style. Although it's a tourist destination, Inis Mór has a population that works and lives on the island, some descended from long lines of Aran inhabitants. - Laura Bryn Sisson The view from Dún Aonghasa, a prehistoric fort, rivals that of the Cliffs of Moher. - Laura Bryn Sisson

Topics: Dublin , tourism , tourist , travel , killarney , lough leane , ross castle , galway , aran islands , inis mor , guinness , jameson


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