By: John Michael Pierobon
Why I Write This
There are a few reasons why I write this. One is to relive my trip to Dublin. Another reason is to remember all that I did during my visit.
People know that I am a world traveler and they sometimes ask me for advice on travel destinations. Hopefully this will help them figure out what to see and do in Dublin, and hopefully it provides valuable information.
Prices quoted here are what they were in 2026. In the future they may be higher. Prices for hotel room nights seem to change with every night.
Why Visit Ireland
My second cousin who lives in Belluno, Italy, went to Dublin in March of 2025 with her daughter. This piqued my interest in visiting Ireland, a country I have flown over many times, but never visited.
The other reason to visit Dublin was that the airplane ticket tax, or departure tax, is extremely low. It is less than the tax when departing from Paris, and very much less than departing from London to America.
Ireland is a predominantly Catholic country and I know many Americans of Irish descent. They speak English in Ireland and all the signs are in Roman characters. This would be a trip that would not be out of my comfort zone, other than the fact that in Ireland, as in Great Britain, they drive on the wrong side of the road.
Ireland is part of the European Union and the Euro is their currency. For citizens of the European Union there are no visa requirements.
The Planning
When to go was influenced by a few factors. One is to get out of the summer heat in Florida. Going to Europe in spring and summer gives me more daylight hours because it is much further north than Florida, where I live.
I have mango trees in my yard, so I cannot go during mango season because leaving fallen mangoes to rot in the heat only attracts vermin. Last year and the year before mango season came early. When mango season is late it extends into July.
I decided to go in early May because of the mango season. It turned out that I could have easily gone a week later, and perhaps the weather in Ireland would have been slightly warmer.
Next time I go to Ireland, I need to remember to go after May 15.
Holiday travel is more chaotic than normal. I have also learned from traveling to other countries, one does not want to be a tourist on a holiday when stores, banks, and more importantly museums are closed. May 1 is Labor Day in most countries of the world. May 8, which in America is V-E Day, is not a holiday in Ireland because Ireland was neutral during World War II.
I have learned from previous experience that if I buy my airplane ticket using my American Airlines frequent flyer miles nine months in advance I can fly from Miami to Europe for 19,000 frequent flyer miles plus taxes each way.
For me this figures like a bargain. I equate one frequent flyer mile to one cent. I could go nonstop to Europe and back for the equivalent of US$380 plus US$56.63 (US$5.60 + US$51.03) in taxes and fees. This was a deal. Booking a trip using frequent flyer miles on American Airlines is fully refundable. If I needed to change or cancel my flight there was no risk.
Not knowing exactly which date I would go, I booked several flights. After traveling over 1,185,000 miles on American Airlines, I have a few frequent flyer miles still left in my account. I decided to book the flights right away as the price would go up.
So my tickets were purchased with frequent flyer miles by the last week of September of the prior year.
Originally, I was planning on four days in Ireland, but in late January 2026, American Airlines decided to change their flight schedule. I was not happy with this change, but there was nothing I could do. I also realized that I would not enjoy a visit to a museum in the morning if I had to catch a flight in the afternoon.
Dates were pretty much set in concrete. Arrive in Dublin on Friday, May 8. Depart Dublin on Wednesday, May 13.
I did not read any books about Irish history. This made the museums more interesting for me because I ended up learning a lot about Ireland.
However I did read travel books about Dublin and Ireland. This gave me a list of things to see and do, with some amount of information. I would need to investigate more about the places that seemed to be of interest to me.
Thanks to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency there is the Internet. Thanks to Tim Berners-Lee working at CERN, there is the World Wide Web. I used the World Wide Web to research what there was to see and do in Dublin.
I built a list of about two dozen things I considered visiting. In no particular order, the list included:
- Central Bank of Ireland
- Chester Beatty
- Comedy Clubs
- Christ Church Cathedral
- Dublin Castle
- Dublinia
- The Garda Museum
Discarded because of inconvenient opening hours. - GPO
Discarded because I was not particularly interested and the location was not convenient. - Going to Mass on Sunday
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- Irish Rock 'n' Roll Museum
- National Gallery of Ireland
- National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History
- National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks
- National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street
- National Print Museum
- NCAD Gallery
Discarded because I wrote to them and they never responded. I think they were closed. - Photo Museum Ireland
- Phoenix Park
- Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts
- Science Gallery
Discarded because I wrote to them and they never responded. - Saint Mary's Cathedral
- The Little Museum of Dublin
Discarded because it seemed expensive for such a little museum. - World of Illusion
Added to the list later on were:
I added the Book of Kells because friends told me I should go see it and because the World Wide Web had much more information on the importance of it. Saint Patrick's Cathedral was not on my original list because being Catholic, I wanted to go to a Catholic cathedral, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral is a Protestant church. The Portal was added after my cousin in Italy wrote in an e-mail I should go see it.
Narrowing Down My List
Part of the planning is deciding what to see and do, and in what order. After reading the travel books I had in mind a priority list of what I wanted to see. I really wanted to see Dublinia, which is the Viking and Medieval Museum because of my Norwegian heritage. It was at the top of my list.
Ireland's Office of Public Works oversees National Monuments and manages heritage properties. Their museums are free. This is very nice, and I included some items to my agenda because they were free.
Some museums in Dublin offered free guided tours. This was a pleasant surprise, but they are only offered at certain times.
It was important to know the times of the guided tours and also the opening times of the attractions. Add to that their location. I wanted to minimize time spent getting from one place to the next.
I made a spreadsheet of these museums. It was important to know what time they opened and what time they closed. It was also important to figure out how long it would take to get from one place to the next, as well as how much time to allocate to visiting each museum. Many museums on the Web site indicated how long a visit would last. This was helpful.
My spreadsheet was more like a class schedule; what to see on what day, at what time, and for how long. I built flexibility into my schedule, which was necessary as my original sequence of attractions was different than the order I visited each place.
Almost all museums were closed on Monday. This became a problem which I solved by going on a day tour of Ireland on Monday. I asked many people if they had ever been to Ireland, and if so what did they recommend I see. Many recommended Galway, which is on the west coast of Ireland. Others recommended the southern coast of Ireland.
There are several tour bus operators. All the tours seem very nice.
I decided to go with the tour that offered the opportunity to hold a lamb on a sheep farm. That was the main reason, but there were other reasons. One was the fact that this bus tour would pick me up at 8:30 am. Other tours started much earlier in the morning, and I did not want to get up that early, and possibly miss breakfast. The price was only 40 €. Other tours were more expensive. It was also a shorter bus ride; I did not want to sit on a bus all day. I bought a ticket for Monday, May 11.
In the end, I did not get to:
The last two closed.
Then, over the course of several weeks, I narrowed down the list. I was hoping to see everything in four days, but between the flight schedule change and my additional research into my adventure in Dublin, it became five days of sightseeing.
Where To Stay
Booking a hotel was a bit tricky. I have lots of hotel points with Marriott, Hilton, and Holiday Inn (IHG). I used Expedia to look for hotels. I also looked into AirBnB and VRBO, but found that I could get a better deal at a hotel.
A better deal is relative, as I found lodging in Dublin to be more expensive than lodging in Madrid, Paris, Rome, Seville and other European cities.
There are a lot of places to stay in and around Dublin, but I wanted to stay inside Dublin city limits near the tourist attractions I wanted to see. Yes it is more expensive, but it was much more convenient. I wanted to be able to easily walk to most of the attractions I wanted to see.
Public transport in Dublin is not as extensive and not as convenient as it is in Paris or London or Madrid.
Dublin is a relatively small city. It is certainly smaller than London, Madrid, Paris and Rome. If one is willing, it is possible to walk from the Central Bank of Ireland to the entrance of Phoenix Park in one hour. Almost every tourist attraction is between those two places.
Most of the tourist attractions are on the south side of the River Liffey, which bisects Dublin.
There are many hotels on the south side of the River Liffey within walking distance to the tourist attractions.
Dublin Addresses
Knowing addresses of the different attractions had an influence on where to stay and how to get to them. In Dublin, odd-numbered postal districts are north of the River Liffey, and even-numbered postal districts are south of the River Liffey. District numbers increase from east to west.
Dublin's Transportation System
Dublin's transportation system includes buses, trams, and light rail. Luas is a tram-based light rail network serving the city of Dublin, Ireland, with two main lines; the Red Line and the Green Line. Dublin's DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is the city's electric commuter rail network. Dublin city buses are double-decker buses. And there are buses to and from the Dublin airport operated by private companies.
Transport for Ireland (TFI) is part of the National Transport Authority. Their Web site is not that useful because their map is terrible. It does not overlay the different systems, and does not overlay the streets. Asking it to find an itinerary is very difficult. It does, however, list all the bus stops by number on a map.
Transport for Ireland also has an app, which I downloaded. When I asked an Irish woman for help getting to my next destination with the TFI app, she said she uses Google Maps. Even the locals do not like the TFI app.
I sent them a message asking if they had a map with streets on them like the French have for Paris. I got a response that gave me the impression that TFI has no interest in improving their Web site.
Transport for Ireland has a Leap Card for tourists which can be bought at Spar convenience stores. This is economical if one makes four or more bus rides in one day. However, given that almost everything is within walking distance, there are few times when riding the bus is practical. I bought a one day Leap Card which I used on Sunday.
Buying tickets in advance
Some attractions offered on their Web site the ability to purchase tickets in advance. I chose not to except for two museums because I figured these were the most popular and would sell out. They were:
Tickets for Guided and Self-guided tours are available to book online from 15 days in advance for Dublin Castle. So, I waited until 15 days before the day I wanted to go. That is when I found out Dublin Castle was closed from May 5, 2026 until January 2027 because Ireland is hosting the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. They knew for months it was going to be closed, but they waited to notify the public until 15 days in advance.
This was disappointing. Dublin Castle is conveniently located across the street from Dublinia, and it was high on my list of places I wanted to visit.
By early March 2026 I had a full agenda for each day optimized to spend as little time getting from one place to the next.
As the date of my trip got closer, I had to go back and revise my agenda slightly because of Dublin Castle being closed. I double checked everything and made sure there was flexibility. I know from experience, there are always surprises.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
||
14 |
15 |
16 |
The actual schedule of events (above) differs from the original plan as explained below. I spent pretty close to the amount of time originally anticipated at all these places with very few minor exceptions. Fortunately I had built in some flexibility into my plan, and it all worked out.
Friday, May 8Dublin Airport
| Description | Dublin Airport |
|---|---|
| Address | Collinstown, Swords, Co Dublin |
| Getting there | https://www.dublinairport.com/to-from-the-airport/by-bus |
| Hours | Open all day every day |
| Web site | https://www.dublinairport.com/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_Airport |
| Wi-Fi | Dublin Airport Wi-Fi |
Once off the aircraft, one has to walk a very long way to the immigration hall, where photography is prohibited. There was a line, but it moved relatively fast.
The immigration officer asked me why I was visiting Ireland, what I was going to do, and how long I was going to stay before he stamped my passport.
I walked straight out as there was no one at customs. Down the escalator to ground level I went and out to the bus zone.
I walked quickly, so I did not spend any time figuring out the Dublin airport. I did not have time to form an opinion of the inside of the airport.
Outside, the airport looked chaotic, but that was because it was very busy. Dublin airport is a major transportation hub.
Dublin airport is located north of the city.
Bus from Dublin airport
| Description | Dublin Express |
|---|---|
| How much time | 30 minutes. |
| Price | 13 € round trip |
| Tickets | Buy them from the Web site |
| Web site | https://www.dublinexpress.ie/ |
Dublin Express operates several bus routes. Routes 782, 783, and 784 partially overlap each other, but go into the city of Dublin.
One could buy a ticket from their ticket booth, but it costs more than buying it online.
Since I arrived at terminal 2, the bus left from bus zone 21.
I waited a few minutes for the bus to depart to Dublin. I was on the bus that was scheduled to depart at 11:50 am. The route to Dublin includes going through a very long tunnel. Traffic was heavy, but it was moving.
Both Google Maps and the TFI indicated that I should get off at the second stop, but the Central Bank of Ireland was across the street from the first stop. So, I got off there and walked across the street.
Central Bank of Ireland
| Description | Central Bank of Ireland Visitor Centre |
|---|---|
| Address | North Wall Quay (New Wapping Street) Dublin 1, D01 F7X3 |
| Price | Free |
| Hours | Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm |
| How much time | 35 minutes |
| Web site | https://www.centralbank.ie/about/visitor-centre |
The Visitor Centre is inside the Central Bank's headquarters building on the ground floor to the left as one enters the building through the main entrance on North Wall Quay.
They seldom get visitors. I was the only one there, and they had to find a museum minder. A museum minder is an employee who is there to make sure museum visitors do not vandalize the displays.
I had two museum minders. The first one was a woman from Algeria, who left and was replaced by a man from Somalia. Neither of them seemed familiar with Dublin. This left me wondering about Irish immigration policy since these immigrants were employees of the Irish government.
The Visitor Centre is a small room, with clean bathrooms on the side. There are six three-sided panels on wheels that explain the history of the Central Bank of Ireland.
I learned that Euros are made from 100% cotton fiber. I also learned that when Ireland became independent from Great Britain, they needed to solve several monetary issues which were similar to those of the United States of America in its early days. The government let the largest Irish banks issue currency, and they pegged the Irish pound to the British pound at the start.
Get to my hotel
An Irish person at the Central Bank of Ireland told me the bus stop was right around the corner and which bus to take to my hotel, because neither the Algerian woman nor the Somali man knew about Dublin bus routes.
Bus fare is 2 €.
Google Maps indicated I should get off at a certain bus stop, but in reality I should have gotten off the bus one stop later.
I put in the street address on Google Maps for my hotel and I walked uphill to it. Google Maps had the wrong hotel. I had to figure out where my hotel was because Google Maps had failed me for the third time in the past hour.
I am not going to mention the hotel where I stayed because I would not recommend it for the following reasons. Twice they failed to clean my room. One evening the television and all electrical controls went out for two and a half hours. I was not allowed to bring food into the dining area.
I was not staying at a Staycity Aparthotel. I was not staying at the Radisson Blu which I walked by on my way to the nearest Lidl grocery store. I was not staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, which would have been convenient if I was staying in the business district.
I checked into my hotel. I left my bag in my hotel room, and I went walking to the next venue on my agenda.
Irish Rock 'n' Roll Museum
| Description | A guided tour of Irish rock 'n' roll legends inside what was a recording studio. |
|---|---|
| Address | Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 |
| Hours | Open every day. First tour starts at 10:30 am, the last tour is at 5pm. |
| How much time | 60 to 75 minutes. |
| Price | 19 € for seniors; 22 € for other adults. |
| Tickets | I bought my ticket at the door. |
| Web site | https://irishrocknrollmuseum.com/ |
It was a short walk from my hotel to the Irish Rock 'n' Roll Museum. It is located behind a bar. I walked into a bar asking where it was and the nice bartender pointed towards the back and there it was. I got there at 3:19 pm. I had a few minutes until the start of the 3:30 pm tour, so I talked with the bartender. She was from Mexico.
The Irish Rock 'n' Roll Museum is a small museum housed in what was a makeshift recording studio. It has a collection of guitars that used to belong to famous Irish musicians. There were many references to Rory Gallagher (who I had never heard of before).
The tour guide explained everything there was in the museum which included a drum set and an electric guitar one could play, several guitars on display, and concert posters. It is a small museum. The last room of the museum is the Thin Lizzy room, with memorabilia donated by Phil Lynott's mother.
Gilbert O'Sullivan and the Cranberries were hardly mentioned.
Photo Museum Ireland
| Description | A small gallery of Irish photography. |
|---|---|
| Address | Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Ireland |
| Hours | Tuesday through Saturday 11.00 - 18.00; Sunday, 13.00 - 17.00 |
| How much time | 20 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://photomuseumireland.ie/ |
Photo Museum Ireland is very close to the Irish Rock 'n' Roll Museum. It is a small gallery of Irish photography. I was most impressed with the captions to the photographs.
World Of Illusion
| Description | An amusing place consisting of three floors filled with dozens of illusions and interactive exhibits. |
|---|---|
| Address | 2 Central Plaza, Dame Street, Dublin 2, D02 T0X4 |
| Hours | Open daily from 9.30am - 9.30pm |
| How much time | Less than 1 hour |
| Price | 22 € for seniors; 25 € for other adults. |
| Tickets | I bought my ticket at the door. |
| Web site | https://worldofillusion.ie/ |
World of Illusion is very close to the Photo Museum Ireland.
Communication between people can easily be misinterpreted. It is not just words, but also images. Our brains take visual shortcuts to quickly interpret what we see, and sometimes what we see is misinterpreted.
Being an engineer, I am interested in how things work. Pattern recognition and optics are engineering fields that I find interesting. This is why I wanted to go visit World Of Illusion.
I was familiar with some of the illusions including the Ames Room, but there were many I had not seen before. There were explanations with each illusion which answered how and why.
O'Connell Monument
| Description | The O'Connell Monument in Dublin is a 40-foot-high bronze and granite statue honoring Daniel O'Connell. |
|---|---|
| Address | At the south end of O'Connell Street, Dublin 1 |
| Hours | Open all day every day |
| How much time | Less than 5 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O%27Connell |
At the center of the city is the monument to Daniel O'Connell. The main street is named after him. Daniel O'Connell was the political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the XIX century.
I walked by the statue on my way to the Portal. The Portal was just a five-minute walk away from the monument.
The Portal
| Description | An interactive installation to allow people to interact with each other using two-way live streaming video screens. |
|---|---|
| Address | North Earl Street, just east of O'Connell Street, Dublin 1. |
| Hours | Open all day every day |
| How much time | About 15 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.portals.org/ |
The Portal connects Vilnius, Lithuania, Lublin, Poland, Piauí, Brazil and other places through a large, round, public structure that uses videoconference technology, with a camera showing one location on the screen of the other. After a short period of time, it shows another location and identifies it. It was raining in eastern Europe, and there was no one at the other end in Brazil.
It is fun, and interactive. For example, one could play rock paper scissors with someone on a different continent.
It was seven o'clock when I left The Portal. It was time for dinner.
I walked south on O'Connell Street, where there are many fast food places. I stopped in at McDonald's which is on the west side of the street. I ordered a hamburger from the kiosk. The machine declined my credit card. I use a different credit card for restaurants than for tickets to attractions because I get 3% back on my credit card. I went next door to Burger King to find out if it was indeed my credit card. I had told all my credit card companies that I was going to be in Ireland. At Burger King I ordered a fancy hamburger and there was no problem with my credit card. Burger King very efficiently fulfilled my order.
On my way back to my hotel I crossed the Liffey and walked past touristy shops and then walked by Dublin city hall. It was closed at that time.
Saturday, May 9Saint Patrick's Cathedral
| Description | The national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. |
|---|---|
| Address | The Cathedral is located at the junction of Patrick Street and Upper Kevin Street. |
| Hours | Monday through Friday 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sunday 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM |
| How much time | About 1 hour |
| Price | 10 € for seniors; 11.50 € for other adults. |
| Tickets | I bought my ticket at the door. |
| Web site | https://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Patrick%27s_Cathedral,_Dublin |
Most tourist attractions in Dublin do not open early in the morning. However, Saint Patrick's Cathedral opens at 9:00 AM on Saturday. It was my first stop of the day. I was there right at 9:00 AM on Saturday.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral is a Protestant church. One of the differences between the Protestant churches and the Catholic church is that Protestant churches charge admission to visit their churches, while Catholic churches do not. Perhaps I was paying for the audio guide that came with the ticket purchase.
The audio guide explained the history of the church and all of its important features. The one I found most interesting was the Tree of Remembrance war memorial, originally created to commemorate those lost in World War I and now is used to remember loved ones from any conflict.
Two very different thoughts came to my mind regarding the Tree of Remembrance. One is a reminder that World War I was extremely deadly. The other reminded me of an episode of the television show "The King Of Queens".
Visitors can hang personal messages on the barbed wire strands to remember loved ones lost in any conflict, not just World War I.
Of course, like many very old European churches, Saint Patrick's Cathedral has many stained glass windows.
Dublinia
| Description | The Viking and Medieval Dublin museum. |
|---|---|
| Address | St Michael's Hill, Christ Church, Dublin D08 VE80 |
| Hours | Open daily from 10.00am to 6.00pm (last entry 5.00pm). |
| How much time | Two hours |
| Price | Adult: € 16.00, Child: € 11.50, Student/Senior: € 14.50 |
| Web site | https://www.dublinia.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublinia |
I bought my ticket online on March 10. My ticket said the duration of the guided tour would be 90 minutes.
I arrived a few minutes before 11:00 am because I knew there was a guided tour that started at 11:00 am on Saturday. The guided tour was very good.
The museum is fascinating. It is about the history of Dublin from before its founding in 841 by the Vikings through medieval times. Irish archaeologists have uncovered a lot of ancient Dublin and it is on display. The guided tour was very good because many details were explained pertaining to what the archaeologists uncovered. For example, Viking helmets back then did not have horns on them.
In addition to the archaeology, the tour guide explained how Dublin got its name. Dublin in old Irish means black pool. This refers to the dark tidal pool where the River Poddle entered the Liffey near where Dublin Castle currently stands.
The tour guide explained how the Vikings came to settle Dublin and how they thrived. Because of its sheltered harbor and river access, Dublin was an ideal trading post. The Vikings were successful because they had, at that time, superior naval technology and skills.
He also explained how three centuries later an Anglo-Norman alliance came from the south and the west to defeat and expel the Vikings.
One can climb an original Medieval tower, and from there get a view of Dublin. From the tower, looking to the west one can see green space which is Phoenix Park, and an obelisk which is the Wellington Monument.
Inside the museum it is a bit dark and narrow. Life in the medieval times was dark, narrow, and things were smaller.
Dublinia has a small cafeteria. It was the only museum cafeteria in Dublin with reasonable prices, so I ate a small lunch there. It was good.
Dublinia lived up to my high expectations and was, for me, very educational.
Chester Beatty
| Description | Chester Beatty's large collection of art. |
|---|---|
| Address | Dublin Castle, Dublin D02 AD92 |
| Hours | When it is open Monday to Friday: 9:45 am - 5:30 pm Wednesday: 9:45 am - 8:00 pm Saturday: 9:45 am - 5:30 pm Sunday: 12:00 pm - 5:30 pm Guided tours on Wednesday at 5:30 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm, Sunday at 3:00 pm |
| How much time | About one hour |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://chesterbeatty.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Beatty_Library |
One of the street accesses to the Chester Beatty Library was closed so I had to go around. I arrived at the Chester Beatty Library a few minutes before two o'clock because I knew there was a guided tour that started at 2:00 pm on Saturday. My tour group was made up of Canadian and American tourists.
Chester Beatty was an American mining magnate and philanthropist who made his fortune mining copper. He was made an honorary citizen of Ireland in 1957. Chester Beatty collected African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern manuscripts, rare printed books, prints, and ornamental work of art. The collection actually got started with his wife spending his money buying these rare objects.
The tour guide was very good. She said the Chester Beatty Library was to be closed to the public from 15 June to the end of December 2026. This information was not on the Web site at the time of my visit.
The displays inside the museum are divided by geography. Asian and Middle Eastern art is quite different than European art.
Molly Malone Statue
| Description | A bronze sculpture depicting the legendary fishmonger Molly Malone. |
|---|---|
| Address | Saint Andrews Hall, Suffolk Street, Dublin D02 XK37 |
| Hours | Open all day every day |
| How much time | Less than 5 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Malone |
After Chester Beatty I decided to walk around because I had seen on Friday everything remaining on my agenda for Saturday. In doing so I came across the famous Molly Malone Statue.
The song "Cockles and Mussels" tells the fictional tale of a fishwife named Molly Malone who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin and died young, of a fever. She is portrayed as a hawker by day and a part-time prostitute by night. In contrast, she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street hawkers of her day.
Saint Teresa Church
| Description | St. Teresa's Carmelite Church is a famous Catholic church. |
|---|---|
| Address | 14 Clarendon Street Dublin D02 X051 |
| Hours | Open all day every day |
| How much time | 10 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://clarendonstreet.com/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Teresa%27s_Carmelite_Church |
After a stop at the Molly Malone Statue, I continued walking around Dublin. I came across Saint Teresa's Carmelite Church. Originally I was planning on going to mass at this church on Sunday morning, but I found out that the Church of Saint Augustine and Saint John the Baptist had mass earlier on Sunday morning. So I went inside.
After several minutes inside the beautiful Saint Teresa Church, I continued walking around. Dublin is not laid out in a grid, and it has many curved streets. Google Maps played tricks on me, for I ended up walking in a circle and found myself back at the Molly Malone Statue after I had walked through several pedestrian streets with lots of bars and shops. Dublin looked busy. People were out shopping, drinking, and seemed to be having a good time.
By then it was almost six o'clock and almost all tourist attractions were closed. I walked back to my hotel.
Sunday, May 10Church of Saint Augustine and Saint John the Baptist
| Description | The Church of Saint Augustine and Saint John the Baptist is also known as John's Lane Church. It was built in the XIX century. |
|---|---|
| Address | 94/95 Thomas Street, Dublin D08 F8NW |
| Hours | Open every day |
| How much time | About 1 hour |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://johnslane.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%27s_Lane_Church |
I got to the church a few minutes before the 8:30 mass. I walked around and took some pictures before mass started.
I was impressed with the art work depicting the Last Supper at the base of the altar.
There were very few people attending Sunday morning mass. Considering how Catholic Irish-Americans are, I thought there would be a lot more people.
When the mass ended the man in front of me turned around and talked with me. He said he was surprised that I shook hands with him when I gave the sign of peace. Since the pandemic no one shakes hands in Ireland.
I told him I was a tourist from America and he suggested I go see the Kilmainham Gaol. It was not on my radar.
Mass lasted only 37 minutes. This gave me time to go to the Lidl, which was less than two blocks away from the church, to get some food, eat it, and wait for the bus to take me to the next venue on my agenda.
Book of Kells Experience
| Description | A guided tour of the campus of Trinity College followed by a visit to a small museum of the Book of Kells and through their library. |
|---|---|
| Address | Trinity College, College Green, South-East Inner City, Dublin 2 |
| Hours | Open every day from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. |
| How much time | About two and a half hours |
| Price | Varies depending on the type of guided tour. |
| Tickets | I bought my ticket online for the 10:00 am tour. |
| Web site | https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells-experience/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells |
I bought the Trinity Trails Campus Tour & Book of Kells Experience tour for € 39. The starting point is at the Bell Tower in Front Square of Trinity College Dublin. On the ticket, which I purchased online there is a picture indicating where to meet to start the tour.
My tour guide was a very recent graduate of Trinity College who majored in theater. We walked around campus. I learned that for two centuries Trinity College, the most famous university in Ireland, only Protestants could attend.
Trinity College has some interesting sculptures on its campus, including "Sfera con Sfera", one of the famous bronze sculptures by the Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro.
And this other interesting sculpture.
When the walking tour ended we entered the building of the little museum of the Book of Kells.
Wikipedia has a very good and lengthy description of the Book of Kells, but here is very brief description of the Book of Kells.
The Book of Kells is twelve centuries old. It has lasted this long because it was written on high-quality calf vellum by monks.
The Book of Kells is an illustrated manuscript and Celtic Gospel book in Latin, containing most of the four Gospels of the New Testament. The art is full of Christian symbolism, to emphasize the themes of the illustrations. Twelve centuries ago very few people knew how to read, so the images were very important.
The Book of Kells exhibit shows some of the pages in very large form, and explains what the art symbolizes and the font. For example, the image below has four panels with the art depicting traditional symbolic creatures associated with the four Gospel writers.
| Position | Symbol | Apostle |
|---|---|---|
| Upper left | Winged Man/Angel | Saint Matthew |
| Upper right | Eagle | Saint John |
| Lower left | Winged Ox/Calf | Saint Luke |
| Lower right | Lion | Saint Mark |
This explained to me why the flag of Venice features the Lion of Saint Mark. Saint Mark is buried in Venice and is its patron saint.
The Book of Kells museum exits into the Trinity College library. At present, the contents of the library are being digitized. Inside the library there is a huge globe which spins very slowly.
I was done with the tour. I walked to the bus stop, and at the exit of Trinity College there is a building that was hosting an art exhibit of sound. This was a small, sparse, but eclectic temporary exhibit of art that emitted sounds. It was good for ten minutes of amusement, and it was free.
National Print Museum
| Description | The museum exhibits a representative selection of printing equipment of different eras, and print samples. |
|---|---|
| Address | Old Garrison Chapel, Beggars Bush Barracks, Haddington Road, Dublin D04 E0C9 |
| Hours | Open Tuesday to Friday 10.00 - 16.00, Saturday and Sunday 12.00 - 16.00 |
| How much time | About 1 hour |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.nationalprintmuseum.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Print_Museum |
I took the bus to the National Print Museum. Google Maps had me get off at the closest bus stop. This was good, but the path Google Maps suggested to walk the rest of the way was blocked, so I had to walk around. I got there, and found a big building in front of me. It housed a different museum and it was closed. There were very few people around because it was a Sunday. I asked around, but no one knew of the National Print Museum. I figured out that the National Print Museum is past the big building, to the right. The address given on the Web site is not exactly accurate.
I walked into the museum a couple minutes past one o'clock in the afternoon. The guided tour had just started, so I was asked to join it. It was an interesting tour. I learned that the term "mind your p's and q's" comes from movable type because p's and q's could be easily mistaken since they are mirror-reversed from the printed result.
I left the National Print Museum and walked to the train station because this is what Google Maps recommended. I climbed the stairs to the tracks and took the train towards Malahide. Google Maps messed me up again as it had me getting off at the wrong station. As a result I ended up walking all the way to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The trip took well over one hour, when it should have taken 45 minutes.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
| Description | Ireland's largest collection of modern and contemporary art. |
|---|---|
| Address | Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin D08 FW31 |
| Hours | Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Wednesday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm Sunday: noon to 5:30 pm |
| How much time | About 90 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://imma.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Museum_of_Modern_Art |
Modern art is not normally my cup of tea, but there were some very interesting pieces in this museum.
When I ended my tour of the museum I started talking to a man of the museum security. He told me that Ireland is soft on immigration. He was also the second person to recommend I go see the Kilmainham Gaol which is just past the garden. I did not go to the Kilmainham Gaol because tickets must be pre-booked online, and access is by guided tour only. I am not at all interested in visiting jails.
The museum is inside the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, which has a huge courtyard. Adjacent to the museum is a beautiful garden. I walked around the garden.
I left the Irish Museum of Modern Art and walked towards Phoenix Park. I walked down hill, past a pair of residential buildings. One housed a SuperValu grocery store. I bought water and Irish smoked mackerel, ate it there because there was a place to eat. Then I continued my walk to Phoenix Park.
Phoenix Park
| Description | Enormous public park where ducks, deer, and the president of Ireland live. |
|---|---|
| Address | Phoenix Park, Dublin 8 |
| Hours | Open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. |
| How much time | At the very least 1 hour |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.phoenixpark.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Park |
The entrance to Phoenix Park is on the easternmost side of the park. One can drive through the park, but I was on foot. One walks slightly uphill as one walks west inside the park. It is huge (1750 acres).
I only walked a small fraction of the park because it was near the end of the day and I was tired.
There is lots to see and do inside the park, including:
- Ashtown Castle
- Dublin Zoo
- The Magazine Fort
- The Papal Cross
- The Phoenix Monument
- The Prehistoric Burial Chamber
- The Victorian People's Flower Gardens
- The Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden
- The Wellington Monument
I was able to see ducks on a pond.
I did walk by the Dublin Zoo and I noticed families with small children exiting the zoo.
I walked near the Wellington Monument.
The main road through Phoenix Park is called Chesterfield Avenue. There are a few bus stops for the 80 and 99 bus lines along that road. However, these bus lines stop running at 6:00 pm on Sunday. So I walked to a park exit south of the Wellington Monument and took another bus in the direction of my hotel.
Monday, May 11Wild Rover Bus Tour
| Description | A bus tour that includes a visit to Kilkenny City, the Wicklow Mountains, the ruins in Glendalough valley, and a working Irish sheep farm. |
|---|---|
| Address | Pick up in front of the Leonardo Hotel on Parnell Street, Dublin D01 E0H3 Drop off on Westmoreland Street, Dublin D02 PW96 |
| Hours | 8:30am - 6:30pm |
| How much time | Approximately 10 hours total. |
| Price | 43 € |
| Tickets | I bought my ticket online forty days in advance. |
| Web site | https://wildrovertours.com/activity/kilkenny-wicklow-mountains-glendalough/ |
I walked out of my hotel on Monday morning, and walked past the Radisson Blu on my way to the closest Lidl. By then I had learned that Ireland has a bottle deposit law. I had also learned that Lidl opened at 8:00 am and that Lidl has a bakery. They make a variety of tasty croissants. I really like croissants. I bought the croissants and walked to the front of the Leonardo Hotel, which is where the bus was to pick me up at 8:30 am. The bus was right on time.
It was a good thing I bought my ticket forty days in advance because bus was full, mostly with American tourists. I paid 40 € for my ticket, but now the price is 43 €. It was a big bus with a USB connector above to charge my smart phone.
Off we went to the town of Kilkenny, which is south of Dublin. As we were going out of Dublin I could see the heavy traffic of all the commuters driving into Dublin for work.
Throughout the bus ride, the tour guide would explain several aspects about Ireland, and the places we were about to see. One thing he mentioned was the population of Dublin, which has recently grown rapidly. The tour guide attributed the rapid growth to foreign immigrants.
More than an hour later we arrived in Kilkenny. Kilkenny is not a wealthy town. This observation came from a short guided walking tour of the city. It is an old city with a castle.
There was time to look around Kilkenny, and I decided to take the guided tour of the Smithwick brewery, which was very near.
Smithwick Brewery
| Description | A tour of where Smithwick beer was brewed from the 1700s until 2014. |
|---|---|
| Address | 44 Parliament Street, Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Hours | March to October 10:30am - 6:30pm November to February 11:00am - 5:00 pm |
| How much time | About 45 minutes. |
| Price | 18 € |
| Tickets | I bought my ticket at the door. |
| Web site | https://www.smithwicksexperience.com/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithwick's_Experience_Kilkenny |
I bought a ticket for the 11:30 am tour. The guided tour cost 18 € and it included a pint of Smithwick beer. Their beer tasted pretty good; even better than I had expected. Smithwick is not as famous as Guinness. I learned what is involved in the brewing process and what gives their beer its color. I also learned that India Pale Ale was specifically brewed to survive the long sea voyage to India during British colonial times. It was a good tour.
I would have enjoyed it more if I did not have to rush back on the bus to continue my Wild Rover bus tour.
Wicklow Mountains
| Description | The largest continuous upland area in Ireland. |
|---|---|
| Address | County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Hours | Open every day |
| How much time | Allocated 15 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.nationalparks.ie/wicklow/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicklow_Mountains |
The Wild Rover bus tour stopped at the Wicklow Gap for about fifteen minutes to get out of the bus, stretch our legs and take pictures.
It was early May, and spring really had not yet fully blossomed. Irish mountains are not steep. The Wicklow Mountains do not reach 1000 meters in elevation. To me they are more like big hills.
Glendalough
| Description | Ruins of an Early Medieval monastic settlement. |
|---|---|
| Address | County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Hours | Always open. However, for cars it is open every day except Christmas Day 09:30 to 16:30 (November to February) 10:00 to 17:30 (March to October) |
| How much time | About two hours |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.nationalparks.ie/wicklow/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendalough |
We arrived at Glendalough well past two o'clock in the afternoon. The tour gave us two hours to look around. The first part was a short guided tour of the ruins, and the rest of the time we were free to explore. I wish more time was given to explore.
The ruins are rather expansive in the sense that it was a large (for early medieval times) monastic settlement. They include a round tower about 30 meters high, Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Cathedral, Priests' House, gravestones and a few other buildings.
Glendalough means valley of the two lakes. In fact there are two lakes. There is a path to walk from the ruins to the edge of the lakes. So, I took the walk and explored.
The lake closest to the ruins is the smaller of the two lakes. The whole area is very peaceful and serene.
Sheep Farm
| Description | A working sheep farm. |
|---|---|
| Address | Laragh, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Hours | By invitation |
| How much time | 40 minutes |
| Price | Included in the tour |
|
The last stop on the Wild Rover bus tour was a working sheep farm. The farm is nestled in the Wicklow countryside. Richie, the sheep farmer, takes his sheep over to the nearby mountainside, which is public land. There is where the sheep graze. Herding the sheep over to the mountainside and back, Richie has the help of his sheep dogs, which are Border Collies. Richie showed how his dogs are able to move the sheep in various directions. These sheep are raised for meat, not wool. Richie explained that raising sheep for wool is no longer profitable. However their wool is sheared once a year for health reasons. He has more than 200 ewes. They give birth early in the spring. Given the time of the year, I got to hold a baby lamb. It was the highlight of my trip. At the exit of the enclosure where the baby lamb was, there was a dispenser of hand sanitizer. I did not think it was needed because I found the enclosure to be very clean for farm standard. It seemed to me Richie took good care of his animals. |
National Gallery of Ireland
| Description | It has a collection of Irish and European art. |
|---|---|
| Address | Merrion Square West, Dublin 2 |
| Hours | Monday: 11am - 5.30pm Tuesday and Wednesday: 9.15am - 5.30pm Thursday: 9.15am - 8.30pm Friday and Saturday: 9.15am - 5.30pm Sunday: 11am - 5.30pm |
| How much time | About two hours |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.nationalgallery.ie |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Ireland |
The National Gallery of Ireland was first on the agenda for Tuesday for it opened at 9:15 am, earlier than most of the places I visited.
I walked to the museum from the hotel. I walked by Saint Stephen's Green, and ten minutes later I was at the museum.
Again Google Maps was not accurate, but I knew I was in the vicinity because on the return to Dublin on the Wild Rover bus, the tour guide pointed out the National Gallery of Ireland as the bus drove on that street. I asked a police officer where it was, and I was pointed to the building.
Inside, it has the feel of a modern building, designed to be an art museum. It is not as big as the French museums, but it has a nice environment and some impressive pieces of art.
In every museum there are employees who sit around to make sure no one vandalizes the precious pieces on display. Almost all of them these days have their noses buried in their smart phones. However, one of them engaged with me and explained some of the art on display, including why Caravaggio was a true master. I was impressed with his knowledge of the paintings.
There were paintings depicting biblical events such as "The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes" by Giovanni Lanfranco, an Italian Baroque painter.
Saint Mark is portrayed as a lion in "Venice, Queen of the Adriatic, Crowning the Lion of Saint Mark" painted by Domenico Tintoretto.
"A Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid" painted around 1670-1671 by Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch Golden Age painter.
This painting looked familiar to me, because I was in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome in September 2024. It is "Piazza del Popolo" by the Venetian painter Giovanni Paolo Panini.
I also liked this painting, "Group of Cavalry in Snow", by French painter Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier.
Irish art was also on display, including these three paintings.
The National Gallery of Ireland is a small gallery, compared to the huge French museums, but it has some very fine paintings. It is worth spending time there.
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street
| Description | Ireland's collection of artifacts from prehistoric Ireland and the Iron and Bronze Ages, through Medieval times. |
|---|---|
| Address | Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin D02 FH48 |
| Hours | Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm Sunday and Monday 1pm - 5pm |
| How much time | About two hours. |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Archaeology |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Ireland_%E2%80%93_Archaeology |
The museum has two stories.
Irish archaeologists have done a wonderful job. The museum has a collection of Viking artifacts including swords and coins. It also has on display a collection of Celtic brooches.
What I found in this museum tied nicely with what I had seen and learned at Dublinia about Medieval times. It made Dublinia more meaningful.
There is a section in the museum about Glendalough which nicely filled in the gaps from that guided tour, including panoramic images of the ancient settlement.
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts
| Description | Artist based institution displaying art. |
|---|---|
| Address | 15 Ely Place, Dublin 2, D02 A213 |
| Hours | Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 11am to 5 pm Wednesday: 11am to 7 pm Sunday: noon to 7 pm |
| How much time | 2 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://rhagallery.ie/ |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Hibernian_Academy |
On my way to the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts from the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street I came across the statue of William Conyngham Plunket. I had never heard of him before, so the statue was inconsequential to me except that there was a bird perched on top of it.
It seemed to me that birds like to rest on top of every statue in Dublin because I had seen a bird on top of the O'Connell Monument and the The Portal and other statues.
I arrived at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts at quarter to two in the afternoon. I was greeted by a receptionist who told me the gallery was closed. She showed me the Web page where it said it was closed, but I showed her the home page which indicated that it was open. The museum was closed to visitors. She did not know the exact date it would reopen.
So, now what? I had to think for a moment and adjust my plan. I was in the southeast part of Dublin, and my (new) next destination was in the northwest part of Dublin. I took the bus.
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History
| Description | Holds a collection of fashion, old ceramic artifacts, and other decorative art. |
|---|---|
| Address | Collins Barracks, Benburb St, Dublin D07 XKV4 |
| Hours | Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm Sunday and Monday 1pm - 5pm |
| How much time | 35 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Decorative-Arts-History |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Ireland_%E2%80%93_Decorative_Arts_and_History |
I arrived at Collins Barracks at 2:35 pm.
I found this museum to be extremely woke. I got the impression that the curator is an extreme leftist, given some of the displays were not art; just leftist propaganda.
National Museum of Ireland - Collins Barracks
| Description | The military museum of Ireland. |
|---|---|
| Address | Collins Barracks, Benburb St, Dublin D07 XKV4 |
| Hours | Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm Sunday and Monday 1pm - 5pm |
| How much time | 1 hour |
| Price | Free |
| Web site | https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Decorative-Arts-History |
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins_Barracks,_Dublin |
I found it to be a strange juxtaposition to have the decorative arts museum next to the military museum. The decorative arts museum and military museum are in the same place; Collins Barracks.
It would be logical to house a military museum inside what was one of the largest military barracks in the world. It is now named after Michael Collins who was an Irish revolutionary and leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence from Great Britain. Although Collins Barracks is an enormous building, the museum does not occupy the entire building and it is much smaller than its huge French counterpart.
I learned that Wellington, who defeated Napoleon, was Irish. This explained why his monument is prominently placed in Phoenix Park. I learned that at one time, when Ireland was under British rule, up to 80% of British soldiers were Irish.
There was an interesting exhibit of World War II matériel.
I found this ironic because Ireland was a neutral country during World War II.
On my walk back to my hotel after visiting the exhibits at Collins Barracks, I crossed the Liffey River by walking across the James Joyce Bridge.
It took me a half hour to walk from Collins Barracks to my hotel, but I stopped on the way at Lidl on Thomas Street to buy my dinner, which I ate in my hotel room.
Wednesday, May 13Fly Home
I got up at 6:00 am, ate breakfast in my hotel room. Checked out of my hotel, and walked four blocks to the Dublin Express bus stop. I got there early to make sure I had time to find the bus stop in case I got lost. I had no trouble finding the bus stop.
I waited a half hour for the 7:27 am Dublin Express bus because it was ten minutes late. The bus was full. According to their schedule the bus was to arrive at the Dublin airport at 8:09 am.
Arriving more than ten minutes late to the airport did not allow me time to look around. I went straight to the gate. I had no bags to check. However, getting to the gate involved going through security. Sometimes people in lines do not seem to pay attention. Then I walked through the duty free section, which was purposefully a bit of a maze.
One clears U. S. immigration and customs in Dublin. This turns the flight from Dublin into a domestic flight. It was easy; there was no line. I had my photograph taken, and then went to the gate. The flight was full, and it left on time.
The airplane arrived in Chicago several minutes early, but we could not get to the gate because we had to wait for an American Airlines employee to move some equipment blocking access to the gate. American Airlines knows airplanes arrive all the time at gates, and yet on many occasions there is an obstruction in the way.
American Airlines changed my departure gate, so I got up and moved to the other gate. The flight left a few minutes late and arrived in Fort Lauderdale a few minutes late.
Another reason for the delay into Fort Lauderdale was that instead of landing to the east, we landed to the west. I like window seats, so I got to see my neighborhood from the airplane. I also saw a lot of sargassum in the shallow ocean water.
It had rained. My house was in good order, and my air conditioner worked. I was not as tired as I thought I would be. The adventure was over.
Observations
I did not see any graffiti.
America is like Ireland and not the other way around.
Irish women are not fashion conscious.
Lidl bakes very good croissants.
Ireland has an immigration problem.
Lessons Learned
Double check opening hours just before departure as some places are closed on very short notice.
Good weather makes a big difference.
Bring a water bottle.