Phoenix
Park, the Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar, the Ha’penny Bridge — the attractions
of Dublin are known worldwide. But even if you are a regular visitor to
Ireland’s capital city there are still a great many attractions you may
not have heard of. Here we give you a guided tour of some of Dublin’s lesser-known
spots.
Malahide Castle
A great choice for a day out, Malahide Castle is set on 250 acres of
parkland in the pretty seaside town of Malahide.
The Castle was both a fortress and a private home for nearly 800 years,
and is an interesting mix of architectural styles.
The Talbot family lived here from 1185 until 1973, when the last Lord
Talbot died.
The castle is furnished with beautiful period furniture together with
an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings — mainly from the National
Gallery of Ireland.
The history of the Talbot family is recorded in the Great Hall, with
portraits of generations of the family telling their own story of Ireland’s
stormy history.
One of the more poignant legends concerns the morning of the Battle of
the Boyne in 1690 when 14 members of the family breakfasted together in
this room, never to return — as all were dead by the end of the battle.
A major feature of Malahide Castle is the beautiful Talbot Botanic Gardens.
The gardens as they exist today were largely created by Lord Milo Talbot
between 1948 and 1973.
The gardens are open from May to September from 2pm to 5pm.
Opening hours: January — December, Monday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm, April
to October, Sunday and Public Holidays: 11am to 6pm, November to March,
Sunday and Public Holidays: 11am to 5pm.
The Fry Model Railway
This is truly a hidden gem, containing a unique collection of handmade
models of Irish trains from the beginning of rail travel to modern times.
One of the world’s largest miniature railways, the exhibition is a working
railway covering an area of 2,500 square feet. Situated in beautiful grounds
surrounding Malahide Castle, this collection is a treat for anyone.
The beautifully engineered models are from a collection originally built
up in the 1920s and 1930s by Cyril Fry, a railway engineer and draughtsman.
Each piece has been assembled with the finest attention to detail.
Irish and international exhibits from the earliest railway developments
are run on a Grand Transport Complex which includes stations, bridges, trams,
buses, barges and even the river Liffey.
Pick out the models of Cork and Heuston Stations, O’Connell Bridge and
other Dublin landmarks, perfectly constructed in miniature.
Definitely a treat for all the family including adults.
Opening hours: April to September, Monday to Saturday: 10am to
5pm.
Sunday and Public Holidays: 2pm to 6pm. Closed 1pm to 2pm.
Dublin Writers Museum
The Irish literary tradition is one of the most illustrious in the world.It can boast four Nobel Prize winners and many other writers of international
renown.
To celebrate this, the Dublin Writers Museum was opened in 1991 to house
a history and celebration of literary Dublin. Situated in a magnificent
18th century mansion in the north side of the city centre, the collection
features the lives and works of Dublin’s literary celebrities over the past
300 years. Swift and Sheridan, Shaw and Wilde, Yeats, Joyce and Beckett
are among those presented through their books, letters, portraits and personal
items.
The splendidly restored Georgian house is a pleasure in itself with its
sumptuous plasterwork and decorative stained glass windows.
The museum holds exhibitions and readings and has a special room devoted
to children’s literature. The magnificent Gallery of Writers is an ideal
setting for banquets and receptions, with modern lecture rooms.
Dublin is a literary city and the Dublin Writers Museum is an essential
visit for anyone who wants to enjoy Dublin’s literary heritage.
Opening hours: January to December: Monday to Saturday 10am to
5pm, Sunday and Public Holidays: 11am to 5pm. Late opening: June: July and
August, Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm.
The Shaw Birthplace
Visitors to George Bernard Shaw’s birthplace are presented with the simple
accolade to the famous playwright on the plaque outside his birthplace:
“Author of many plays”.
His Victorian home and early life mirrors this simplicity. 33 Synge Street,
the first home of the Shaw family and the renowned playwright, has been
restored to its Victorian elegance and charm, and has the appearance that
the family has just gone out for the afternoon.
The neat terraced house is as much a celebration of Victorian Dublin
domestic life as of the early years of one of Dublin’s Nobel Prize-winners
for literature.
It was in this house, opened to the public in 1993, that Shaw began to
gather the store of characters who would later populate his books, from
the drawing-room where Mrs Shaw held many musical evenings to the front
parlour and children’s bedrooms.
This charming residence is a wonderful insight into the everyday life
of Victorian Dublin, and a pleasure to all who visit 33 Synge Street, Dublin
8.
Opening hours: May to September, Monday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm,
Sunday and Public Holidays: 11am to 5pm. Closed 1pm to 2pm.
The Joyce Tower
This is one of a series of Martello Towers built to withstand an invasion
by Napoleon, and now holds a museum devoted to the life and works of James
Joyce — who made the tower the setting for the first chapter of his masterpiece
Ulysses.
Located eight miles south of Dublin on the coast road, this tower is
the perfect setting for a museum dedicated to Joyce, a writer of international
renown who remains the writer most associated with Dublin.
Joyce’s brief stay inspired the opening of his great novel Ulysses, whose
first chapter is set in this very tower.
The gun platform with its panoramic view and the living room inside are
much as he described them in his book.
Ulysses is a giant work of the imagination, both epic and hilarious,
which immortalised Dublin and established Joyce as one of the greatest writers
of the age.
The museum’s collection includes letters, photographs, first and rare
editions and personal possessions of Joyce, as well as items associated
with the Dublin of Ulysses.
