Leinster - All Things Ireland

Top 5 Tourist Attractions in Dublin Photo via Canva The capital city is full of interesting tourist sites. Dublin is the capital of Ireland has loads to see and do if you wanna have fun Dublin is the place. Its great craic as we say in Ireland! Dublin is a great city to visit and with so much to do, you will be busy checking out all the cool sites in the capital city. There are old churches and cathedrals to see, castles, distilleries and some cool visitor centres. The city is just a great place to stroll around and take in all the cool architectural designed buildings. Dublin has a long history, it was founded by Vikings back in the back. In fact, the largest collection of Viking Artefacts was found in Dublin during a construction job of the Dublin corporation building along the quays. In this post I have listed five of the top tourist attractions in Dublin, the busiest tourist attraction in the whole of the Emerald Isle is the Guinness Storehouse, it has over 1.5 million visitors in a given year. Its number one in terms of visitor numbers in Ireland. See my post on Celtic Symbols of Ireland Explained here! Guinness Storehouse Photo via Canva The Guinness Storehouse is a must-see while in Dublin. It’s a really good experience, you will learn loads about one of the worlds most famous drinks, the black stuff. One of the highlights of the tour in the Guinness Storehouse is that you will get a free pint of Guinness at the end of the tour, how bad as we say in Ireland!!! The Guinness Storehouse is located on St. James's Gate, Dublin 8. The postcode for the Storehouse is D08 VF8H. The ticket price is 24.00 euro for adults but here some good news if your book online you get your ticket for 15.00 euros. You can get an uprated ticket called an Ambassador experience ticket, these tickets are 30.00 euros but you get a fully hosted experience from a Guinness Ambassador. Ticket prices for students and seniors are 18.50 euros. Tickets for children between the ages of 13 and 17 years old are just 16.00 euros. The opening hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 2.00 pm to 9.00 pm, the Storehouse is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkrsEyLqQQ8 The Guinness Storehouse has loads to see, the place is full of information about the black stuff, the history, and the brand. You will learn about the Guinness family, the adverting campaigns that Guinness had over the years. There are a few bars in the Storehouse, you will be able to try a few of Guinness craft beers and different types of Guinness. The cafe and restaurant serve plenty of nice dishes, snacks and drinks and the gift show have some really cool Guinness merchandise. It’s one to add to your bucket list while visiting Dublin. Kilmainham Gaol Photo via Canva This old prison is one of the largest of its kind in the whole of the EU. Kilmainham Gaol is an old prison that is hugely connected to 1916 rising. The leaders of the revolutionaries of the rising were imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol and executed in the grounds of the prison. The old prison is now turned into a cool visitor centre and museum. Kilmainham Gaol is located on Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8. The postcode for Kilmainham Gaol is D08 RK28. The building opened in the year 1796 and closed up and finished as a prison in the year 1924. Leaders from rebellions from 1803 and 1848 were executed at this site. The museum has some very nice audio and visual displays. You can take a tour of the old prison cells. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsC4cjKyggM The jail will always be associated with names like Charles Stewart Parnell., Joesph Plunkett and Con Colbert. The great man James Connolly was executed at Kilmainham Gaol in May 1916. Tickets are very reasonably priced to see this piece building that played a huge part in Irish history. Adult ticket prices are 8.00 euros and seniors are 6.00 euros. Student tickets are 4.00 euros. There is a family ticket for 20.00 euros. The tour of the cells and the building are a stark reminder of the way things were back during the struggle for Irish freedom and what some of our citizens and their families when through. The Books of Kell’s and Trinity College Photo via Canva The Book of Kell’s is something to see, it's an amazing piece of Irish history. The Book of Kell’s is in the top 10 of the oldest books known to exist to mankind. The old book is on display at Trinity College. Trinity College is s top-class college. The history of the college goes back to the year 1592, it has seen many changes in Dublin down through the years. The Book of Kell’s is displayed in the library in Trinity College, the library is amazing. The library has 200,000 books, it’s a beautiful room with so many wonderful books on display, you could say it’s a room full of knowledge!! It is believed that if the Book of Kell’s was ever auctioned it would fetch between 50 and 100 million euros. Luckily for everybody that won’t be happened because it's one of Ireland's most prized pieces of history! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtQAsvUiwPg&t=17s Ticket prices to see the book are 16.00 for adults, seniors/student 13.00 euros and a family ticket for 32.00. Groups rate for groups over 10 people is priced at 12.00 euros. The Book of Kell’s was created by Columba monks who located to Kell’s during the ninth century. The book is a colourful illustration of the four gospels written in Latin. The colours and art work in the book are spectacular. It is taught the book was created around 800 AD. Tis something special to see while in Dublin, trust me you will enjoy it!!! The Jameson Distillery Photo via Canva If you like whiskey you will love the Jameson Distillery. The Jameson distillery is open 7 days a week. It is located on Bow Street, Smithfield Dublin 7. The site at Bow Street was used as a distillery by Jameson Whiskey up until the year 1971. The postcode for the distillery is D07N9VH. The visitor centre was established in the year 1997. The guided tour lasts around 45 minutes and you will be glad to know it includes a whiskey tasting!!! We love whiskey tasting in Ireland! You will learn about the Jameson brand and how the whiskey is made and distilled. You will hear about the different types of Jameson from the popular Jameson Irish whiskey to the Black Barrel range. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMpZRV2KKNY The gift shop sells whiskey so you won't be without a nice bottle to take home with you. The gift shop has barware, clothing and accessories on offer. There are some really nice gifts on sale to take home to your loved ones! All in all its one to add to your bucket list! EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum Photo via Canva This is one of the highlights of Dublin’s attractions, it’s a super visitor centre to visit. The visual displays and information in EPIC are second to none. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is located in the beautiful Dublin docklands area. The museum is dedicated to the Irish emigration story of some many that moved to American from Ireland. The visitor centre was fully designed by a company from the UK called Event Communications. EPIC has won an award for Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction, it doesn’t disappoint. EPIC is privately owned by Neville Isdell who is a former Chief executive of Coca Cola. Mr Neville was born in County Down and has Irish roots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYEfXT62CDs The visual displays and audio informational displays are something else, I have visited the centre and its top-notch, and very interesting. The display screens get you engaged with a story of the struggle by the Irish and of emigration, it’s a great way to learn about Ireland and pass away a few hours. Ticket prices are 16.50 for adults and 10.50 for teenagers. Kids under five are FREE. Seniors and students are 15.00 euros with a family ticket starting at 36.00 euros. It's one that you wanna check out while in the capital city!! I hope you find this post useful, I welcome any question or suggestions by email to info@allthings-ireland.com. Thanks John C All Things Ireland