Historic places in Dublin

Historic places in Dublin

1. See

   Christ Church Cathedral

   Holy Trinity

   A wooden church was built by the Vikings around 1030, and the first stone church was from the 1180s. So this is the oldest building in Dublin, though it underwent a massive restoration in the 1870s. It became Protestant under Henty VIII, apart from a brief Roman Catholic interlude in 1690 when the exiled James II was campaigning in Ireland, and the Vatican still claims it. The oldest part is the large crypt, where amongst the items on display are a mummified cat and rat, which got themselves stuck in the church organ in the 19th century.

   Apr-Sep Mon-Sat 9:30AM-7PM, Sun 12:30-14:30PM & 4:30-7PM; Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5PM, Sun 12:30-2:30PM·Adult €11.50, conc €10, child €4

2. See

   Dublin Castle

   Former seat of British rule in Ireland. The guided tour takes in the medieval basements and Chapel Royal, then you see the State Apartments in your own time. You can skip the tour and just see the apartments for less.

   Daily 10AM-5:15PM·Guided tour €12, apartments alone €8

3. See

   Glasnevin Cemetery

   Reilig Ghlas Naíon

   This opened as an RC cemetery in 1832, in an era when the Catholics weren't allowed their own parish churches, and their burials were begrudged affairs in Protestant ground. Glasnevin has grown and grown, expanding south across Finglas road into the St Paul's section, but the famous names are north side. You can visit the cemetery free, but to make sense of it go to the visitor centre (daily 10AM-5PM, closed M Tu in winter). Walking tours visit the graves of Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera and many others of historic or architectural interest. A back gate connects to the Botanic Gardens.

   Daily 9AM-5PM·Tour adult €14, conc or child €12

4. Drink

   Grogan's

   Castle Lounge

   Wonderful trad pub, no music or TV. Great Guinness and a mixture of tourists and locals, with a hotchpotch of interesting art on the walls.

   Mon-Thu 10:30AM-11:30PM, Fri Sat 10:30AM-12:30AM, Sun 12:30-11PM

5. See

   Little Museum of Dublin

   Their main building on St Stephen's Green is closed for renovation, so this is a temporary home. It displays the 20th-century social, cultural and political history of Dublin city, with many artefacts donated by Dubliners. Visit by guided tour every hour.

   Daily 9AM-5PM·Adult €15, conc or child €13

6. Drink

   Mulligans

   Busy pub with great Guinness and plenty of history, having been frequented by James Joyce among others.

   Sun-Thu noon-11:30PM, Fri Sat 11AM-12:30AM

7. See

   National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History

   The building is remarkable, a Georgian barracks around a parade square. Displays decorative arts and artefacts over 400 years, from rustic houses through Georgian elegance to "Proclaiming a Republic", the events of Easter 1916 when the interior decor of the Post Office took a sad turn for the worse.

   Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun Mon 1-5PM·Free

8. See

   National Museum of Ireland - Natural History

   The "Dead Zoo" contains a comprehensive zoological collection presented in a manner unchanged since its establishment in Victorian times.

   closed for refurbishment as of April 2026, but some of the collections are on display in the Dead Zoo Lab at their Collins Barracks site·Free

9. Drink

   Palace Bar

   Trad bar with interesting decor complete with "snug" (small private booth). Live music upstairs.

   Sun-Thu noon-11:30PM, Fri Sat noon-12:30AM

10. See

    Rathfarnham Castle

    Built as a fortified mansion around 1583 and prettified in the 18th century, it fell derelict in the 19th but has been restored as a museum.

    Oct-Apr Wed-Sun, May-Sep daily 10:30AM-5PM·Adult €5, conc €4

11. See

    St Mary's Pro-Cathedral

    Dublin's Catholic cathedral, built in 1825. Catholicism was always the majority religion in Ireland, but its practice was forbidden until the 19th century. The official cathedral is Christ Church, so designated by the Pope in 1300, but taken over by the Protestants in the 16th century. When the laws relaxed, St Mary's was built in neo-Classical style as a temporary or "pro"-cathedral, until such time as the Pope decrees otherwise or the Protestants hand back Christ Church. Neither event appears imminent.

    Daily 9AM-5PM

12. See

    St Patrick's Cathedral

    Founded in 1191, it became Anglican at the Reformation, so the Protestants had two cathedrals in the same city while the Catholics had none. It feuded with Christ Church over rights and precedence, until 1871 when Christ Church was nominated the senior church for Dublin and Glendalough and St Patrick's for the rest of Ireland. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, was dean of St Patrick's from 1713 to 1745 and is buried here, as is his lady friend Stella Johnson. It was rebuilt in the 1860s into a confident pile of Victoriana, and anything that looks medieval is probably a 19th century concoction.

    Daily 9:30AM-5PM·Adult €11.50, conc €9

13. Drink Not mapped

    Bull and Castle

    Gastropub and beer hall with a large selection of micro-brewed and international beers. Part of Buckley Steakhouse chain.

    Mon-Sat noon-10PM, Sun 12:30-9PM

14. See Not mapped

    Chester Beatty Library

    Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) was an American mining magnate who amassed a fabulous collection of early books and manuscripts and oriental art. He moved to London and collaborated generously with the British Museum, but in 1950 there was a falling-out and he moved to Ireland. He established the library to avoid his collection being split up; it's now in the Clock Tower in the Castle gardens.

    Mar-Oct Mon Tue Thu-Sat 10AM-5:30PM, Wed 10AM-8PM, Sun noon-5:30PM, Nov-Feb closed Mon·Donation €10

15. Do Not mapped

    Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

    This is the most ingenious crash course in Irish literature, history, architecture and pub bonhomie yet devised... It combines street theatre with the 'craic' that makes Dublin pubs the liveliest in Europe. It is a highly enjoyable evening that gives you the pleasant notion of replacing brain cells as you drown them. The tour is a kind of rough guide to the cultural, religious and political life of the city. Performances by professional actors are central to the experience, not forgetting a fun-filled quiz with prizes for the winners. Can be a bit formal at times but this one's been going a long time and is well worth the experience for such an unusual tour. There's just enough time to stop in each pub for a pint as well.

    2·€10-12

16. See Not mapped

    Dublinia

    Viking Museum

    Exhibition of life in the Viking settlement and medieval city, child-friendly.

    Daily 10AM-6PM·Adult €15, conc €13.50, child €8.50

17. Eat Not mapped

    Elephant & Castle

    Famous and popular for its chicken wings, you could have a long wait for a table Saturday lunchtime. It's now a national chain but this is the original outlet.

    Mon–Fri 9:30AM–10PM, Sat Sun 11AM–10PM

18. Do Not mapped

    Walking Tours

    Dublin city is famous for its characters. A great way to experience and live the city is by learning about it from people who are characters themselves - Dublin Tour Guides. Tours can vary from one to four hours in length and include, as well as the standard sightseeing tour, tours on topics like the paranormal and ghosts, music and song, literature, historical, 1916 Rising, and even Irish mythology. There are various walking tour companies and freelance tour guides available in Dublin. Anyone interested in geeky history should try the Ingenious Dublin tours, that cover history of medicine, Irish inventions (yes, there are lots!), great Irish scientists (lots of those too). They have walking tours and self-guided MP3 tours.

19. Buy Not mapped

    Arnott's

    A large department store with a long history.

    Mon-Fri 10AM-7PM, Sun 11AM-7PM

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Dublin (CC BY-SA 4.0).