I have been to so many countries and I've been in so many tours and this is one of the best, our…read moretour guide, Adam, just beautifully portrayed the story of the jail. He was so incredibly captivating. I'm not sure anyone spoke for the full hour of the tour we were all so fascinated in his stories. So sobering and poignant. For only €8 this is an absolute steal. We took the first tour in the morning which I recommend as you get to see everything, including the museum, before the crowds.

Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison in Dublin, Ireland, now a museum, famous for its role in Irish…read morehistory, particularly the struggle for independence. It housed many leaders of various rebellions, including the 14 leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising (and others during the Irish Civil War) who were executed there. Today, it is preserved as a national monument and one of Dublin's most visited historical attractions. The Kilmainham Gaol can only be seen via guided tours with tickets on sale 28 days before the one you might want. At the appointed date, I was online at 12:01 AM Ireland time to buy our tickets which sold out within minutes. Others might want to do the same. I've been to Alcatraz too, but this place has a little more blood on its hands. And it was so worth it! The generations of jail cells, the misery, the politics, the cruelty, the history, the executions, and all so well summarized and illustrated by our tour guide. All those years of history were so expertly portrayed in about an hour or so. I also remembered the scenes from "In the Name of the Father" (1993) that were filmed here. Other movies using Kilmainham Gaol as a set included: The Italian Job (1969), Michael Collins (1996), The Escapist (2008), and Paddington 2 (2017). I like a powerful reminder from a previous reviewer (Matt E.): The path to independence and freedom sometimes starts in dark, cold and miserable jail cells and not always on the battlefield.

What a fabulous tour of a castle still going through renovations. Most of the grounds have been…read morerestored and most rooms of the castle are restored and open to tour. There are additional outbuildings they will restore over the upcoming years. The gardens are beautiful with medicinal and culinary herbs, plus apple trees on the property. We didn't get to do the guided tour, but we got plenty of details from the owner on the history and some of the details. This was so much better than the Dublin Castle and it is the only functional moat around a castle anywhere in Ireland.

Had a guided tour here for €4.50. Excellent value. The castle has plenty of history and is well…read moreworth a visit. It is the only moated castle in Ireland. A duck named George lives in the moat. The gardens are beautiful and the tour guide was really really good. A number of movies used the castle as a location, such as Ella Enchanted and the Tudors. You can rent the main hall for occasions such as weddings and I'd imagine they would be spectacular. Really worth a visit.

Very quiet beautiful park. Run the dogs, turn your kids loose, enjoy a stroll at your own pace. AND…read moreIT IS FREE!!

I am a big fan of modern art and I feel very lucky that the museum is housed on spectacular…read moregrounds, also on those grounds are the War Memorial Gardens. They are dedicated to the 49,400 Irish soldiers that died during the 1914-1918 war. Sadly for awhile successive governments did not highlight this monument due to them fighting for the British. Thankfully we have moved on from that era in our history. The garden was designed by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It truly is a masterpiece of design. It intrigues me how back then the goal was to tame nature so that it is as rigid as a reserved Victorian person. Another remarkable feature is that, 'The names of all the soldiers are contained in the beautifully illustrated Harry Clarke manuscripts in the granite bookrooms in the gardens.'

Staying at a nearby hotel, I spotted the Wellington Monument and had to walk over to check it out…read more Officially the Wellington Testimonial, it is 203 feet tall which makes it the tallest in Europe. It is a tribute to the victories of the Duke of Wellington. The structure is solid - there are no doors or entrances and you can't climb to the top. It is surrounded by an open grass area that's perfect for tossing a ball or having a picnic. There aren't any benches or seats facing the monument. [Review 1985 of 2024 - 166 in Republic of Ireland - 23007 overall]

The Wellington Monument is located in Dublin's Phoenix Park, and is the tallest obelisk in Europe…read more(which is appropriate, as the Phoenix Park is the largest enclosed park in Western Europe). The monument itself is impressive, and it is nice to sit on the steps and look out across the park on sunny afternoon. One might think it strange the monument was not renamed in the early years of this state, however, as the Duke of Wellington held Ireland and all things Irish in distaste. Born in County Meath, the Duke always insisted that he wasn't Irish, using the analogy that being born in a barn does not make one a horse. Asshole. Bad cess to him anyway, but nice monument, though.

"It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for…read moreeverything and everybody." -Irish poet Brendan Behan (1923-1964) This bronze monument is supposed to be a personification of Dublin's River Liffey and yes, I can see this fully reclined woman appears to be long and drawn out and perhaps could be a slow moving river. As the Irish tend to make nicknames for sculptures, this one caught the name "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi" and yes, I suppose that fits well. [Review 1984 of 2024 - 165 in Republic of Ireland - 23006 overall]

The proper name for this sculpture is the Anna Livia Sculpture, but I'm rather partial to two of…read moreits finer nicknames - "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi" and "The Hoor in the Sewer". It's located in Croppies Memorial Park in Dublin, more or less across the street from the Ashland Hotel. It's a very cool bronze sculpture created to honor Dublin's 1,000th year. You'll see an 18 foot-long sculpture of a woman with very long hair stretched out in a pool of water, said to represent the River Liffey which flows through the center of Dublin. Croppies Park is a nice little green oasis with some benches in a busy commercial area. When we visited, we saw three youngish locals sitting on one of the benches, passing around a bottle. We were disgusted, when we saw one of them toss the empty bottle right into the pool when they had finished taking their swigs. I'm sure the Floozie would not have approved.

Holy hell everything about this place is gorgeous. Maybe I'm…read morejust enchanted with Ireland in general. The grounds. The greens. The building. The art. The signs. It's gorgeousness. If you want to feel transported to another time, simple walk through the IMMA courtyards. We chose to go inside, and it was worth it. We made a point to visit the IMMA before going to Kilmainham Gaol. The art, the set up, the cafe, the displays, the people, everyone and thing was so beautiful. My husband and I spent literal hours wandering about and dreaming of becoming Irish citizens. Please Ireland, please take us, we so desperately wanted to stay forever. The art itself is every medium you can imagine - paintings, sculptures, photography, short films, and various other forms. If you are in dublin, it's worth the short trip to Kilmainham to visit IMMA. Even if it's just for the photo ops in the their courtyard.

The building was kind of cool. The exhibits were very bland and not many of them. Not to my…read moreliking. Quite disappointed. Granted I am from LA and really enjoy LACMA. It was free, but honestly not worth the time in my opinion.

I was drinking my coffee when along strolled a friend with her young one with the same idea, so we…read moresat and chatted whilst the lives of famous Irish figures of our past rested. Her little girl explored the many little paths and after awhile we followed her. She took us down a narrow path to a small door built into an old wall. Through the door was the Irish United Nations Veterans Association house and memorial garden. The onslaught of colour from the green of the cemetery was so stimulating. They tend to their garden expertly, lots of pinks and reds and a big green tank like machine among it all, aw so pretty. I'm sure you military experts will tell me that what I photoed was not a tank but something like I dunno a plane. I have no clue, but at least the flowers are pretty!

Dublin has many great and beautiful buildings. From Trinity to Kings Inns, from Leinster House to…read morethe Aras. But not since Ireland gained its independence has Ireland dared embark on a building so emblematic of where we are as a nation today as it has with the €300 million Dublin Criminal Courts. Prior to entering the complex you hear stories comparing it to the Colosseum or the Parthenon. You see RTE presenters reporting from the steps and you think that its very nice but nothing, nothing at all prepares you for the size and wonder of this magnificent building. Before I carry on, some of you may be wondering why Ireland needs a vast courts building when we already have the Four Courts. The reason is simple enough to be honest: The Four Courts simply couldn't handle it anymore. They are 200 years old and designed for 200 years old volumes when the only people who went to court were the 100 or so people who owned land and had money or peasants who were to be shipped off to some godforsaken hell hole to eat rocks for a living. This simply wasn't a situation that could be tolerated and so the Criminal Courts were envisaged. The new courts have dedicated press rooms, overspill rooms for popular cases, improved areas for juries, barristers, witnesses etc, very pleasant canteen and a fabulous Great Hall which greets you upon entering. Just a quick note here, you will have to go through security at the entrance. Nothing too taxing, just put your bag through the scanner, dump your metals etc in the box and hope you don't beep. Upon entering, might I recommend taking the lift to floor number 6 and then looking out over the main area. That is when you see the vastness of the complex before you. Also to your right you will then see a large full length window with a view over Phoenix Park and Farmleigh House. The courtrooms themselves are also v nice. The seats aren't that comfortable but hey, who said justice was soft :) If you should decide to go watch a case, and I would recommend it, just get the Luas to the Heuston Station stop and potter to the large round building that you won't be able to miss. Trust me.

What a place it looks more like a hotel then a court was called for jury service and the jury room…read morewas really nice and comfortable thankfully I wasn't call for a case and as gary pointed out in his review the views from the 6th floor of Dublin are amazing you would never know this place is a court

Once you exit the Musuem of Decorative Arts you can wander out the rear of it which will bring you…read moreto the Arbour Hill Cementary. I really like to chill out here. A lot of older Dublin folks walk their dogs through and I had a good chat with one today, 'Ah luv, the feckin state of the country, those shower of b**t**ds, if I got hold of dem, a jaysus it'd be brutal.' 'I know tell me about, I'd love to shove something very painful up their....' Probably not the conversation to have in a graveyard but at the same time those fighting words are inkeeping with the cemenatries famous residents. The military cemetery at Arbour Hill is the last resting place of 14 of the executed leaders of the insurrection of 1916. Among the buried are Patrick Pearse, James Connolly and Major John Mc Bride. The leaders were executed in Kilmainham and then their bodies were buried in Arbour Hill. The graves are located under a low mound on a terrace of Wicklow granite in what was once the old prison yard. The gravesite is surrounded by a limestone wall on which their names are inscribed in Irish and English. On the prison wall opposite the gravesite is a plaque with the names of other people who gave their lives in 1916. It's really a moving thing to look at and take in.

It's lovely to walk around and read the old plaques and gravestones, it humbles you a bit, when you…read moresee headstones of people who died in their 20's.. and we think we've got problems! I came up here with my sandwich and bottle of water yesterday to enjoy the sun. Seems a lot of people bring their dogs up here, which is nice, but I feel uncomfortable with so many unleashed pooches charging around... I'm not really a dog-person... I was unfortunate that a family with really obnoxious children chose to sit next to me, so I was treated to 20 minutes of listening to 7/8 year old children condescending to their parents, but I should count myself lucky that I could leave them behind, I suppose! The poor parents were stuck with them! Lovely peaceful spot, I wonder if the people lying out on the grass realise they're lying on graves, it's just that the headstones were put against the walls when they fell down... Well worth a stroll if you're in the area.