I visited the Dublin Castle with a tour group, but we only had time to visit the grounds and didn't…read morego inside. From the outside, it's a beautiful, ornate building that has an impressive presence. The grounds are also nicely maintained and have a respectful feeling about them. Next time, I'm breaking off from the group and going in.

Dublin Castle was originally built in the early 1200s as a medieval fortress under the instruction…read moreof King John of England. For centuries, it was the headquarters of English (and eventually British) rule in Ireland. In 1684, a large fire destroyed a large portion of the castle. Instead of matching the original Gothic style, most of it was rebuilt using a Georgian style, similar to what you'd find in the French Palace of Versailles! It's quite the contrast. When you visit Dublin Castle, you can choose to explore it in two ways: with a self-guided tour to the state apartments or with a scheduled guided tour that visits the Viking Excavation, the Chapel Royal, and the State Apartments. When you first enter the courtyard, you'll immediately see the newer Georgian architecture in the neat red brick buildings surrounding the square. From the 13th century to the early 20th century, the castle was under British control. It served from being a royal palace and parliament to a prison. Dublin Castle was eventually handed over to General Michael Collins on the 16th of January in 1922. Collins was a soldier and a politician who lead the Irish people through their fight for Independence Dublin Castle plays a huge role in Ireland's history and a walk around the grounds is time well spent. Today the castle is a government complex and tourist attraction. Stroll through the famous Chester Beatty Library if time permits

Grafton Street is a busy pedestrian only shopping area. Most of the building façades were from the…read more1800s with the stores on the bottom level. I love looking at the buildings to see the beautiful architecture. There were lots of different styles of architecture. The street has lots of shops and restaurants. The side streets also have shops and restaurants. It is a bustling area! It was hard to choose a pub or restaurant because there were so many!

Grafton Street is one of Dublin's most recognizable locations. When you need a break from all the…read moremuseums and historical sites, head to Grafton Street. This pedestrian street - which runs from Trinity College to St. Stephen's Green - is Dublin's premier shopping district. Here, you'll find everything from familiar brands to more unique items like quirky shoes and used books. There are also two shopping centers in the area, the Stephen's Green Shopping Centre and the upscale Powerscourt Centre. So, if you're looking for a place to exercise your credit card, this would be it. If the idea of shopping bores you to tears, Grafton Street is also known for its rambunctious atmosphere. As you walk along, you're bound to find yourself mesmerized by the dozen or so street performers and musicians hoping to entertain you in exchange for a euro or two. There are also several restaurants and pubs scattered throughout the area; hours and prices vary by vendor.

This is a quirky historical marker that I walked past a few times before I stopped to read it…read more It's a nice piece of history, and I am quite happy I spotted it. Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish author, best known for his 1897 Gothic novel, Dracula. If your in the museum district, stop and take a look!

Highly recommend checking out this oddity! It is a tree eating a bench! You will never see anything…read moreelse like it!

This really is a fun landmark to check out. The hungry tree is named so because it is eating a…read morebench! It is found in the beautiful grounds of Kings Inn, it's makes for a great photo opportunity, just don't get too close to the tree or you could be gobbled up next... I know, cheesy but I had to get that in.

We HAD to leave a review for this wonderful place! We were visiting from California, and we enjoyed…read moreour time here tremendously. We brought our 8 and 10 year old kids, thinking we'd just see the animals really quickly. But, we ended up spending over 4 hours! We ate breakfast at the Overends Kitchen, and it was fantastic! Then we watched them collect chicken eggs and milk cows. So cool!! Then we walked around visiting adorable cows, calves, sheep, donkeys, and sheep! There were beautiful flower gardens and amazing trails that were so fun with the kids! They also had a fun playground!! There were so many other things to enjoy here that we didn't get to, but we absolutely loved our visit. We wish we lived in the area so we could visit more!

Oh what a day it was......... I needed to evade the house cleaning binge my better looking half was…read moreon so what better way than to remove myself from the situation entirely and bring the little one to the farm. Great location just over 5 minutes stroll from Dundrum shopping centre and the luas stop. It began with a cupcake, ( it was awesome) then continued with rain. Luckily I was well prepared with wellies and waterproofs......... for the child. I unfortunately looked like a dog who fell in a well by the end of the day. The chickens were first and full of life and head bobbing joy, then on to the calves. This is where the fun started. My daughter began to harass the young things to say moo..... "SAY MOO COWS!!!! SAYYYY MOOOOOOOO" they proceeded to chew and blink............unimpressed. Everybody else however got a few giggles out of it. Then the pigs. Where the girl said " DO NOT under any circumstances put your fingers in. pigs WILL EAT that meat." My fearless soldier girl promptly put her entire hand in and started stroking the BIG and I mean BIG mammy pigs head whilst I nearly took a heart attack pulling her hand back out. Then the goats were the best part........... it was raining heavily by now.... there was no shelter nearby........ but giving the goats grass from our hands was the only thing she wanted to do, not even the lure of the ever amazing Mcdonalds could pull the 2 year old away from the beasts. All in all twas an odd day but I loved it! They also had some beautiful gardens and displays...... Well worth a visit for all the family members...... unless they are on a spring cleaning blitz. Then leave them at home, it worked for me!

Pretty building. Free tours on first Wednesdays. Had a little audio tour and got to learn some…read morehistory of the building.

Spectacular neo-classical 18th century building on the River Liffey. Today, it houses the…read moreDepartment of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government / An Roinn Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil. But I had no business there. I simply admired a beautiful building. Originally used for customs collection due to its proximity to the Port of Dublin, it got other uses as the port moved further down river. Lovely to look at, up close or from across the River.

The Spire aka the Monument of Light is almost 400' tall. It's a sculpture made of stainless steel…read morein the heart of Dublin on O'Connell Street. It's the world's tallest sculpture. It looks like a ginormous needle poking through to the sky. It's only been around since 2003ish but seems as though it's been there forever. It's a can't miss attraction. As in, there's no possible way to miss it because of its sheer height.

The city of Dublin may be quaint in size, but it is home to several large and legendary landmarks,…read moreone of the most visible of which is the iconic Dublin Spire! Rising into the city skyline like a giant needle, the Dublin Spire stands tall as one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. The Spire is a striking monument located on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland. This iconic structure has become a symbol of modern Ireland and a popular landmark for both locals and tourists. but ofcourse not everyone likes it. it has a mixed feeling. The Spire was officially unveiled in 2003, replacing the Nelson's Pillar, which had been destroyed by an IRA bomb in 1966. It is a tall, slender structure made of stainless steel, reaching a height of 120 meters (394 feet). The monument is a reminder that Ireland is a dynamic and forward-thinking nation. It has become an enduring symbol of Dublin's identity.

Absolutely fantastic collection of Irish historical finds…read more The bogs of Ireland preserved things such as fish traps, textiles, lots of gold jewelry, and, most notably, some human beings. The acidic and anaerobic nature of the peat bog was so effective at preserving these bodies that we even knew what the men had been eating. And even more interesting - the methods that had been used to MURDER them so long ago. Because these men had not just randomly fallen into the bog, oh no; there are all sorts of things to learn including why the nipples were cut off! But I will refrain from going in to more detail. If you are interested, and are in Dublin, you MUST go there yourself. It is free so you have no excuse not to. Well, unless you are not interested in things such as I described here. Whatever. Note: there is not a cafe in the museum, and no storage lockers for your bag. Also, I thought the gift shop was pretty boring as it had very few things that were relevant to the museum displays. Which is disappointing as the museum artifacts themselves are very local and specific to Ireland and are extremely interesting.

Wonderful museum. It is in the smaller side and a bit dark but it feels cozy somehow…read more The exhibitions tell a story of the history of Ireland. I wanted to visit to view the big bodies and I was not disappointed. They also had hordes of gold in display which were surrounded by beautiful jewelry. The museum is free.