The Custom House is probably the most familiar of Ireland's neoclassical buildings and, given its…read moreprominent location, is considered Dublin's most important architectural landmark. The Custom House was designed in the 18th Century by James Gandon, who is responsible for many of Dublin's more impressive buildings and can be considered the father of Irish architecture. The Custom House has been marvellously preerved, and still has most of its original features (including the emblem of the British crown, though history has rendered this obselete). One feature that has visibly changed is the roof, which was damaged irreperably when the IRA torched the building in 1921. This action gave the IRA little military advantage, but it did destroy the birth certs of half the population of Dublin, which proved very useful for people who did not want to let their true age be known, such as when applying for pensions ahead of time, or working past the mandatory retirement age (as in the case of Brendan Behan's father, who personally took part in the burning of the Custom House and later reaped the benefits). The domed roof is now made of limestone, and is visibly differnt to the rest of the building, which was constructed with Portland stone. One of Dublin's more historically important , as well as aesthetically pleasing, landmarks.

The Custom House was designed by James Gandon and was finished in 1791. It was destroyed by firs in…read more1921 during an event in the War of Independence. The Custom House was rebuilt, the interior was redesigned and further renovation work was carried out in the 1980's. The visitor centre is located in and around the Dome or Clock Tower area.

An informative stop in the lovely countryside with plenty of walking paths. From the parking lot,…read morehead to the visitor center. The site is free since just reopening after covid July 19, 2021, but a timed reservation on their website is required. Free wifi at the site, but the their reservation system wasn't working so they let 4 of us in to view the dioramas and watch the well done video about the battle. Walled garden and tea house are open.

Super nice historic stop. Toilets are great. That's always important for a traveler. The cafe is…read morelovely. Lots of delicious options and you're going to have a view from your cafe table over the pretty gardens. Do you want to picnic? There are tables outside and you can bring the dogs. There's a ramp, so it's disabled friendly. Oldbridge house is well preserved and the battlefield is right there. Delightful for the history buff. Lots of parking. Just a super stop. Make sure to walk the garden or take a bench. There's a sunken garden too. Enjoy!

Ashtown Visitor Centre is located in old stable buildings beside the reconstructed Ashtown Castle…read morein the Phoenix Park. The visitor centre,which is free contains a small visual and written display about the history,geography and natural history of the Phoenix park. There are also some artifacts on display e.g a communion bowel from Pope John Paul II mass held in the Phoenix Park in 1979. Small children love to walk through the constructed cave which shows what animals live in the park. They can peer into the underground burrows and see where the animals live. There is also an activity area where small children can draw etc.Downstairs in the visitor centre a short film about the Phoenix Park is shown aprox every 30 mins. There is often art on display in the small gallery beside reception. Opposite the visitor centre is a lovely cafe where you can get some nice soups and salads. A nice place to end up after a brisk walk around the Phoenix Park! Outside the visitor centre is a restored Victorian walled garden, the reconstructed Ashtown castle and a new childrens playground. Small children also love to play in the box hedge maze beside Ashtown Castle. Plenty of parking available. It's a great place for people with small children and agreat place for adults to treat themselves after a good workout in the Phoenix Park :-)

This is a really amazing experience if you value history or archeology at all. The visitor center…read moreis quite beautiful and very modern looking. You must book tickets in advance and they were sold out on the day we arrived. I booked about 4 weeks prior to our visit. Make sure you arrive at least 30 -60 minutes ahead of your booking time to enjoy the walk through the visitor center which is extremely well done and will provide a lot of background and important information about the tour locations. They also have a wonderful cafe with great food, including vegan and gluten free options with all allergens listed.

This is a well laid out Visitors Centre…read more Brú Na Bóinne Is a 5,000 year old burial site, that is older than the Pyramids in Giza, or Stonehedge by over a thousand years. Your visit will need to start at Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre which is nearly 10km away. Please don't do as we did and drive here. You will be turned away. The OPW operates a shuttle bus system and they limit the number of visitors each hour. They employed a "time sticker"s which you wear and the bus driver checks. The Parking Lot is huge and clear much thought went into this arrangement. The cafeteria had some well priced, tasty offerings, so we would recommend planning a stop there.

I had no idea this place existed till yesterday. Amazing the things you will discover in your home…read moretown when you have a guest coming to visit. Brought him here and we both really enjoyed it. The location of it is unique and gets you excited before you even enter. Reasonably priced too. It has an exhibition which highlights Ireland's inland waterways, their historical background and their modern amenity uses. Great fun if you are excited by engineering or waterways, I am the sad sod who is excited by the latter so much so that part of my degree involved it. They don't have a website but I found a useful explanation of what it entails for the curious of you. " The display, which includes examples of art and literature inspired by the waterways and working models of important engineering features, highlights the significance in today's world of a network of inland waterways developed some 200 years ago. Navigation Charts and Guides are available for sale in the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre." Opening Times: October-May: Wednesday-Sunday: 12.30pm-5pm June-September: Daily 9.30am-5.30pm Last admission 45 minutes before closing. Admission Prices: Adults €2.50 Child/Student €1.20 Family Rate €6.35 Senior Citizen €1.90

I will start by saying that this is not really a review, as I didn't get to visit the Waterways…read moreVisitor Centre, because it was closed when I arrived there, at 16:30 on a Thursday afternoon, with my 3 kids in tow. The sign at the door says their opening hours are 11:00-16:00, and not 10:00-18:00, as stated on this website. It is not the Irish Waterways Visitors' Centre's fault at all; their own website (which I later checked) displays the correct opening times. Yelp needs to update their information, and I am posting this here purely as a word of advice to hopefully prevent other people from being disappointed, as we were (plus I had already paid nearly €5.00 for parking, which went to waste).

Ashtown Castle was built in the 17th century under a Government initiative where they paid £10 to…read moreanyone who would build their own castle for security. The castle was hidden until the late 1970's by another building that had been built over it but was demolished revealing the castle. The adjacent visitors centre is free and there is a nice little coffee shop and a fantastic big playground. The walled gardens are great to visit especially in the Autumn when they grow massive pumpkins and squash. Everything is really well labelled so you can identify all the vegetables and herbs growing. They also have gardening / nature events for kids at the weekends There is lots of parking and quite a nice walk with picnic tables - a perfect spot on a sunny day

Loughcrew cairns is the coolest thing we have done in Ireland. Tucked away on back roads in Meath,…read morethere is only a ranger here in high season. Otherwise, you pick up the key (conveniently attached to a torch) at the tearoom at Loughcrew Gardens. There is a deposit of €50 or your driving license. At the site, it's a steep, steep climb up a vaguely marked path. Wear good shoes or rubber boots. It's a mildly difficult climb, especially for a fat-ass American! Once you get to the top, there is an incredible view of what seems like the whole county. The cairns are unbelievable! If you have visited Newgrange, it's like that but without the 50000 tourists. Likely, you will be totally alone with the passage tombs and incredible art. Imagine if someone handed you the key to the Lascaux caves and said "have a look around and lock up when you're done" - that's what Loughcrew is. Places like this are why Ireland is the greatest country on Earth. The end.

The visitor centre is def aimed at older children and adults. You get a great insight into what…read moreprovoked revolutionary thought in Ireland, and how it progressed to rebellion. The exhibit itself is really well done. It's all self guided and interactive so you can go at your own pace. Some of it is really in depth and but it's easy to understand if you follow along closely. Cafe was a little disappointing-selection felt a bit restrained and unrefined. Grand if you want a cheese sandwich and a strong milky tea but other than that I would avoid.