This is the type of place you see spring up in New York, where a load of amazing and quirky and…read morecreative people get off their amazing and quirky and creative asses and do something amazing and quirky and creative. Nestled away just off Queen St and Benburb St, with buildings all around, and the Luas running right next to it, is the Art Tunnel Smithfield. A 70m long narrow strip of garden slash art gallery slash park slash community area. It's truly amazing what's been done here in I believe about 10 months. A narrow, derelict site has been changed into something truly wonderful for the community to own and be part of and use to enrich their lives. The space is divided into a few sections - 1) A wild section out the back that hasn't been leveled or 'done' in anyway - just allowed to grow and be a home for local flora and fauna 2) A community art section that will soon be encased by gorgeous creepers, making it feel nearly like a secret garden art gallery. Any member of the community can ask to put something up here - at the moment it's full of small canvasses made by eight year olds, and they are fab! 3) A small seating area where you can sit with your book, or chat to others who are using the space 4) A curated arts section for more large scale pieces by emerging artists. You will need to come down to really see what these wonderful pieces are about This is all housed amongst flowers and greenery not normally seen in areas like this. Anyone can become a key holder - just contact the guys through the Facebook page, or get down there yourself and have a chat. I'm delighted I've found it and will certainly be making the most of it!

Stumbled across this place the other day on my way somewhere else…read more It's like finding a Narnia-like garden in the middle of the city. It is there for any local residents to use. You can go in and garden, create art, or just admire what's already there. This is the type of place that makes Dublin the unique city it is.

I am not a Buddhist nor am I particularly interested in becoming one. Like a lot of religions and…read morephilosophies there are aspects that I really like and it's always good to get different perspectives, I feel it enriches my experience of life. What I fundamentally do believe in is the power of meditation. I have been meditating for nearly a year now. It was always something that interested me but like anything you have to really want to do it if you are to practice. I wanted to do it because I just felt that my mind was in fifth gear the whole time and yet I didn't feel I was achieving much nor was I really taking stock of what I should be doing. So that self-help excerpt aside, if you are curious about the practice I encourage you to give it a go. There are different types of meditation so don't fret if this one does not suit you just explore more. This is all about the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Metta Bhavana. The centre gives courses every so often in meditation, just check the website. You really should do the course to understand it more. Every Tuesday they have a free drop in for anyone regardless of whether you have experience or not. The first hour is meditation and then questions. Then a tea break. The second hour is a Buddhist teaching and discussion, you don't have to stay for the religious part. It's free but you can leave a donation. Meditation is hard and it's not a quick fix to any issues you may be having BUT keep at it and you will notice changes, I know I have as have my friends. I look forward to it everyday. But like anything the more you practice the easier it becomes, that's not to say that you won't have difficult days too - that's just what being a human is like! The downsides to the centre is that the meditation course can be very busy and therefore the room is hot. It's located in a very rough part of Dublin so there is a lot of outside noise but honestly I think it's great experience in learning to tune out noise as unless you live in a field you will always have to deal with urban noise, they did say however that they plan on putting in sound proofing. The centre also does morning yoga and meditation groups if you like rising very early!

From the owner: Meditation classes: learn to meditate, mindfulness and loving kindness meditation practices…read more Practical and accessible courses, suitable for beginners and those with experience. Buddhism classes: learn more about Buddhism. Be part of a vibrant Buddhist community in Dublin City. Yoga classes: come and do yoga with our great teachers.

As a person that LOVES to swim, I am always looking for pools to swim in while on vacation…read more(especially full size, aka not a mini hotel pool). I found the Sean McDermott Street Swimming Pool and it is a 25 meter pool. For an adult it cost me 7.5 euros. I went during the school year so at 12:30 PM there were school children taking lessons during this time. There are only 3 lanes and the kids used 2. I had the lane to myself for about 30 minutes and then when another swimmer arrived we had to circle swim. On the ladies side, they do have a completely open changing area and shower area with 4 heads. The shower area has a sign that states "please refrain from removing swim wear while showering." There are 3 private toilet stalls. There are tons of lockers to put your stuff in which are located right on the pool deck. The entire facility is clean with nice life guards and staff to check you in.

Oh I wonder why this centrally located swimming pool hasn't been reviewed yet ???…read more:-D well, as I'm about to review my local swimming pool, I just remembered another public one that I would never set foot in again. Ok we know it's not a prime location, it's a bit of a rough area but I've never felt insecure in there. It just looks horrible inside. I didn't find it clean... or welcoming. That, with the fact that it was only occupied with kids the 2 times I gave it a go (one in the evening, one in the afternoon, my mistake !) That said, it's cheap and located just 10-15min walk from O'Connell. Just a note as well that they are only open on saturday to the public now.

One of the must see free gardens and parks in Dublin. We met our tour guide here as he deemed it…read morethe "staple of the city center" and talked about the significance of the Garden of Remembrance. If you've taken any time to study Irish history - you'll know the Irish fought for their land and freedoms for centuries and often times, they were not the victors. In the few years spent traveling to Ireland you'll hear a lot of the Irish people's plight for freedom and it was never an easy battle. Essentially this garden of remembrance signifies the Irish people and their contributions towards fighting for their freedoms. What I found interesting is that Our tour guide called himself a "blue blood" which in simpler terms he referred to him being a true Dublin local and that these garden means a lot to his people and those working in the city. He taught us a lot about the grounds, the fountains and statues. We toured the grounds with him and they were very nice and well kept. While looking over the fountain statues we were introduced to one of the groundskeepers as well. As lovely as it is it's also a somber place. We were told the story of what the children and swan statue represents, an Irish folklore. All interesting stuff and while the garden is free, I'd highly recommend hiring a local guide as there is so much we wouldn't have learned had we not had someone to tell us the history and stories of what we were looking at on the grounds.

Just like so many other memorials and tributes, this one is dedicated to victims of battle-people…read morefighting for their rights and freedom. No matter the culture, this seems to be a prevailing characteristic of humanity-we like to fight each other. It's a lovely little garden with a water feature in the center. There's a large sculpture at the end which depicts four children who were transformed into swans and will turn back into humans after 900 years, according to the legend of the Children of Lir.

Great gym but can get busy in the evening and sometimes they over charge me on my monthly feeread more

I cannot recommend this place enough, its my go to place for some sanctuary in the evenings…read more You can join this gym for €29 a month or pay €32 to roam between any of the Flyefit gyms. Its really well kitted out here, plenty of free weights, benches, machines, squat racks and most importantly bars and plates are in abundance. If you have any issues the staff are quick to email you back in the main office and the staff in the gym itself are always very pleasant too. Nobody really bothers you here so you can get in and get it done if thats your kind of thing. They even have astro type fake well cushioned grass to stretch on and do floor exercises. Obviously if you come here during peak times you are asking for it - take your place among the rat run. But if you can get in when its quiet there is plenty of space to practice your best poses for the Arnold Classic! Never had a problem here, would genuinely be sad if I left Dublin to see the back of this place. Its a great gym... Come here on Friday and Saturday nights if you want to get to grips with a different kinda bar.

I'm new to Jiu Jitsu and was more than a little nervous about joining a class. The level of…read morededication, the warmth of the welcome, the care taken with instruction as well as the encouragment to ask questions has been overwhelming. Good vibes all 'round !

From the owner: 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in the heart of Dublin city. We provide high quality technical instruction in…read morea fun and safe environment 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is the next evolution of BJJ. Eddie Bravo's open minded and innovative approach means that new techniques and approaches are integrated into the System almost as soon as they arise. 10th Planet is always growing, always evolving, meaning we all have to grow and change to keep up.

This skatepark is hip as they come. There is a range of jumps and slides here for the more…read moreexperienced skater and the entry fee is reasonably low plus safety is a consideration so helmets must be worn at all times possible. This park is seasonal though so best to check out the website before you go along.

I am basing my 3 starts on the fact that I was looking for something in particular. So a number of…read moreyears ago I use to bodyboard with an ex - and with the break up I lost my beloved bodyboard! So I am now on the look out for a board again and I have been frequenting many of the surf/outdoor shops to get a new one. And when I do get my new bodyboard I shall hold onto it for dear life never lose it in any break up! This shop/ship was pretty cool. Great idea to locate it in a ship! At one stage when i was standing in the shop taking a photo I though to myself 'oh my why an I feeling dizzy?' then I remembered Im in a boat and its swaying! Good enough stock I guess - surf boards, wet suits, the usual water sports stuff. They didn't really have much variety in bodyboards which was disappointing for me! Nice staff - she was pretty helpful. Surfs up dude - the search continues!

We ordered two wetsuits online and they were available for collection the same day. Great price and…read morethey fit was perfectly . The staff were very friendly and I would highly recommend shopping here

On this Monday morning I found myself at this park... Small…read moreand simple; a few park benches and a playground. Sweet

This is one of Dublin's 5 Georgian Squares....however this is one of the smaller ones. The park has…read moreso many facilities that will keep little people entertained for hours, with a newish playground that is separated in to baby area and kiddy area! An enclosed basketball court/football area is always busy and they even have a permanent table tennis table!! The grassy area is small with flowers with a sundial in the centre!!