No time to be idle! Plenty of rich history and culture to be seen throughout Dublin!
The Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park is one of the largest city parks in Europe, featuring an excellent visitor centre with a café, exhibition space and interesting information about the history of the park. The home of the president is also here. A beautiful green landscape with over 30% of the park covered in trees, thousands of sporting events are held within the grounds each year and the Victorian People’s Flower Gardens are brimming with colour during the spring and summer months.
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GPO
The General Post Office (GPO) is the headquarters of the Irish postal service and is one of Ireland’s most famous buildings. It was the last of the great Georgian public buildings erected in the capital and during the Easter Rising of 1916, the GPO served as the headquarters of the uprising’s leaders. The original columns outside are still pocked with bullet-marks from the assault by the British forces. The GPO moved several times before finding its current place at the centre of Dublin’s O’Connell Street. At first the offices were located in buildings around College Green, but in August 1814, construction of a purpose-built headquarters began. The building was completed in January 1818, at a cost of £50,000. The building was designed by Francis Johnston, an architect with the Board of Works, in Greek revival style. The main section was made with Wicklow granite and the portico, the roof structure over the entrance, of Portland stone. The statues on the roof, by sculptor John Smyth, are of Hibernia, a classical representation in female form of the island of Ireland, with Fidelity to one side and Mercury (the messenger of the gods) to the other.
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Guinness Storehouse
If you visit the home of the black stuff you will be visiting Ireland’s number one tourist attraction. As you approach the famous gates you can sense the old days of 1759 before entering the learned experience that is the storehouse. Take in the tour and then relax with a pint of Guinness while taking in one the best views of Dublin from the Gravity Bar. The Storehouse is laid out over seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. The ground floor introduces the beer’s four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), and the brewery’s founder, Arthur Guinness. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking. The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar with views of Dublin and where visitors may drink a pint of Guinness. The Guinness Storehouse explains the history of Guinness. The story is told through various interactive exhibition areas including ingredients, brewing, transport, cooperage, advertising and sponsorship. At the base of the atrium lies a copy of the 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness on the brewery site. In the Perfect Pint bar, visitors may pour their own pint of Guinness. The Brewery Bar on the fifth floor offers Irish cuisine, using Guinness both in the cooking and as an accompaniment to food.
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Croke Park
Steeped in history, Croke Park is home to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)’s biggest sporting organisation. During the Irish War of Independence, on November 21, 1920, the park was the scene of a massacre when British forces entered the grounds and fired shots into the crowd, killing 14. Eighty seven years on, a major change in Irish attitude saw Croke Park hosting not only what was considered a foreign game, but welcoming the English rugby team to the grounds. More recently, in 2011, the Queen of England paid a visit to the grounds, in a bid to advance the peace process.
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Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle castle was originally built in the 13th century on a site previously settled by the Vikings it functioned as a military fortress, a prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years. Rebuilt in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Dublin Castle is now used for important State receptions and Presidential Inaugurations. The castle was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland before being ceremonially handed over to the newly formed Provisional Government led by Michael Collins. Dublin Castle fulfilled a number of roles through its history and is now used for important State receptions and Presidential Inaugurations. Access for visitors with disabilities to State Apartments, Chapel Royal and restaurant.
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The Round Room At The Mansion House
Ireland’s Premier Events Venue since 1821. The Round Room has been the venue of choice for Ireland’s most impressive events since 1821. Arguably the most beautiful event space in Dublin; the unique Round Room venue is entirely circular in shape with a fantastic dome ceiling drenched in stars. The Round Room is incredibly versatile and the perfect setting for:
- Gala Dinners
- Award Ceremonies
- Conferences
- Corporate Events
- Fashion Shows
- Exhibitions
A truly ‘blank canvas’ The Round Room has full in-house production capabilities, which allows our team to cater for bespoke requirements and create spectacular themed events for our clients. Unique concepts can be created with lighting, draping and table centre pieces to transform The Round Room that will wow and impress your guests just as it has impressed the many Kings and Queens who have graced the venue.
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Gaiety Theatre
A truly traditional theatre experience, the architecture and décor inside The Gaiety Theatre is exquisite. Lit by decadent chandeliers and with plush red seats to relax into make going to the theatre even more special. With the option to pre-book parking and pre-book your drinks for the intermission, it’s a night of luxury if you let it be. For 142 years The Gaiety Theatre has given the people of Dublin opera, musicals, drama, revues, comedy, concerts, dance, festivals and pantomime.
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Smock Alley Theatre
A 200-seater theatre that is drenched in history, the Smock Alley Theatre dates back to 1662. Its architectural and historical importance should not overshadow its comtemporay place in Dublin’s theatre landscape, however. A raw interior backdrops some excellent ventures in suspension of disbelief and the space is at its best during the Fringe Festival.
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