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Sightseeing

Dublin may not be one of Europe's most visually stunning cities, but what it lacks in aesthetics it more than makes up for with its myriad attractions. Most of the sights are located south of the River Liffey in a district of gracious Georgian mansions and leafy avenues centred around Grafton Street and swanky St Stephen's Green. The main landmarks are Trinity College, Leinster House (the home of the Irish Parliament) and the National Gallery of Ireland. The Liffey is crossed by a number of bridges, including the famous Ha'Penny Bridge and the new Millennium Bridge. The Temple Bar district, once the site of Viking Dublin has recently reinvented itself. After its promising 1980's resurrection, Temple Bar did suffer under the weight of countless British stag and hen nights, scaring off locals and tourists alike. The tourist board and local publicans have since worked hard to deter the worst ravages of the pre-nuptial hordes.

Architecturally impressive are the historic cathedrals, Christ Church and St Patrick's, both vestiges of Anglo-Norman Dublin. The Norman city walls are on view from neighbouring Cook Street. Dublin Castle, the symbol of the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy, stands proud on Dame Street. The district of the Liberties lies to the west of St Patrick's Cathedral and is home to the Guinness Brewery, Irish Museum of Modern Art and Kilmainham Gaol - now a museum recounting the struggle for independence.

North of the Liffey the tourist hordes dissolve in a rougher, grittier area which Roddy Doyle generously summed up as having more 'soul' than sights. It contains the General Post Office (GPO), which has a façade pitted with gunfire from the Easter Rising of April 1916; the Dublin Writers Museum, The James Joyce Centre and the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art. The Custom House and Four Courts rival the Georgian mansions of the south in grandeur. Well worth the detour are Phoenix Park to the west and the sights (the Shaw Birthplace, Irish Jewish Museum and National Print Museum) located along the Grand Canal which loops around the south of the centre.

Tourist Information

Dublin Tourism Centre
Suffolk Street, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 605 7700. Fax: (01) 605 7757.
E-mail: information@dublintourism.ie
Website: www.visitdublin.com
Opening hours: Jul-Aug Mon-Sat 0830-1830, Sun 1030-1500; Sep-Jun Mon-Sat 0900-1730 and Sun 1030-1500.

There are other tourist information offices at Dublin Airport; Baggot Street Bridge; Dún Laoghaire Harbour; Exclusively Irish (O'Connell Street); and The Square, Tallaght.

Passes
The Supersaver Card is available for Ir£16 (concessions available) from March to October at all Dublin tourist information offices and the seven participating attractions (Dublin's Viking Adventure, Malahide Castle, Shaw Birthplace, Fry Model Railway, Dublin Writers Museum, Newbridge House, The James Joyce Museum). The card grants free admission without queuing. Three-way combined tickets (Dublin Writers Museum, The James Joyce Museum and the Shaw Birthplace) cost Ir£6.50 (concessions available).



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