Top picks of quaint Irish places to see

Sherri – I suppose tops for unusual and thought provoking would be The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare. Also the Aran Islands and the Conemara seaboard.

Ireland is not very blessed with extremes of landscape….though that is maybe part of its charm.

Quaint?? Please!!

There’s nothing quaint about Dublin. If you want to see quaint, hire a copy of the ‘quiet man’ on video or dvd;-)

My top 5 interesting places to visit would be
(1)The house of Lords chamber of the bank of Ireland building on Dame street. On Tues and Thursdays there is a free lecture on the history of the place. (2) Trinity College. (3)Grafton street. The only street I’ve ever walked, where you can hear Jaz music at the beggining and a string quartet by the time you reach the end. In between, you’ll probably have heard rendtions of beatles songs, seen a crazy bloke swallow fire and witnessed some nutters walking on glass. (4) For a change from the predictable, visit pooebeg power station (The really tall chimneys) You can go on a tour and it’s located smack bang in the middle of the industrial docks area. (5) The Masonic lodge on Kildare street. (6) (OK, I said 5, but I’m being greedy!) Up the top of Graton street is Stevens Green. A nice respite from a tiring day. It’s a city park with a sculpted landscape. It includes 2 lakes with an abundance of bird life which you can feed – to your cat! It also contains a statue of Oscar Wilde, who you can go up to and tell about the interesting tiring day you’ve had!

Regards,

D

The casino at Marino. A truely unique building and overlooked by too many – tourists and locals alike.
It’s a 3 story summer house (guest house?) cleverly fitted into what looks like a little greek temple

http://www.iol.ie/~stdavids/pictures/marino_small1.jpg

http://www.iol.ie/~stdavids/Marino_contents.html

Oscar Wilde is in Merrion Square, not Stephens Green.

my suggestions: go up to the chester beatty library behind dublin castle. go out to powerscourt estate. check out the casino in marino. get the dart out to dunlaoghaire and walk down to the fortyfoot.

My suggestions:

Ballymun Towers
Sherrif Street flats
The Roundabouts with sculpted burnt out car art in Jobstown
The innovative housing in Finglas
Tayto Crisp Factory in Coolock.

That will bring you a new definition of quaintness.

aaah Murpho…. no wonder poor auld Bord Failte is having such a hard tiem with people like you around

I’d recommend Iveagh GArdens behind the National Concert Hall, theres an access from one of the lanes off Harcourt Street

ST Michans for the mummified bodies
JJ

Killiney Hill gives you a great view of the city and a nice walk to boot. Get the Dart to Dalkey, walk around by Coliemore Harbour out Vico Road, up one of the paths to Killiney Hill, down the other side, lunch in Dalkey then back on the DART to town, Sunday morning is usually nice and quiet!!

Bank of Ireland/Old Parliament House is on College Green, just to be a pedant.

City Hall on Dame Street is Dublin’s hidden treasure & is a must visit.

Also, to transport yourself back nearly 300 years, (and take your life in your hands) Henrietta Street on the northside is quite extraordinary.

Blessington Basin in the North inner city and the linear park above it.
The walk from Phibsboro along the Royal Canal is nice especially if you went as far as the M50 aqueduct at Blanchardstown, but you won’t because it’s about a five-mile walk.
The suspension bridge in Dundrum is worth seeing as is the Herbert Park in Ballsbridge.
Both North and South Wall of Dublin Bay are lovely walks.
Hill of Howth is as nice if not nicer than the walk around Killiney Hill.
In one afternoon, you could go to the Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, the jail in Kilmainham and the absolutely beautiful War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge.
Dublin Zoo and Botanic Gardens, even though they feature in every tourist guides, are both great.

don’t forget to go dog racing in shelborne park.

Speaking of Phibsborough – An interesting area and home to the great Bohemian fc! Next game is on 26th Jan. Here you will be entralled by the sheer grace of Dublins and indeed Irelands finest exponents of ‘the beautifull game’!

get on the DART and get off at Dun Laoghaire, go to the East Pier and take a long walk to the end and back – its a great way to forget about life.

Also, the Bohemians game tomorrow (26th) is against Derry City, who will probably bring loads of fans (a: because they bring loads anyway, and b: because its the last game of the season and they’re in a bit of trouble.)
Go to soccerbot http://www.soccerbot.com/fai/tables/irprem03.htm to see what the situation is.

Sherri – The Saturday market in meeting House square in Temple bar is pretty nice – as is the Gallery of Photography beside it and the Irish Film Centre – you gotta spend some time on an Island – I recommend Inisboffin outside Clifden near Galway – you’re mobile phone wont work, the shop opens for about 2 hours a day, the pub opens till 3 in the morning (or later) – great music, lovely people – spectacular scenery – theres also a horse riding school that will bring over hills and along a fantastic white sandy beach…no one mentioned any of the pubs in Dulblin did they? Try Keoghs, The Stags Head, Grogans, The Long Hall, The Gravediggers up in Phibsborough (after you’ve been to the Botantic Gardens – or instead).. avoid any pub within Temple Bar like your life depended on it unless you want to meet an English Stag Party or the type of tourist who sits over a glass of Guinness for 3 hours… – enjoy anyways!

By the way kefu that afternoon walk around Kilmainham and its environs should I would suggest, also include after leaving the War Memorial Gardens that one enters the old swinging gates of the Park and walk up the old steps and view what has to be Dublin’s finest monument the Wellington Monument and then walk down Chesterfield Ave’ and have a few pints in Ryan’s of Parkgate St.

CRC- The best of luck to The Gypsies in EUROPE you had a great season. I’m really looking forward to seeing Bohs carrying the flag of the National League afar but St. Pats will be hot on your tails next season and despite Brian Kerr being a saint himself I feel the FAI should have gone for Bryan Robson. I really hope I’m wrong.

well the palace is in the temple bar but worth a visit.

PAPWORTH – I’m a Derry City fan not a Bohs fan!!!

Never mind – I’ll take the sentiment as we’re going to be in Europe next season too thanks to our FAI Cup win!!!

The seafront walk at between Bull Island has it all – sea, sky, wildlife and a gritty urban feel, with Howth head to the north, the Ringsend Chimneys and docks to the south, ships coming in and out and Liberty Hall and the Spike visible in the distance. More Real Dublin than Killiney Hill any day.

Temple Bar food market in Meeting House Square on Saturdays.

The Wicklow Way, accessible from near Powerscourt – stunning walks and views for even the not-very-fit, a few miles from the city.

I see the Sunday Times have compiled a supplement on the essential most noteworthy places to visit in Britain and Ireland and have listed over the the last two Sundays for Ireland the Burren and Glendalough, among a few other places that I can’t recall but they are surprised / note in the article that no renovations / protection of what remains have been carried out in Glendalough since the 19th C they plan to cover for Ireland in this weekend’s supplement Kilmainham Gaol.

Some other places in Ireland mentioned:

Carrick-a Rede rope bridge Co. Antrim
Clonmacnoise Monastery
Iniscrone, Sligo

The supplement is called ‘AMAZINGPLACES’
100 Great escapes in Britain and Ireland. So there you go escape!! inside Kilmainham Gaol this Sunday !!

…and when you’ve done all them, you could try the Natural History Museum on Merrion Street – an old forgotten (and hence untouched) victorian museum [go for the dead animals, stay for the wierd atmosphere].
I think it is still intact
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?s=&threadid=616

Mountjoy Prison. A beautiful place of contemplation for those with plenty of time on their hands……

Marvel at the victorians’ ability to bring those with lofty ambitions back to heel…. Centrally located, with many famous “residents”!

Enter at your own risk!

Originally posted by sherrioverseas
-realized that a woman in a red coat is a tad conspicuous on Henrietta Street

should have said you were visiting the street…. i always need a break 😉

Anybody reading this post now………Castletown House Castletown House Castletown House!!!!!! I cant say it enough! There are some pictures on this site bit believe me its worth seeing it its full glory. Take the 67/67A (Bus stop just up from that Clarance hotel) and alight at the top of Celbridge Main street, after a quiet walk up the tree lined (but some what poyhole infested) avenue you place tour hand under your jaw and turn your head left. I need not say more. Its open from April to spetember and cpsts about 4 euro admission.

Castletown is wonderful…must revisit someday

http://www.irish-architecture.com/castletown/

All you need is a sunny day and an ice pop! I’m such a child!
However i’m concerned i heard about a year or two ago that there was a industrial part planned for the lands to the west of whats left of the estate near lexlip, I know nothing of it now tho.

I know what you mean about Henrietta St, the first time I wandered up there, aside from the shock of being transported back two & a half centuries, all you can think about is ‘I sooooo shouldn’t be here!’

It’s so ominous and seculuded, almost mysterious, esp the silence.

Regarding the Tayto factory in Coolock it could be said that apart from manufacturing an Irish cultural institution (Tayto crisps) this factory is an interesting example of Brutalism, mass in-situ concrete architecture of the 1970s.

Do a web search under section 482 of the 1997 Finance act it lists numerous properties well off the beaten track, where one would expect the full history of the property and not the disnyfied spin.