The 16th century institution of Trinity College is one of Dublin city centre's famous landmarks. When you walk inside the front gates the very first thing you see is the Front Square, with the Chapel and Examination Hall to its right and left. The oldest building on campus is the Rubrics student dormitory, built in 1701. It was updated and revamped in the 19th century. Beyond this again can be found New Square, home of the Venetian Gothic Museum Building, going back to 1852. The School of Engineering is found here ; the designer Benjamin Woodward employed the ideas of his comrade John Ruskin as a template. In and around this beautiful building can be seen stone carvings of various flora and fauna. The Douglas Hyde Studio and the Book of Kells, in the Old Library, are the biggest draw for visitors.
The tale of Kilmainham Gaol, which is counted among Europe's largest unoccupied jails, is in a number of ways the tale of Ireland and its struggle for autonomy from the late eighteenth century till the early twentieth century. The political and penal history of Kilmainham Gaol and its restoration are told in a very comprehensive exhibition, with an audio-visual show. A guide book in English is also available. Photography is permitted, although not video. The Gaol is located about 3.5km from Dublin Town Centre, and those with special needs can make arrangements for this before visiting as access is precisely by steered tour only which lasts about an hour. In winter months the Gaol, as one would expect, gets bitterly cold, so wrap up warm! The 79, 79A, 78A and 51B buses, all departing from Aston Quay, serve the Gaol.
St. Michan's Church was built on the foundations of a little Danish church from the 11th century. Nevertheless what stands here today is the results of a 17th century reconstruction. This Protestant church was last revived in 1998. The organ, reputed to have been the instrument on which Handel played his classic Messiah, goes back to 1724 and has the distinction of being among the oldest of its kind still in use in this country. Here may also be seen a 16th century chalice, together with an eighteenth century font and pulpit. Entry to the church itself is free, but entry to the crypt is by ticketed steered tour only. The limestone walls of this funeral chamber have aided the conservation of the bodies, some of which lie in open coffins. If you have always wanted to touch the hand of a mum, you have come to the right place. "Attractions" ( for want of a better word ) include a nun buried in the 1600s, a man with one hand and one foot, a Crusader who was cut in half so as to be placed in his coffin, and the executed Sheare Bros, who were concerned in the 1798 rebellion.
The Chester Beatty Library, winner of the 2002 Western european Museum of the Year award, is a fabulous testament to the person after which it was named, who was a productive collector of international books, manuscripts, prints, paintings, carvings, and sculptures. It contains one of the finest collections of Islamic artefacts, manuscripts all the way back to eight hundred / nine hundred AD, and the oldest known versions of the Gospels of the Evangelists Mark and Luke, the letters of St. Paul and the Book of Revelations. Take lunch mid-visit in the Silk Road Caf - it comes recommended.
The National Art Studio on Merrion Square, just around the corner from the National Museum on Kildare Street, is a have to see if you're a visitor to Dublin and you are a fan of the arts. Opened in 1868, one of the high points of the National Art Gallery's in depth Western European collection is a Caravaggio which was only re-discovered in 1990. But Irish artists such as Jack B. Yeats and the famous painter of watercolours, Joseph Mallord William Turner, also feature highly, in addition to Goya, Rembrandt and Picasso, to name but a few. Over 11,000 pieces are on view across 54 studios. Disabled visitors are well served by the facilities here.
The tale of Kilmainham Gaol, which is counted among Europe's largest unoccupied jails, is in a number of ways the tale of Ireland and its struggle for autonomy from the late eighteenth century till the early twentieth century. The political and penal history of Kilmainham Gaol and its restoration are told in a very comprehensive exhibition, with an audio-visual show. A guide book in English is also available. Photography is permitted, although not video. The Gaol is located about 3.5km from Dublin Town Centre, and those with special needs can make arrangements for this before visiting as access is precisely by steered tour only which lasts about an hour. In winter months the Gaol, as one would expect, gets bitterly cold, so wrap up warm! The 79, 79A, 78A and 51B buses, all departing from Aston Quay, serve the Gaol.
St. Michan's Church was built on the foundations of a little Danish church from the 11th century. Nevertheless what stands here today is the results of a 17th century reconstruction. This Protestant church was last revived in 1998. The organ, reputed to have been the instrument on which Handel played his classic Messiah, goes back to 1724 and has the distinction of being among the oldest of its kind still in use in this country. Here may also be seen a 16th century chalice, together with an eighteenth century font and pulpit. Entry to the church itself is free, but entry to the crypt is by ticketed steered tour only. The limestone walls of this funeral chamber have aided the conservation of the bodies, some of which lie in open coffins. If you have always wanted to touch the hand of a mum, you have come to the right place. "Attractions" ( for want of a better word ) include a nun buried in the 1600s, a man with one hand and one foot, a Crusader who was cut in half so as to be placed in his coffin, and the executed Sheare Bros, who were concerned in the 1798 rebellion.
The Chester Beatty Library, winner of the 2002 Western european Museum of the Year award, is a fabulous testament to the person after which it was named, who was a productive collector of international books, manuscripts, prints, paintings, carvings, and sculptures. It contains one of the finest collections of Islamic artefacts, manuscripts all the way back to eight hundred / nine hundred AD, and the oldest known versions of the Gospels of the Evangelists Mark and Luke, the letters of St. Paul and the Book of Revelations. Take lunch mid-visit in the Silk Road Caf - it comes recommended.
The National Art Studio on Merrion Square, just around the corner from the National Museum on Kildare Street, is a have to see if you're a visitor to Dublin and you are a fan of the arts. Opened in 1868, one of the high points of the National Art Gallery's in depth Western European collection is a Caravaggio which was only re-discovered in 1990. But Irish artists such as Jack B. Yeats and the famous painter of watercolours, Joseph Mallord William Turner, also feature highly, in addition to Goya, Rembrandt and Picasso, to name but a few. Over 11,000 pieces are on view across 54 studios. Disabled visitors are well served by the facilities here.
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