- 'Molly Malone', traditional song
.
So go the words of the old song. You won't find cockles or mussels on sale anymore, but there are plenty of other things to see and do in Dublin.

Dublin is the capital of the Irish Republic and is the biggest city in Ireland by far, with more than one quarter of the total population of the country living in or around the city. It has grown to this size only in the last 70 years, so the centre of the city is still quite small.

Old Dublin
Dublin was founded by the Vikings in about 800 AD, on the south bank of the River Liffey, in the area that is now Christchurch Cathedral. The name Dublin comes from Dubh Linn meaning 'Black Pool'. A tributary of the Liffey formed a large pool as it met the river. It was here that the Vikings set up their camp. The pool is long gone but the name remains. The original city was walled and very small. There is still one section of the wall remaining. The main things to see in Old Dublin are its two cathedrals.

St. Stephen's Green
St. Stephen's Green is a 27 acre park in the heart of Dublin city centre. A popular lunchtime retreat for many of the office workers in the area, it was originally open public ground until 1663 when the Corporation fenced the area off. The green was then sold and the ground was closed to the public. It was during this time that the Georgian houses around the Green were built. The Green remained private ground until 1877 when Sir A. E. Guinness, a member of the Guinness brewing family, pushed an act through Parliament making the Green open to the public once again. He later paid for the laying out of the Green including the gardens and the ponds which date from 1880. The park has many statues including memorials to Yeats and also to James Joyce. Also present are the Three Fates, a group of bronze female figures watching over man's destiny. The Green today is very popular, particularly during the summer, to go and spend time watching the passing crowds or just spending time in the sunshine. The gates of the Green are open according to daylight hours.

St Patrick's Cathedral
St Patrick's Cathedral is the main cathedral of Dublin and the biggest church in Ireland. It belongs to the Church of Ireland, a protestant church closely related the Anglican and Episcopal churches. You can wander around the cathedral, except during services. The cathedral was built in 1200 - 1270, but many parts were added over the centuries and it was completely restored at the end of the 19th Century. There are monuments in the cathedral to many rich and famous people who either were buried or had their funerals in St. Patrick's. Look out for Jonathon Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels, who was the Dean of St. Patrick's in his day. There are also monuments to Douglas Hyde and Erskine Childers, two presidents of the Republic of Ireland, and to Turlough Carolan, the last of the Bardic harpers.

Marsh's Library
Marsh's library is attached to St Patrick's Cathedral. The library was founded in 1701 and most of the books date from around that time.

Christchurch Cathedral
Christchurch Cathedral is the smaller of Dublin's two cathedrals. It is at the top of Patrick Street.

Dublinia
Dublinia is a modern exhibition on the history of Dublin. It is located in the building across the road from Christchurch Cathedral, connected to it by a bridge.

Temple Bar
The area between Dame Street and the River Liffey is known as Temple Bar. This area was scheduled for demolition to make room for a bus depot in the '80s. Instead, it was decided to refurbish it as the nightlife centre of Dublin. The area is a maze of tiny streets, many of them for pedestrians only. It is full of pubs, cafés and restaurants, as well as shops selling art ranging from cheap knick-knacks to high quality sculpture. There is a gourmet food market on Saturday mornings in Meeting House Square.

The Halfpenny Bridge
Leading from Temple Bar across the river is Dublin's most famous landmark, the Halfpenny Bridge (pronounced 'hape-nee'). This is a single arch pedestrian bridge, made from cast iron in 1816.
It is very picturesque and a common subject of tourist photographs. The original toll for crossing the bridge was one halfpenny. This was half a day's wages for a working man. Only the aristocracy could afford to cross the bridge. Now the bridge is free and thousands of Dubliners cross it each day. At the north end of the bridge, watch out for the bronze statue of the two women taking a rest from their shopping expedition.

The Millennium Bridge
In the year 2000, a new pedestrian bridge was opened upstream from the Halfpenny Bridge. It is known as the Millennium Bridge. Built in a modern style, it has not been very favourably received as a work of art, but it serves a very useful function of uniting the pedestrian areas on the two sides of the river.

Guinness
Dublin is home to Guinness, the famous black beer which is consumed in vast quantities in Ireland. Guinness is technically known as Extra Stout Porter, but is usually just known as 'stout' or often just 'a pint'. Pouring a pint is a fine art, requiring patience and skill. The Guinness Brewery is situated at St. James's Gate in the west part of the city. Here they brew 2.5 million pints of the black stuff every day. Unfortunately, the brewery is no longer open for guided tours. The public are restricted to the Guinness Museum where there is an audio-visual presentation and a well-poured pint at the end.

Theatres
Dublin is famous for its theatre scene. Going to the theatre is considered a very normal way of spending an evening. The Gate and Abbey theatres are world famous, while there are many other theatres, both bigger and smaller, including the Gaiety, Olympia, Project, Tivoli and Andrew's Lane.
.
Once a year, Dublin hosts a Theatre Festival, with a vast array of different plays performed.
Guided Tours around Dublin There are two main types of guided tour around Dublin. A few companies offer tours of Dublin in open-topped buses.
.
A different type of tour is provided by the Viking Splash Tours, which are in World War II amphibious vehicles. Participants are provided with Viking helmets. The ride culminates in a 'splash' as the vehicle takes to the water. This ride will be familiar to anybody from Boston, Massachusetts, as it is exactly the same as Boston's 'Duck Tours'.

Shopping in Dublin
In the centre of the city, there are two main shopping areas. One is centred around Henry Street/Mary Street on the north side of the Liffey. The other is centred on Grafton Street on the south side. Both of these are pedestrian areas. At the top end of Grafton Street you will find St Stephen's Green, a pleasant park with a lake and ducks. At the bottom of Grafton Street at the junction with Nassau St, make sure to see the bronze statue of Molly Malone, the famous fishmonger of the song. Nassau Street has a large collection of shops with products ranging from shamrock-encrusted mugs to high-quality woollen garments.

Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells
Trinity College is a university situated in College Green, right in the heart of the city.
It is pleasant to stroll through the grounds of the college, away from the traffic. Trinity College's most prized possession is the Book of Kells. This is a transcription of the Bible's Four Gospels, dating from the year 800. It was written by Irish monks in the monastery of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland. It is the greatest example of Celtic Art in existence. Almost all the pages are highly decorated with drawings, knot work and intricate designs. The book has been rebound into four volumes. All of these are on display in glass cases in the Long Room of the Library. A page is turned in each book each day, so
you can see a different four pages if you come back another day.

Georgian Dublin and the Museums
Dublin underwent great expansion around 1800 and many elegant new streets were built in the style now known as 'Georgian'. These houses are brick-faced, with tall narrow windows, three to five storeys and elaborate front doors with arched fanlight windows and decorative pillars. Many of the Georgian houses still stand, particularly in the area around Fitzwilliam Square and Merrion Square. Most of them are now used as offices, but there are still many which are retained as family homes.

Number 29
The house known as Number 29 is situated in Fitzwilliam St. It was owned by a wealthy widow in 1800 and is now a museum. It has been redecorated to match as closely as possible the way it would have been then, with period furniture, hand-made wallpaper, original children's toys etc. Guided tours will explain the life of a wealthy Georgian Dubliner as well as the servants who kept the house running.

Merrion Square
This elegant Georgian square has houses on three sides and Leinster House on the fourth side. This enormous building now houses the Irish Parliament, the Dáil. In the centre is a very pleasant park with grass and flowers. In the north corner of this park is a very interesting statue of Oscar Wilde, the well-known wit and playwright. He lolls on a rock, surrounded by pillars inscribed with some of his more famous sayings, and gazes across at the house where he lived. Every Sunday morning, artists exhibit their work along the railings of Merrion Square. It is possible to get some very nice original paintings at reasonable prices.

The National Museum, Kildare Street
This museum concentrates on archaeological finds. Here you will find the Ardagh and Derrynaflan chalices. These are supreme examples of Celtic art, with intricate knot work ornamentation made from filigree gold. There is also Celtic jewellery with golden torcs and brooches. There is also a nicely presented exhibition of Egyptian treasures.

The National Gallery, Merrion Square
The National Gallery is a wonderful collection of fine art. Watch out in particular for:
St Francis of Assisi by El Greco
The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, an enormous painting
Paintings by Jack B. Yeats
Watercolours by Turner, only on display in January.
The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio.

The Museum of Natural History, Merrion Square
This museum is amazing. It is totally unchanged since around 1900. Wood and glass cases filled with stuffed animals mounted in dramatic poses fill the building.
Watch out in particular for the Dodo skeleton, one of the few in existence.

Smithfield
One of the oldest market areas on the north side of Dublin, Smithfield has been converted into a giant pedestrian square which can be used for outdoor concerts. Apartments are being built around the square which will bring some life back into this ancient area. Soon it will become as vibrant as Temple Bar on the south side of the Liffey.

Ceol - the Irish Traditional Music Exhibition
Located in Smithfield, Ceol is a fascinating multimedia exhibition of Irish traditional music. Guaranteed to have you singing along and stamping your feet. Beside the Ceol exhibition is a chimney which once belonged to the Jameson Whiskey distillery. You can travel up to the top of this in a glass-sided lift.

O'Connell Street
This street is officially the main street of Dublin. It is wide and has some impressive buildings on it.
A competition was held in 1999 for a central monument which would be placed in O'Connell Street to symbolise the city. The winning entry is an enormous metal spike which will be built at the junction of O'Connell Street and Henry Street. The spike will be about three metres wide at the base, narrowing to needle-sharp at the top. It will be 120m tall and the top three metres will be lit from within.
.
O'Connell Street's most impressive building is the GPO (General Post Office), which was the site of the insurrection in 1916. Most of the rebel leaders were executed, guaranteeing their status as martyrs to the cause of Irish freedom. The front porch of the GPO is still seen as a meeting place for some of the more reactionary proponents of Irish nationalism.