Welcome to Dublin: Private 2.5-hour Introductory Walking Tour

A National Icon

There are few greater symbols of the dramatic history of Irish Republicanism than Dublin’s General Post Office. Inaugurated on the 1st of June 1818, the magnificently fronted building was famously the headquarters of the Easter Rising in 1916. Also known as the Easter Rebellion, the movement was a bold attempt to end Britain’s rule of Ireland while the majority of its military forces were engaged in the First World War.

Though the rebellion was crushed within a week by vastly superior numbers and firepower, and its ringleaders executed, the event was instrumental in reinvigorating Irish republicanism and is considered a landmark event in bringing about the end of British rule. Walking around the GPO today, you cannot help but be drawn into the history of the place as you examine the bullet and shrapnel holes that pepper the outer walls. The year 2016 marks the centenary of the rising, and a variety of events and exhibitions have been planned across the city to commemorate it.

Stone and Fire

Even without its impact on the course of Irish history, the GPO would still easily merit a visit. One of the capital’s great Georgian buildings, its 67-metre wide granite façade immediately catches the eye as you stroll down O’Connell street, the city’s main thoroughfare. A beautiful Ionic portico consisting of six fluted columns serves as the building’s centerpiece, summited by statues of Mercury, Fidelity and Hibernia on the pediment. Though a large part of the building was destroyed by fire following the heavy shelling of 1916, the grandeur and national pride contained within this old post office remains untarnished.

2016 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the pretty Ha’penny bridge, which is arguably Dublin’s most photographed structure. Without doubt it is the most popular of the River Liffey’s 20 bridges, with an average of 30,000 pairs of feet crossing it each day – compared with just 450 when it first opened.

From Boats to Bridges

In the early 1800s the only way to cross the river was by using one of seven ferries, which were dilapidated and often dangerous. The city gave the ferry operator, William Walsh, an ultimatum: either fix the ferries, or build a bridge. He chose the latter option, and was given the right to charge a halfpenny toll to each person who crossed it, from which the bridge takes its name. Officially called the Liffey bridge, it was the only pedestrian bridge to span the river until the opening of the Millenium Bridge in 1999.

These days, the bridge has come a long way from its businesslike origins. The toll was scrapped in 1919, and in its place has grown an irresistible romanticism that has won the affection of an entire city. Buskers strum hopefully for the passersby, young couples stroll along hand in hand and pretty period lanterns gently illuminate the scene as dusk falls. In fact, the bridge’s romantic air became rather too much for it in 2013, when the city council was forced to remove over 300kg of “love locks” – padlocks bearing a couple’s names and attached to the bridge – citing a risk of structural failure.

No trip to Dublin would be complete without a pint of Guinness, and the buzzing Temple Bar area is the perfect place to find one. Its cobbled streets, liberally hung with all manner of traditional Irish decorations, are home to a wide variety of quirky shops, stalls, and of course the numerous pubs and bars for which the area is renowned. While the district is perhaps not quite as authentic in its Irishness as its “cultural quarter” promotions might lead you to believe, there is no mistaking the spirit of the Emerald Isle which adds a unique twist to everything you pass.

A Colourful History

In the Middle Ages this area was little more than a suburb of Dublin, outside the city walls, and for three centuries it suffered badly at the hands of raiders. The 17th Century provided some rare respite for this historically troubled spot, as much of the land was converted into gardens for wealthy English families. After another hundred years, however, it had become Dublin’s centre for prostitution, and continued to experience decline and decay until the 1980s, when plans for a large new bus terminus drove down the area’s rent prices. This in turn caused an influx of young people, small businesses and galleries. The bus station scheme was eventually abandoned, and Temple Bar has thrived ever since.

Something for Everyone

Modern Temple Bar hums with an atmosphere driven by live music, good beer and delicious traditional food. The Oliver St. John Gogarty, The Porterhouse and The Auld Dubliner are some of the more famous spots, but there are plenty of lower-key hangouts if you are willing to explore a bit. Temple Bar Square hosts a book market every weekend, while the recently renovated Meetinghouse Square houses a weekly food market on Sundays.

Walking through the grounds of Ireland’s oldest university, it is easy to forget that you are in the middle of a modern capital city. Spread out over almost 50 acres, its wide-open grassy spaces and ancient quads provide a welcome break from the bustle of central Dublin and manage to combine a friendly, student-driven atmosphere with a strong sense of history. Elizabeth I founded Trinity in 1592 as part of an effort to prevent promising young Dubliners heading to Europe to pursue a university education. Since then, it has developed into one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, and can boast alumni such as Oscar Wilde, Francis Bacon and Jonathon Swift. 

The Pages of History

Foremost among Trinity’s attractions is its library. A masterpiece of 17th century architecture, its original building would once have towered over the rest of the university. Even now, surrounded by building of comparable size, the old library dominates the view of the university from Nassau Street. Inside are housed no fewer five million books. The most famous of these is the Book of Kells, a 1200-year-old illuminated gospel manuscript widely regarded as one of Ireland’s finest historical artefacts. The old library also features the gorgeous Long Room, whose polished two-storey shelves stretch back a full 65m, interspersed with marble busts of historical figures associated with the university.

Bad luck of the Irish

Another of Trinity’s most important structures is the Campanile, a 30m belltower located in the centre of the university campus. Its size and form are impressive from any angle, but beware walking beneath it - legend has it that anyone passing under the tower when the bells begin to ring will be doomed to a lifetime of bad luck.

A Den of Vice

This site next to Dublin Castle at the top of Parliament Street was not always occupied by so prestigious and grand a building as the City Hall. In the mid-1700s a tavern called The Eagle became the sordid hangout of the Earl of Rosse’s infamous Hellfire Club, whose drunken, debaucherous and occasionally diabolical revelries became the stuff of Dublin legend. These days, the sex and satanism have been toned down but the location is no less widely renowned.

A Celebrated Restoration

Designed by Thomas Cooley and completed in 1779, Dublin City Hall marked the introduction to Ireland of the European neoclassical architectural style, and remains an exquisite example of it. When it was converted into a government building in the mid-1800s, the team tasked with overseeing the alterations to the building created a number of unsightly additions to the structure which ruined its overall aesthetic effect. Thankfully, an award-winning restoration program in the early 21st century has returned City Hall to its former Georgian splendour.

Trading Places

After paying a €4 entry fee, you are admitted into the rotunda, a spectacular entrance hall crowned by a large dome, which is supported by 12 marble columns. You can wander between the columns, over the gorgeous floor mosaics and around the ambulatory surrounding the rotunda, and your footsteps will follow those of the merchants who once discussed business in this place over 200 years ago.

In the vaults downstairs there is a multimedia exhibition detailing the history of Dublin from the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1170 to the present day. For an entry of only €2, it is well worth a visit.

Dublin Castle is not quite what the name might lead you to expect. Though it does boast an impressive 800-year history, having been commissioned and built by King John of England in the early 13th Century, only the Record Tower now remains of the original stone structure, and it now feels more akin to an 18th Century stately home than a mighty medieval fortress.

England’s stronghold in Ireland

Nevertheless, the castle is certainly worth a visit, if only because its history is in many respects the history of Dublin itself. Its succession of significant historical episodes peaked a century ago during the fierce struggle for Irish independence, which was eventually secured, together with the keys to the castle, in 1922. You can walk through the room where James Connolly, the leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, was kept prisoner tied to a chair prior to his highly provocative execution. During the Anglo-Irish war for independence a few years later, three key IRA members were tortured and killed within the walls of the castle on the evening of that conflict’s “bloody Sunday”.

Visiting the castle today is thankfully not so harrowing. Its spacious grounds are perfect for a stroll on a sunny day, and there is a café to one side for those who want to rest their weary legs. Taking a tour will allow you to see St. Patrick’s Hall, where new Irish presidents are inaugurated. The highlight of your visit should be a trip down to the undercroft of the castle. Accidentally discovered in 1986, it is possible to see an ancient Viking foundation, as well as the remaining dribble of the River Poddle, which once supplied the moat.