Unique Things To Do In Dublin

An Overview of Dublin

Dublin is a massive Viking-founded city and the modern capital of Ireland. The city serves as the central hub for the majority of Ireland’s culture and economic engine.  It boasts an extremely unique scholastic history and is the site for some of the most famous alcoholic beverages in the country. Known as the entry point for the rest of Ireland, Dublin is famed for it’s proud history of writers, intellectuals and poets. There are many unique things to do in Dublin.

Unique Things To Do In Dublin

The Book of Kells

The influence of this tome is impossible to overstate. The Book of Kells was once considered the single most valuable item in all of Western culture. It’s the most famous word-art book of Irish culture and stands as a riveting masterpiece housed in Trinity College.  The Book is an illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament with arrestingly intense attention to detail. The book is a hallmark of Irish culture and can be seen featured in Trinity College. Due to the Book’s immense popularity, tickets must be pre-booked.

The Long Room Library in Trinity College

This Long Room is considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. This library contains an enormous series of alcoves and hallways with arched roofs and thousands of gorgeously preserved books lining the shelves. Entry to the Library is free.

Statue of Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was a Irish writer of titanic influence and talent, helping define Irish literature and a proud contributor to the arts as a playwright. The Statue of Oscar Wilde is a whimsical statue of the famous son of Ireland lounging in a quiet green space in Merrion Square Park.

Ha’Penny Bridge

The Ha’Penny Bridge is a famous bridge of cast iron arcing over the River Liffey, famous for its scenic views and long history. The bridge was solely a pedestrian bridge, which citizens in the 1800s used to reach both sides of Dublin.

The Famine Memorial in Dublin

These are stark and harrowing sculptures on the bank of the River Liffey recalling the devastating Irish Famine. During the immortalized humanitarian crisis, Ireland lost half of it’s population to death, starvation and emigration.

Kingship and Sacrifice

Located within the National Museum of Ireland, there is a permanent exhibition regarding Irish Mummies.  These withered human sacrifices were well-preserved in the Irish peat bogs, eventually prompting the exhibit as well as the Bog Bodies Research Project. Entry into the musuem itself is free. The museum is filled with many other ancient cultural artifacts, making it one of the most unique things to do in Dublin.

Ancient Bog Butter

Occasionally, people in rural Ireland uncover Bog Butter while working in the peat marshes near their homes.  These butters deposits are still somewhat edible centuries later thanks to the preservation qualities of peat bogs.  There is a 2,300 year old block of bog butter at the National Museum of Ireland thought to be still edible (though probably not tasty).

St. Stephen’s Green

St. Stephen’s Green is an iconic setting in James  Joyce’s “Ulysses.” This park area is shrouded in dappled lights and calm water features. There are walking trails and city memorials throughout the park.

The Proclamation Sculpture

This is an outdoor sculpture of martyrs, recalling the leaders of the Easter Rising and authors of the Irish proclamation of Independence. Fourteen figures stand in a megalithic ring around a bronze plaque containing the Irish Proclamation of Independence.

National Leprechaun Museum

This is a surprisingly lighthearted museum focusing on the faeries and fae of Irish legends. The museum is privately owned and spends a considerable amount of time covering Irish traditional folklore and storytelling. The museum accepts walk-ins, but there is an admission fee.

The Garden of Remembrance

This is a large sunken garden with a mosaic of shattered swords and wrecked shields beneath large bodies of water. The space is dedicated to the memory of “all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom.”

Tain Bo Cuailnge Mosaic

This is a grand, bright mural depicting the story of “The Cattle-Raid of Cooley.”  This tragic tale follows the champion of Ulster Cuchulain, a figure in pagan Irish mythos.  The mural shows Cuchulain’s legendary duels of the fords, the tragic fight of the bulls of Ulster, the machinations of Queen Medb, Cuchulain’s slaying of the hound and the hero’s untimely death tied to a tree.

The Hungry Tree

This is an 80-year old tree which has extended to encase the cast iron bench placed at its base, incorporating the metal furniture into its devouring trunk. While not a planned attraction, the phenomena is interesting to see.

Phoenix Park

This is an open air park which hosts a mobile, free-range deer herd, one of the few substantial herds remaining in Ireland. Entry into the park is free, but it exists a bit further out from the city’s center. It may be necessary for visitors to take transportation to reach the park.

Howth

Howth is an ancient village that became an outer suburb as Dublin expanded.  Despite its proximity to the city, Howth is notorious for its hiking tours thanks to its scenic and traditional surroundings. The Irish village is home to the Howth Castle, a series of rhododendron gardens, a small transport museums, a vintage radio musuem in Martello Tower, the medieval ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey, a cliffside hiking trails, the Baily Lighthouse and several other walking routes. The town also has views of Ireland’s Eye, an offshore bird sanctuary and ancient church site. A relaxing day in Howth is one of the most unique things to do in Dublin.

Suffolk Street Molly Malone Statue

Molly Malone is a rivetingly popular Irish folk tale with a popular song attatched to the story. The tale and song both follow the story of a woman working all day selling fish in an attempt to stay ahead of crushing bills. She sadly died during a Cholera outbreak which regularly used to sweep the city of Dublin. The statue of Molly and her cart is affectionately nicknamed ‘The Tart with the Cart’ by Dubliners.

Mountpelier Hill – The Hell Fire Club

Located to the south of Dublin, this is a large hill topped with a ruined, crumbling building. The building is widely believed to be one of the first Freemason lodges in Ireland, granting the landmark it’s secondary name, The Hell Fire Club. According to legend, the club members were once playing a game of cards in the venue, when a stranger joined the game. When a club member dropped his cards, he reached to pick it up, only to find the stranger had cloven hoods, revealing himself to be the devil incarnate. Learning about Mountpelier Hill is one of the unique things to do in Dublin.

Iveagh Gardens

This small garden space is home to a unique collection of landscapes designed in 1865 and largely restored during the 1990s. The gardens are home to various fountains, hedges, statues and sundials, but the most famous feature is a quaint series of tumbling waterfalls known as the Waterfall Iveagh Gardens.

Natural History Building – National Museum of Ireland

This building is the famed “Dead Zoo” of Ireland. This Victorian building is absolutely cluttered with taxidermy animals and important minerals found throughout Ireland’s country-sides and oceans. The various animal skeletons in the museum are especially well-showcased.

St. Audoen’s Gate

Dublin was defended for generations during the medieval period by dense stone walls which fended off raiders, foreigners and invading clans.  The walls gradually crumbled, but this portion is still intact.

Kilmainham Gaol

Ireland’s most infamous prison was built upon the city’s gallows area. It was once a working prison, operating until 1924.  It remained notorious for incarcerating rebellion prisoners who were housed there. Irish Nationalist leaders were often imprisoned and executed within the dark structure. It is one of the more unique things to do in Dublin. Though the prison remains historically important and standing, it has a legacy as one of the most hated buildings in Dublin.

Glasnevin Cemetery

This is an enormous cemetery housing some of the most significant figures in Irish history.

Christ Church Cathedral

This church was once a Middle Age pilgrimage site. The structure was built in 1028 and showcases numerous exhibits. Strongbow, or Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare, was buried in 1176 in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin 

The Spire

Located in the center of O’Connell Street is the Spire, a huge needle-like monument also known as the Monument of Light for its bright visage at night.  It was built on the site of the Nelson Pillar after explosion damaged the original structure in 1966.

Temple Bar Pub

This is undoubtedly the most photographed and iconic bar of Dublin. This historic red structure is covered in lights and flowers alike. The bar is a very popular sport for tourists, and serves pints of beer at tourist prices. The entire street is also called Temple Bar, thanks to the numerous drinking venues found on the popular pedestrian road.

Murphy’s Ice Cream

While the original shop is located in Dingle, the branch has extended to the capital to sell ice cream specifically native to Ireland and their Kerry Cows.  Unique flavors include Dingle Gin, Irish Brown Bread, Honeycomb Caramel, Dingle Sea Salt and Irish Coffee.

The Guinness Storehouse Factory

One of the most popular attractions in Dublin is designed to look exactly like a pint.  Tours go through seven floors of Irish brewing history and the the story of the Guinness family.

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