DK Travel : Dublin : Places of interest

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Sligo

This busy market town is home to the excellent Model Arts Centre, which incorporates the Niland Collection of Jack B Yeats’s paintings, as well as quirky, arty shops, good book-shops and fine restaurants. To the east of town is the lovely Lough Gill, with a number of woodland walks. The brooding outline of Ben Bulben Mountain and the beaches of Strandhill and Rosses Point are only 10 minutes’ drive away.
Sneem

This pretty village, backed by the 682-m (2,240-ft) Knockmoyle Mountain, resembles something out of a children’s picture book, with its houses all painted different colours. A popular, friendly place.
Spiddal

Officially Irish-speaking, and with a Gaelic summer school, Spiddal makes a pleasant stop on the Galway Bay coast road. Several craft workers have set up shop in the Spiddal Craft Village, where you can see pottery, weaving, knitting and other skilled work in progress, or buy the finished goods.
St Patrick’s Cathedral

Dublin’s “second” cathedral and long-time rival to Christ Church. Apart from the many monuments and plaques commemorating deceased dignitaries, and some fine architectural features, St Patrick’s most interesting association is with Jonathan Swift. Appointed dean at the beginning of the 18th century, Swift carried out much of his work from the cathedral. You can see his death mask, writing desk and chair in the north pulpit and the memorial to himself and “Stella” lies just inside the entrance.
Temple Bar

This hugely popular area is the heart of south Dublin and has a seemingly limitless array of cafés, restaurants and bars as well as interesting little shops and cultural centres. On the banks of the Liffey, the term “bar” meant a riverside path. Its bustling atmosphere and trendy businesses, residents and clientele are the personification of Dublin’s emergence in the 1990s as one of Europe’s most fashionable and popular cities.
The Ark

Workshops, art classes, plays, exhibitions and concerts geared towards children between 4 and 14 years. Book ahead.
The Burren

A weird limestone desert of flat rock “pavements”, at first glance most of the 100-sq-mile (260-sq-km) Burren (pronounced “burn”) seems lifeless. But the web of hidden gulleys is brimming with plants, some very rare. Once densely populated, the Burren preserves dolmens, ruined towers and ring-forts. Visit the Display Centre to learn more.
Thoor Ballylee

Follow the sign “Yeats Tower” to reach the old towerhouse in which WB Yeats and his wife Georgie spent much time during the 1920s. A sturdy little fortress, it was restored and converted by Yeats, and is described with touching detail in many of his poems. It is now lovingly preserved as a homage to Yeats.
Timoleague Abbey

A bleak atmosphere presides here, when the mist hangs over the shore and the ruined 13th-century Franciscan abbey sits broodingly on the waterside. Of particular interest is the wine cellar – the friars prospered on the importation of Spanish wines in the 16th century.
Trinity College

Ireland’s premier institute of education was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I on the site of an Augustinian monastery. A Protestant-only college at its start, Trinity did open its doors to Catholic students in 1793, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the Catholic Church relaxed its opposition to the college. Its quadrangles are peaceful havens, and its priceless Book of Kells a highlight.