In the place of Dublin in ancient times, there was a Celtic settlement. And only later, at the beginning of the 9th century, the Viking kingdom appeared near the coast of the Irish Sea. To this day, modern Vikings roll through the streets of the city.

Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is an important national site. Earlier, it was the residence of English kings. And after the end of the War of Independence, it was taken over by Ireland in 1922. Most of the original buildings have not survived. Most of the buildings date back to the 18th century. The present appearance of the complex of buildings was acquired after major reconstruction.

The castle’s construction began in 1204 by order of King John (John) of England. Initially, it served as fortification walls of the city of Dublin. Later, for many centuries, it played an important role as a defense structure of Ireland. And as a political and military center. It was the seat of parliament and the courts.

Nowadays, Dublin Castle is the working building of the Irish government. Important state events are held here.

In the castle, you can explore the magnificent halls, art gallery, and throne room. Walk through the exhibition halls in the former royal bedchamber. The most magnificent is St Patrick’s Hall, where banquets for dignitaries and the inauguration of the President of Ireland take place. Concerts are held in the dungeons.

Open every day from 9.45 to 17.45. A guided tour costs 12 €, on your own, 8 € (not all rooms are available). The castle has a café with a terrace.

Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is the main cathedral of Dublin. The denomination is Anglicanism and Catholicism.

It was founded in 1031 by the Viking king. The wooden church was intended for the first archbishop of Dublin – Donatus. Stone buildings appeared in 1172 and were completed during the century.

Open every day throughout the year. There is a charge to enter. Self-guided tour €6.5, with a guided tour €11. Check times and prices on the official website.

From this temple, you can cross the covered bridge/overpass to the Viking Museum – Dublinia.

Dublinia

An archaeological museum that tells the ancient history of Dublin and its surroundings. The Viking period is extensively covered. This is the site where legend has it that ancient Dublin was located. Website dublinia

St Patrick’s Cathedral

St Patrick’s Cathedral is the largest in Ireland. The date of its foundation is 1191. As a result of the English Reformation in 1537, the cathedral became part of the Anglican Church of Ireland.

The cathedral hosts concerts and many important national ceremonies besides regular church services.

St Patrick is considered one of the first preachers of Christianity in Ireland. According to legend, the cathedral was built near a natural spring where St Patrick performed baptismal rites. On 17 March, St Patrick’s Day (also the day of death of Ireland’s patron saint) is celebrated as a public holiday. In recent decades, the holiday has been more cultural and recreational than religious, symbolizing the adoption of Christianity in Ireland. This is due to the commercial influence. Large-scale festivals, dance and beer parties are organized. The festivities in different cities and countries can last a few days to a month. The symbols of the holiday are green clothes and a clover leaf (shamrock/cross).

It is noteworthy that in the 18th century, the rector of this cathedral was the famous writer Jonathan Swift. You can visit the church from 9 am to 5 pm for 7€ or during concerts. For more information about events and visiting times, see the St.Patric website.

Next to the church is a beautifully maintained small park. The entrance is free for everyone.

Guinness Beer Museum

The Guinness Beer Museum is probably the most visited in Dublin. Long queues at the entrance and crowds of people coming out already “tipsy”. Tip – buy your ticket in advance online.

The Enterprise is a whole working town, which includes production and office premises. The museum itself is located in a seven-story brick building, a former fermentation shop.

The story of this popular drink begins with a young brewer in the 18th century. Arthur Guinness brewed ale with his father as a child, the traditional drink of the time. In 1756, Arthur opened his first brewery near Dublin. And in 1759, looking to expand his business, he found an abandoned brewery, then on the outskirts of the capital. On 31 December, he signs a lease for 9000 years. The first name of the brewery was St James’s Gate Brewery.

It’s a very distinctive museum. First, there’s a short introduction to the history and process of beer production. And then a lot of bars and restaurants offer beer and products with the addition of this drink. You will be taught how to pour from bottle to glass and properly drink this foamy drink. From the 7th floor there is a panoramic view of Dublin.

It is better to visit the museum in the morning and on weekdays, when there are fewer tourists. It is open all 7 days from 9.30 to 17.00. Allocate at least 2 hours. You can stay there until closing time.

Kilmainham Prison

Dublin’s former prison now turned into a museum. The place is creepy, not for the faint-hearted. After all, here, in the period from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, not only held prisoners but also executed them. And their souls probably dwell among these walls.

In addition to adults, there were children aged 7 in the prison. And even in prison, there was gender discrimination. Conditions for women were worse than for men. It is necessary to book a day and time to visit the museum. The ticket is 8 and 4 €.

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin was founded by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1592. It is Ireland’s oldest and most prestigious institution of higher learning. A college and university in one.

Initially, the college was founded in an abandoned monastery of All Saints. And later, new buildings were gradually constructed. Entrance to the campus is free, available to all.

Students live in the old buildings.

For tourists, this place is famous because the school has an ancient library, the hall of which resembles a Gothic temple. Its fund totals 4 million volumes. The rarest, richly illustrated book of the library is a handwritten gospel “Book of Kell”. Supposedly written in the year 800 by Irish monks. Entrance to the library charges 10-14 €, depending on the time chosen. You can buy tickets through the website or on-site.

Grafton Street

The lively, wide pedestrianized area of Grafton Street is popular with locals and visitors alike. It is one of the two (the other being Henry Street) main shopping streets in Dublin. It stretches from St. Stephen’s Green Park and a major shopping center (St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre) to Trinity College.

Already in 1709, the planned development of this street began. Many shops, department stores, cafés and services are along the street. Street musicians, artists and poets perform here. There is plenty to see and do.

Dublin’s main post office

Quite an impressive building for a post office. Its construction began in August 1814 and opened in January 1818. The whole building, except for the pillars, is built of granite.

The historic building, in the Georgian style, is famous for its architectural appearance and because the Declaration of the independent republic was read before it. During the Easter Uprising of 1916, it was the rebels’ headquarters.

There is also a small museum there.

Dublin Needle

The Dublin Needle is a monument of light as a symbol of the millennium. Its height is 120 metres. It is located on the crowded city centre street O’Connell Street. It was erected in 2003. It was chosen due to a competition to reconstruct and improve the appearance of the street. During the day, the steel spire shines in the sunlight.

These are just a few of the important landmarks of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Choose what is closer to your heart and make your itinerary. Museums take a lot of time to visit. If you don’t have one, stroll through the streets of Dublin to familiarise yourself with it. The city is interesting for its architecture, evening hangouts, and happy and hospitable people.

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What to see in Ireland?

1. Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is one of the main attractions in Ireland. It is a whole complex of government buildings located in the capital. It is located south of the River Liffey and its main structures were built in the early 13th century on the site of an old Viking fortress. Dublin Castle was built as a powerful defence structure – thick walls and several watchtowers testify to this. However, it has never been besieged or stormed in its history. In the XVIII century, after the biggest fire at the end of the previous century, the castle underwent a major reconstruction, during which most of the fortifications were dismantled and the defence moat was filled in. Only the tallest tower, the Record Tower, built in 1230, has survived. Visitors to Dublin Castle can see the remainder of the wall, which adjoined the Birmingham Puddle Tower. The castle was occupied by the English government until 1922. Since 1930, it has been the venue for most ceremonial events and the inauguration of Irish presidents.

2. Cashel Rock

This castle is located near the town of the same name and is among the most visited attractions in Ireland. For several hundred years, the castle served as the residence of kings until the Normans took over. It was also here that St Patrick preached his sermons, converting the king himself to Christianity. Conall Cork founded the first fortifications of the castle in the 4th century A.D. However, in 1101, the castle was given to the church, and half a century later, in 1152, it became the seat of the bishops. When the civil war broke out in 1647, the castle was sacked by parliamentary troops, killing many civilians and clerics (over 3,000). As a result, Cashel Rock became a symbol of the brutality of the invaders and the courage of the Irish. Now the castle is open to all, and the complex’s buildings are undergoing reconstruction.

3. Cliffs of Moher

Ireland’s landmarks such as the Cliffs of Moher are the country’s calling card. On average, the height of these cliffs reaches 120 metres at Hags Head, but there is a section rising to 214 metres, located 8 kilometres north, not far from O’Brian’s Tower. The Cliffs of Moher are located on the Atlantic Ocean, forming a cliff.

Thanks to the excellent view, the place is visited by more than 1 million tourists every year, and back in 2006, the cliffs were named one of the most visited places in the country. A year later, a visitor centre was opened there. It was specially made environmentally friendly and disguised as a hill covered with grass. The base of the cliffs consists of shale and sandstone, and the cliffs are home to more than 30 thousand birds of 20 different species, among which there are quite rare ones.

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4. St Patrick’s Cathedral

This cathedral is the largest in Ireland. It was erected in Dublin and given to the Anglican Church. The head is a dean, not a bishop. The most famous person to head the cathedral was Jonathan Swift. Mentions of the structure date back to 1191, when Archbishop John Comyn gave the church cathedral status. Subsequently, a whole complex of various buildings and the archbishop’s palace were built around it. After 1212 the church acquired full cathedral status, and 13 years later reconstruction began, which brought the English Gothic style to the appearance of the building. In the XVII century the cathedral was destroyed, but the monks in 1660 began to restore it. Now this cathedral is one of the main symbols of Irish culture and a famous landmark of Dublin.

5. Guinness Brewery

Guinness is one of the most popular brands of beer. It all started when Arthur Guinness, having received 200 pounds as a gift in 1752, decided to spend it on renting a brewery. Subsequently, it was bought out and his descendants started to expand the family business actively. The Guinness Storehouse Brewery is located in Dublin and is Ireland’s most popular tourist destination. A total of 9 million tourists visit the country annually, and one in eight of them visit this Irish attraction. Here, anyone is able to participate in the process of creating a drink, as well as try different recipes. In addition, on the top floor, there is a pub where you can exchange your entry ticket for a pint of fresh beer.

6. Irish Museum of Modern Art

The museum opened in 1991 in the former Royal Hospital, which dates back to the 17th century. A refurbishment was carried out beforehand, glass stands were erected, and aluminum railings were made. Lighting was installed according to the location of the exhibits. The exhibited rarities relate to the city’s history and reflect the events there. Viking artifacts represent a separate category. In general, this museum will be interesting to visit for anyone interested in the history of Ireland.

7. Castle Cairn

Caire is a large Irish castle. It is located between Waterford and Limerick. The first stone fortifications appeared on the site in 1142 on the orders of Connor O’Brian, Prince of Thomond. Subsequently, the castle grew to become a huge fortress. In 1650, the garrison surrendered to Oliver Cromwell, allowing it to remain in excellent condition until modern times. In the 1960s, Castle Cair was given to the government and opened to tourists, becoming one of Ireland’s top attractions.

8. Bunratty Castle

In the west of Ireland, in County Clare, lies Bunratty Castle, the last of four castles built on the site of a Viking trading outpost. It was built by the O’Brien and McNamara clans in 1425 and has survived virtually unchanged. Now there is a museum on the castle’s territory opened in 1960. There are collections of antique wooden furniture decorated with carvings and tapestries of the XV-XVI centuries.

The park, near the castle, shows Irish life in the Victorian era. Visitors can explore shops and houses typical of the time, collected from all over Ireland. Antique utensils, detailed furnishings and the smallest decoration elements create a real-life atmosphere typical of an 18th century Irish settlement. Bunratty Castle is a very popular attraction. This is not only due to its proximity to the airport, but also to the medieval banquets held in the castle. In summer, tourists are invited to the Banquet Hall in the evenings, where musicians play and girls dressed in national costumes serve at the tables.

9. Kell Abbey

64 kilometres from Dublin there is a monastery founded by St Columba in 554. The building – “Columba’s House” – has survived. For defence against numerous enemies, an Irish round tower was erected. The Abbey became famous because the main part of the legendary Book of Kells was created within its walls, which was kept there until 1650, when the book, by order of Cromwell, was not transferred to Dublin. It is currently housed at Trinity College in the capital. The Abbey was featured in the famous animated film The Secret of Kells in 2009, making it a popular tourist destination in Ireland.

10. Jameson Distillery Museum

The Jameson Distillery Museum is a unique Irish attraction that most tourists and visitors to Dublin are keen to visit. The most famous brand of Irish national drink has been created here since 1780. Visitors will be taken on a real journey into the world of the past, the history of the drink’s creation, and tasting it. The Jameson Whiskey brand is considered one of the most popular – annual sales amount to more than 2 million cases. A resident of Ireland, John Jameson, established the production of this alcoholic beverage in 1780. Increased demand helped the rapid growth of the enterprise and by 1823 Jameson Distillery took the second place in whisky production in Ireland. In the 20th century, the company went through many ups and downs, and then in 1975, the main production was transferred to the newly built distillery in Cork, and the old distillery began to continue to work as a demonstration production, partly combined with a museum.

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Deprived of the English crown, James II tried to regain it in 1689 with the help of France, for which purpose he landed in Ireland. He was greeted with enthusiasm, except for Londonderry and Enniskillen, and all important points were handed over to him, but soon the new English king, William III of Orange, defeated James II’s army at the Boyne (1690) and conquered all Ireland.

In the cities the Protestants formed so-called societies, or lodges, of Orangists, who persecuted and oppressed the Catholic population with all the zeal of fanatics. In order to suppress any movement of Catholic and national elements, cruel laws were, moreover, issued, according to which the higher representatives of the Church were to be evicted, and the lower were forbidden to leave their counties; no Catholic had the right to hold any office, to acquire landed property, to bequeath his property freely, and so on. Though not always strictly enforced, these laws kept up hatred and bitterness.

Instead of the desired legislation of their own, the law of Poyning was again approved in 1719, and in 1727 the right of Catholics to vote in parliamentary elections was taken away.

These constant oppressions forced the oppressed people to fight for their rights. A number of revolutionary unions arose, which have since played a great part in Irish history. Thus was formed the so-called Defenders; in 1760 the Whiteboys appeared to punish and kill cruel landlords, priests, agents, and officials; almost at the same time with them, in 1763, the Hearts of Oak, that is, the Hearts of Oak, who rebelled against the harsh forced labor of road-building.

When the war for the emancipation of the North American colonies began, the whole nation rose up and forced the government, constrained by heavy foreign wars, to make some concessions. As France threatened to attack the Irish coasts, and the country had almost no troops at all, the Irish formed in 1778, as if to protect it, a corps of volunteers, which two years later numbered 50,000 people. To prevent a general uprising, the English Parliament was forced to repeal the Poyning Act in 1782 and allow legislative independence for Ireland.

The French Revolution had made an extraordinary impression in Ireland; its echo was echoed in Dublin, in November 1791, by the United Irishmen, in which many Protestants also took part, and which secretly prepared a revolution to make Ireland an independent republic. The Catholics, taking advantage of the government’s constraints, demanded full equality with the Protestants at a large meeting in Dublin in 1792. The British Parliament, wishing to tame the storm, repealed all measures designed to restrain Irish trade and industry, and almost all other repressive measures. In 1793 the penalties to which Catholics were subjected for not attending Protestant church on Sundays were abolished; they were also given the right to vote in parliamentary elections, but denied the right to be elected members of Parliament and to hold even the lowest administrative offices.

When further demands were refused and the union became even bolder in its revolutionary intentions, the government decided to suppress the movement by force. Habeas corpus, which had been in force in Ireland since 1782, was suspended, the towns were occupied by troops, and the union of the “United Irishmen” was disarmed.

But, in the hope of French aid, the conspirators did not lose heart. At last, in December, 1796, a French fleet appeared off the coast of Ireland, with an army of 25,000 men, under General Gauche; but owing to unfavorable accidents, it had to sail without doing anything. The British government declared the whole island under martial law. The Union of United Irishmen again commenced in 1797 its clandestine activities. At its head was a directory of five men, whose names were known only to the secretaries of the four provincial committees. The union had already numbered as many as 500,000 conspirators when, in January, 1798, the government received detailed information about it from one of its treasonable members.

Despite this discovery and the arrest of many of the ringleaders, the rebellion broke out in May 1798 in various places. The presence of a significant military force prevented further development of the rebellion: the main rebel forces suffered a total defeat at Vaingar Hill on June 21. Military commands scattered throughout the island, everywhere suppressing the rebellion. Hardly had the massacre ended when in August, 1798, a French squadron appeared with a landing force of 1,060 men near Killala, off the northern shores of County Mayo; but British troops prevented the French from joining the Irish, and after several unsuccessful skirmishes the French had to surrender. Later attempts to land them, which lasted until November 1798, also ended in failure.

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But why did the Green Isle never become a Roman province? Some scholars believed that Ireland was too far from the sea routes of the Romans and was not within their sphere of interest.

Historian Patrick Reinard of the University of Marburg came to a different conclusion after careful study of a huge amount of historical and archaeological data. In fact, the Romans were very interested in Ireland and scrutinized the island and its inhabitants.

In the works of Juvenal and Tacitus one can find detailed descriptions of Roman military actions in Ibernia and even plans for the conquest of the Green Isle.

So what prevented the realization of plans to conquer Ireland?

The German historian cites two reasons. First, purely economically Ireland was not of particular interest: it did not have rich natural resources that could plunder the conquerors, unlike, for example, neighboring Britain.

Secondly, the Irish posed no threat to the Roman Empire. Ireland could have been easily invaded “in between”, but it would have brought the Romans nothing but unnecessary waste and dubious glory.

However, not all Romans agreed with Emperor Domitian’s decision to leave the Green Isle and its inhabitants alone.

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In the early 11th century, the Irish under the leadership of High King Brian Boru defeated and expelled the Vikings, with Brian Boru himself dying in the decisive battle of Clontarf in 1014.

The island was then divided into five kingdoms: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht and Meade, each of which was subdivided in turn into secondary realms of individual clans under dependent chieftains.

The conquest of part of Ireland by England

Frequent internecine warfare contributed to the feralization and disunity of the island’s population, rendering them unable to resist foreign invaders. Dermod, king of Leinster, abducted his wife from O’Rourke, chief of one of the Mide tribes; for this, with the help of the paramount Roderich O’Connor, he was driven from his dominions and in 1167 went to seek help in England.

King Henry II Plantagenet of England, who had long since, with the consent of Pope Adrian IV, plotted the conquest of Ireland, commissioned in 1169 some of his barons, including Maurice Fitz-Gerald, first of all to restore Dermod to his dominions; then, when the Earl of Pembroke, sent by him, occupied Waterford and Dublin, he himself appeared in Ireland in December, 1171. As his conquest rested on a papal bull, the clergy submitted especially easily to him. The rulers of Leinster and Munster soon submitted to English rule, and in October 1175 Roderick, after stubborn resistance, had to agree to a treaty by virtue of which Henry received the eastern and he the western part of the island; at the same time he had to recognize himself as a vassal and tribute of the English crown.

The English barons took possession by force of the lands given to them as fiefs, expelled the native chiefs, and introduced English laws and government. The area thus conquered was called the pale, and both in its administration – the royal viceroy and its own parliament – and in its further development, it differed sharply from the far superior to it space not yet conquered, the so-called Wild Ireland, in which the English were constantly striving to make new conquests.

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The ancient Irish lived in separate tribes-clans under hereditary chiefs. There may have been communal ownership of land. Ireland was not part of the Roman Empire, but it is mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus, the poet Juvenal, and the Greek geographers Ptolemy and Strabo. Ptolemy gives several dozen names of places and tribes, which in some cases can be identified with early medieval ones.

St. Patrick’s activities. The spread of Christianity in Ireland

In 432, St. Patrick, a native of Britain, spread Christianity among the Irish. The tranquility that prevailed on the island favored the development of scholarship among the monks. Already since the VI century Ireland became the center of Western scholarship, from its monastic schools came out of the preachers of Christianity on the mainland, the main center of them was a monastery on the island of Ayona. Irish monks made a significant contribution to the preservation of Latin culture during the early Middle Ages. Ireland of this period was famous for its arts – illustration of manuscript books (see Book of Kells), metalwork, and sculpture.

Around 700, the population of Ireland began to gradually decline, possibly due to war, famine, plague, or political unrest. Ireland’s population declined for nearly 200 years before the Vikings settled on the island in the 10th century.

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