Tour Dublin

Dublin Hotel Deals. The Irish capital is a vibrant blend of old-world culture and modern innovation. The city of Joyce and Yeats meets Bono and the Edge in a variety of hip hotels and homey Bed and Breakfasts.

Dublin: The Buildings of Ireland (Pevsner Buildings of Ireland S.) Tour Dublin. A unique and very comprehensive guide to the buildings of central Dublin, in the great tradition of the Pevsner series. Churches, public buildings and streets are described for every district, each full of new discoveries and lively detail. Illustrations include numerous maps, plans and specially taken colour photographs. The entire area within the canals is covered, along with the Phoenix Park. The grand 18th-century set-pieces, Custom House, Four Courts, Bank of Ireland, are offset by a graceful Georgian cityscape, much of which remains intact. The astonishingly rich and varied house interiors are also treated in full, many for the first time. Civic and commercial Victorian architecture features in strength, together with the highs and lows of post-war building, which culminate in some sensitive and resourceful buildings by a new generation of Irish architects. Two fine Gothic cathedrals remain from the medieval city, whose history is traced in a scholarly introduction that runs down to the present day. This is the third volume in the Buildings of Ireland series. For all who share an interest in the fabric of Dublin, architect or historian, tourist or armchair traveller, it is the essential work.

Dublin Street Names Tour Dublin. In 'Dublin Street Names', Paul Clerkin lists over 300 streets - mainly in central Dublin - and explains how they got their names. Everyone knows that O'Connell Street is named for Daniel O'Connell, but who was the Nassau in Nassau Street, or the Grafton in Grafton Street? Why is Winetavern Street so called or Usher's Island or Temple Bar? Why is Parliament Street nowhere near any parliament, old or new? Why is there an Of Lane in Dublin 1? There's Henry Street, Harry Street and Henrietta Street. Who was the lad in Lad Lane? There is Protestant Row and Pig Lane, Stoneybatter and Lotts, not to mention Dolphin's Barn and Cross Guns Bridge. This fascinating little book explains all these and many other names. It is a fun book for Dubliners and visitors alike.

The Rough Guide Dublin (Mini Rough Guides) Tour Dublin. A vibrant and compact city, Dublin has a pace and energy quite at odds with the relaxed image of Ireland as a whole. Prosperity generated by the Republic’s economic boom has brought fundamental changes to the life of its capital, reversing the tide of emigration and creating a dynamic cultural centre. The ongoing rapidity of transformation is constantly apparent; new exhibitions, chic bars and restaurants and fashionable shops all signify a major shift in Dublin’s identity, no longer dominated by the insularity of the past, but increasingly adopting a more global outlook.

Dublin’s collective spirit has its contradictions, too, with youthful enterprise set against a deeply embedded traditionalism. However, the collision of the old order and the forward-looking younger generations is an essential part of the appeal of this extrovert capital, and, despite their differences, its inhabitants’ famous wit and garrulous sociability are a constant feature of Dublin life. In the legendary, and plentiful, bars, the buskers of Grafton Street and the patter of the tour guides who ply the streets with visitors in tow, there’s an unmistakable love of banter. The city’s considerable literary heritage owes much to this trait, and on either side of the Liffey you’ll find reminders of literary personalities who are as intrinsic to Dublin’s character as the river itself, from the bronze pavement plaques following the route of Leopold Bloom, hero of James Joyce’s Ulysses, to the Oscar Wilde statue striking an insouciant pose in Merrion Square.

Ireland’s economic growth during the 1990s has lent new impetus to just about every facet of the capital’s cultural life. Historic treasures are being innovatively promoted and displayed, from the new Millennium Wing of the National Gallery to the wealth of decorative arts on show at the Collins Barracks, while the city’s social and political history is evoked with flair, both in the abundance of theme-based tours and in the fabric of the city itself. Everywhere in Dublin you’ll find evidence of a rich past well worth exploring: exceptional Viking finds excavated at Wood Quay, and now on show in the National Museum; impressive reminders of Anglo-Norman and British imperial power; elegant Georgian streets and squares; and monuments to Ireland’s violent struggle for independence from the British. The visual arts are enjoying a higher public profile too, with mouthwatering exhibitions in the city’s numerous galleries supplemented by the development of a unique design scene that’s characterized by subtlety, experimentation and exploration of Ireland’s Celtic past. Throughout the city there’s a palpable sense that Dublin’s cultural heritage is coming into its own, with striking confidence.

Return To Tour Ireland