Jeebus... where to start on this one!? Newgrange is a 5000 year old tombe and religious site...erm…read morewe think! As with all such sites (the pyrimids in Egypt and Stonehenge in the UK are comprable examples) we can only guess at what the builders had in mind. To say we are lucky to have a site as impressive and important as this on our doorstep (about an hour and a bit from Dublin) is a huge understatement, it looks as impressive is it should be after a reconstruction some 30 years ago by a bunch of very very clever archaeologists. the results can be viewed by booking in advance and putting your name down for the 3 year waiting lists to be there at the summer and winter solstices. Opening times February - April: Daily 09.30 - 17.30. May: Daily 09.00 - 18.30. June - Mid September: Daily 09.00 - 19.00. Mid - End September: Daily 09.00 - 18.30. October: Daily 09.30 - 17.30. November - January: Daily 09.00 - 17.00.

If you come to Dublin this UNESCO world heritage site is a "must see". Everything I want to say…read morewill just be repeating the many good reasons to come here so read beyond my post and I'll keep mine short. - 5,000 year old tombs (New Grange, Knowth & Dowth) that are older than the pyramids and you can actually go inside New Grange. - 60% of Western Europe's neolithic art is found in the area. - inside the New Grange tomb is like going back in time, keep in mind these tombs were built with no modern tools at all and yet they knew how to build them and align the entrance on some, so they light up during the solstice. - friendly, knowledgeable guides. - well organised, small groups are taken in by bus rather than a mob of people overrunning the place so you can actually see and take it all in. - buy your tickets online and go early - a great Visitors Center gives you the backstory of the tomb's history before your tour.

An amazing Museum about the history of Ireland! The building is beautiful. It was actually built to…read morehouse the Museum. It has a beautiful dome and mosaic floor and walls in the entrance. The inside has a vaulted ceiling over three floors. The floors and exhibits surround the main space in the exhibits are really interesting, especially the bog people. These bodies were found in the bogs and were very well preserved due to the climate of the bog. The Museum also has exhibits on the Vikings that invaded Ireland other historical periods. It has lots of artifacts. The museum is free. It is a great place to spend a rainy day.

Wonderful museum. It is in the smaller side and a bit dark but it feels cozy somehow…read more The exhibitions tell a story of the history of Ireland. I wanted to visit to view the big bodies and I was not disappointed. They also had hordes of gold in display which were surrounded by beautiful jewelry. The museum is free.

I haven't actually been up in Millmount Tower for ages but only yesterday walked over to it while…read morerunning a few errands, as an excuse to prolong a nice walk. Great view from the Tower over the town especially as the day gets on.

Millmount Museum is worth visiting. A good selection of old firearms, etc on display. I really…read moreenjoyed my hour spent there.

The Dublinia is a historical re-creation museum focusing on Medieval and Viking history and is…read moreconnected to Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral. One of the most notable landmark buildings in the oldest part of the city, alongside and connected by a magnificent bridge to Christchurch Cathedral. There are 3 main exhibits in Dublinia which looks at the Viking and medieval history of the city of Dublin. The whole museum is very interactive and a lot of fun for kids The Viking section has recreations of a long ship and a home. There are Viking outfits to try on as well as lots of cool information that's presented in a fun way. The second exhibition is looks at medieval Dublin up to the 16th century with sets showing a rich merchant's house, a medieval street and a medieval faire. Fun fact: it was once a nightclub. Yes, Dublinia/The Synod Hall was once a nightclub, and one of the best in Dublin apparently

Learn about rich Irish history!…read more Admittedly, the Dublinia caught my eye because of the look of the building. The structure and architecture are pretty great. I could tell the building was old and wanted to know more! When you step foot inside, you learn so much about Irish history. I'm Irish and didn't know some of what was depicted. It starts with the history of the Vikings and goes from there. So interesting and definitely worth your time! If you like history, this is for you!

This is a really amazing experience if you value history or archeology at all. The visitor center…read moreis quite beautiful and very modern looking. You must book tickets in advance and they were sold out on the day we arrived. I booked about 4 weeks prior to our visit. Make sure you arrive at least 30 -60 minutes ahead of your booking time to enjoy the walk through the visitor center which is extremely well done and will provide a lot of background and important information about the tour locations. They also have a wonderful cafe with great food, including vegan and gluten free options with all allergens listed.

This is a well laid out Visitors Centre…read more Brú Na Bóinne Is a 5,000 year old burial site, that is older than the Pyramids in Giza, or Stonehedge by over a thousand years. Your visit will need to start at Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre which is nearly 10km away. Please don't do as we did and drive here. You will be turned away. The OPW operates a shuttle bus system and they limit the number of visitors each hour. They employed a "time sticker"s which you wear and the bus driver checks. The Parking Lot is huge and clear much thought went into this arrangement. The cafeteria had some well priced, tasty offerings, so we would recommend planning a stop there.

Dublin Tourist Guide: Trinity College - the Long Room…read more If you're traveling to Dublin you must make a few hours to walk Trinity College. I'll share more about the college itself on that yelp page but this review is strictly for the library at Trinity college with an emphasis on the Long Room (one of the most famous views on the campus). Built in the 1700s this library has been used in reference in so many movies and many people will recognize these photos from social media, as it's a highly photographed spot from the college. I was extremely lucky that despite coming in the summer we came on a weekday and it wasn't as packed as most people's own pictures seem to reflect. So my pro tip of course would be to come off season, but if you can't - even us coming in peak tourist season a weekday mid afternoon was a great time to come. The library is literally stunning. I'll honestly never forget it and for as simple as a library may seem, it was one of my favorite historical spots (indoors) that I had seen. The library is roped off on the sides so you don't have full access which makes sense as they don't want people touching the books. Being in the center though you still got great views and I was also lucky to come when they weren't doing maintenance on the library. Something to keep in mind as I've seen they sometimes remove the books for cleaning and maintenance, so something to look up before coming. 5/5 would recommend coming to the long room at the library, a great spot to check out.

Must-visit part of Trinity College in Dublin - we stopped by after The Book of Kells…read more The long room is a library with tens of thousands of books and busts of famous men and women (like Socrates and Shakespeare) lining both sides. It also houses the Brian Boru Harp, which is the oldest surviving Irish harp and a symbol of Ireland. Other notable artifacts include The Irish Proclamation of 1916, and various books and letters of scientific and cultural significance - from botanical drawings to world maps to metal coins. Wish I had taken more time to browse - will be back!

An amazing and quintessentially Irish prehistoric tomb. To gain access, you have to call to the…read morehouse of Mr. Fintan White (call 01 8354722 before 6pm) which is just a mile west of the Tomb -turn left at the Y-junction with the white and green house, go straight up the narrow track where the main road turns left. Whites' house is some distance up here - the 5th on the right.is the fifth house on the right. Don't worry, it's signposted! It's an amazing opportunity to get a private view of a megalithic passage tomb, smaller than Newgrange but just as eerie. The roof, which looks like a green mound from the outside, is artificial and was put in place to preserve the remains of the tomb. Inside, it takes the eyes a few minutes to adjust to the gloom,but once they do, the carvings and chambers are visible. Standing in a sacred space of your ancestors is a pretty cool thing. Apparently the entrance is aligned with the movement of the sun, as is Newgrange. Well worth a visit.

Impressive - Historical - Not to Be Missed…read more The Newgrange World Heritage Site is a prehistoric Neolithic passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza. Built around 3200 BCE, this massive circular mound of stones is famous for its alignment with the winter solstice, when the rising sun illuminates the central chamber for about 17 minutes. It is the main site in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Brú na Bóinne and contains intricate carvings, which are believed to have astronomical or spiritual significance. Our Mary Gibbon's led tour also visited the Knowth Megalithic Passage Tomb via the same shuttle bus system from the Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre. The 5000 year old main mound, known as Knowth Site 1 is contemporary with the mounds at Newgrange and nearby Dowth. The mounds are classified as Passage Tombs by archaeologists. There are also 18 smaller satellite mounds around the main Tomb. The Visitor's Centre includes well curated exhibits, a decent gift shop, and a cafeteria. It's best to hydrate up as the shuttle bus portion takes time, with only a couple lone bathrooms and no concessions en route.

Absolutely fascinating, powerful, and educational. I believe you can just arrange a visit yourself…read moreif you're driving but we weren't so we took Mary's tour here (and to Knowth and Hill of Tara). Mary herself is an incredible source of knowledge so the ride up and back was full of cool information. The bus trip was easy and comfortable though just an fyi there are no restrooms on board. Once we arrived our small group had a reasonable amount of time to spend walking through the visitors center and learning more about the tombs and history before hopping another short shuttle ride to Knowth first. The guide at Knowth was very helpful, thorough and interesting. You can't enter these tombs but I really enjoyed walking around the site and taking it all in. There's plenty to see and some beautiful views on a clear day. The visitors center is very well done... don't miss it. I almost wished we had just a little more time, like 15 minutes, to be honest. It's chock full of information. There are restrooms and they have a small gift shop and there won't be an opportunity to return (at least if you're on Mary's tour there won't be) so if you'd like a keepsake be sure to purchase it first. After Knowth it's back on the shuttle and out to Newgrange itself where small groups can go in with one of the very helpful and friendly guides. I thought for sure I would get claustrophobic but I had no trouble at all. All in all it was absolutely mesmerizing. 10000/10000 would go again.