Sights

Dublin Castle
The centre of British power in Ireland, built on the orders of King John in the early 13th century, Dublin Castle is more correctly described as a palace. Of the original Anglo-Norman fortress built on the Viking foundations, only the Record Tower remains. The most fascinating part of the castle is underground - recent flooding in the castle prompted excavations of the former Powder Tower, which revealed a chunk of the old city walls and moat. Once the official residence of the British Viceroys in Ireland and now used by the Irish Government, access is by tour only. Sights include drawing rooms with their beautiful plasterwork, once used as bedrooms by visitors to the castle. The castle gardens end in a high wall said to have been built for Queen Victoria's visit to block the sight of the Stephen St slums.

Guinness Storehouse
Like a Disneyland for beer lovers, the Guinness Storehouse is an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza combining sophisticated exhibits with more than a pintful of marketing hype. The best part of the Storehouse tour is the rooftop Gravity Bar, where you can kick back with a pint of the black stuff.

Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is one of the largest city parks in the world. Along with gardens, lakes and 300 deer, there's hurling, cricket and football grounds, a motor-racing track and some fine 18th-century residences.
Near the Parkgate St entrance is Europe's tallest obelisk, the 63m (206ft) Wellington Monument, a tribute to the Dublin-born Duke of Wellington. The People's Garden dating from 1864, the Victorian bandstand in the Hollow and Dublin Zoo are all nearby. On the park's southern edge is the derelict, 18th-century Magazine Fort.
In the centre of the park is the Phoenix Monument, said to mark the site of a spring of fionn uisce, or clear water, from which the park's name is thought to be derived.

Temple Bar
One of the city's oldest areas, the once rundown buildings in this maze of streets are today the hyperactive entertainment and eating hub of Dublin. Although the term 'bar' is a neat reference to the single, uninterrupted drinking establishment this area becomes on summer nights, it's actually the historical term for a riverside walkway.

Trinity College
Ireland's premier university is both a tranquil retreat from the bustle of the city and the home of Dublin's biggest attraction the Book of Kells. Established by staunchly Protestant Elizabeth I in 1592 in an effort to stop 'popery', the university's ancient ivy-covered walls crawl with history and a sense of occasion.
Walking tours will take you past statues of famous alumni-poets, iconic architectural features, majestic campaniles, and a few priceless bits and bobs by huge-name artists. And if all of that's not enough, there's still the Book of Kells that's ever-ready to impress.

Glendalough
The town of Glendalough is nestled between two dark lakes in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains to the south of Dublin, and is famous not just for its picturesque setting but also for its 6th-century monastery. St Kevin, who in doing so relinquished much of his isolated existence to cater to an influx of followers, founded the monastery.
More information on the settlement can be found at the local visitors' centre, which includes a model of the monastery when it was fully functional. Various bus services depart daily for Glendalough from Dublin.

Events
There are two big events in Dublin each year that captures the collective imagination of all who attend. St Patrick's Day in March is a celebration of traditional Irish culture highlighted by a parade through Dublin and a large céilidh on St Stephen's Green that attracts thousands of revellers intent on dancing the day away.
A more modern (or, rather, Modernist) celebration occurs on 16 June each year. Bloomsday celebrates the masterwork of James Joyce - a Dubliner, exile and perhaps the greatest writer of the 20th century. The events of Joyce's novel Ulysses are set on this day, and literary buffs can spend the day retracing the steps of Leopold Bloom, the book's protagonist.