4 Tips & Tricks for Dublin’s Historical Spots
If you’re looking for some advice before planning a visit to some of Dublin’s historical destinations, take a look at a couple tips and tricks to get the most out of your visit!
Source: Anpost
General Post Office Witness Museum
The GPO Witness Museum is located on the historic O’Connell Street and is a great place to visit if you’re looking to learn more about Ireland’s history first hand. The museum tells the story of the famous Easter Rising of 1916 when Irish republicans attempted to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic.
TIPS & TRICKS
If you’re looking into visiting this museum, take advantage of buying tickets online! The GPO Witness History site offers the lowest priced tickets vs. walk ins. If you’re a student, you can also take advantage of their student discount at only €8.
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O’Connell Bridge
If you’ve been wandering around the streets of the city center, it’s more than likely you’ve crossed from North Dublin into South Dublin or in other words; gone over the iconic O’Connell Bridge. The bridge was named after Daniel O’Connell, specifically known for his role in the Young Irelanders movement and establishment of the popular news source known as “The Nation”. This newspaper served as a voice in the Irish rebellion movement which called for Irish self-government.
Source: Dublin City Council
TIPS & TRICKS
Although this bridge is free to see, walk over, and take pictures of; there’s still some tricks that many don’t know! For starters, contrary to popular belief, the bridge itself is not a perfect square making it the only traffic bridge in Europe wider than it is long! In addition, in 2004 a couple of pranksters added a plaque to the bridge that remains there to this day. The plaque commemorates a fictitious priest by the name of Father Pat Noise who was said to have died after his carriage crashed into the Liffey River below.
Guinness storehouse
Although the Guinness storehouse is often thought of as a Dublin historic site that is overdone, there is still value in visiting it! The storehouse is located on an old Guinness fermentation plant and serves as the source of all things Guinness including the commemoration of its 250-year history. The Guinness storehouse tour guides visitors through the stouts history and even includes a pint on one of the storehouse’s three floors overlooking the city.
TIPS & TRICKS
One tip that many regret is not planning out their trip to the storehouse in advance. If you are studying abroad knowing that friends or family are visiting, save this trip to bring them along! -Odds are that they’re going to want to visit the storehouse and it will save you a pretty penny to go once. Tickets at the Storehouse usually retail for around €25, but if you book online in advance you can save up to 20% off an adult ticket! The website also offers students a discounted price with valid student ID. Lastly, the tour allows visitors one pint of Guinness on any one of the three storehouse floors. As excited as you may be, keep in mind that sipping on a self-poured Guinness on the top floor is an opportunity many miss as they take advantage of the bartenders on floor one and two!
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Kilmainham Gaol
The Kilmainham Gaol is a prison that was used rapidly during the rebellion of 1798 to the Irish Civil war of 1922. Many famous leaders of the rebellion were kept and executed at Kilmainham Gaol by British troops. Although nowadays the jail is kept by the Office of Public Works, visitors have the unique opportunity of traveling back in time to experience the environment where so many Irish rebellions were kept against their will.
TIPS & TRICKS
One thing to keep in mind if you want to visit Kilmainham Gaol is that tickets need to be bought in advance and sell out fast! One should look into buying tickets roughly a week and a half to two weeks out to ensure availability. Although this historic site is popular, it is also very fairly priced. At just €4 for students and €8 for adults, one can’t go wrong taking advantage of this unique experience.
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Caitlin Malloy
Caitlin was born and raised in Massachusetts, United States. She is currently studying abroad at UCD away from Bentley University. As a Marketing Major with a minor in Information Design & Corporate Communication, Caitlin wishes to pursue a career in advertising.