Family Attractions

Dublin Family Attractions

Dublin Writers Museum

18 Parnell Square

DUBLIN 1

Tel: 475-0854

Fax: 872-2231

Five minutes walk from O'Connell Street. Ten minutes walk from DART Connolly Station. Bus Numbers 10, 11, 11A, 11B, 13, 13A, 16, 16A, 19, 19A

January to December: Monday - Saturday 10.00am - 5.00pm

Sunday and Public Holidays: 11.00am - 5.00pm.

Late opening June, July and August: Monday - Friday 10.00am - 6.00pm.

Admission charged

The museum holds exhibitions and readings and has a special room devoted to children's literature. Tara's Palace is one of Ireland's largest doll houses and is located here, built entirely by Irish craftsmen, with furniture assembled from all over the world.

Dublin Zoo,

Phoenix Park

DUBLIN 8

Tel: 6771425

Buses: 10 from O'Connell Street, 25 & 26 from Middle Abbey Street

Mon - Sat. 9.30- 6. Sundays 10.30 - 6.00

Admission charged

Café / Restaurant / Gift shop

Located in Phoenix Park, the zoo is set in 30 acres of landscaped grounds around ornamental lakes where over 700 animals and tropical birds from around the world can be seen. A daily "Meet the Keeper" and feeding program provide the opportunity to learn about the many rare and endangered species that live in Dublin Zoo. In addition, there are always new babies and also animals on breeding loan from other Zoos and Wildlife Parks to be seen.

Dublinia

Christchurch

DUBLIN 8

Tel: 6794611

Bus Number 50 from Eden Quay; Bus Number 78A from Aston Quay

April - September 10.00am - 5.00pm daily

October - March 11.00am - 4.00pm

Monday to Saturday, 10.00am - 4.30pm Sunday and Bank Holidays

Admission charged

A scale model of the city, shows the location of public buildings and the layout of the streets. Life-size reconstructions illustrate the city environment of the Middle Ages. As an exciting finale to the exploration of Dublin's past, climb the 17th century St Michael's Tower for a unique panoramic view of modern Dublin.

Dublin's Viking Adventure

Essex Street West

Temple Bar

DUBLIN 8

679-6040

Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 4.30 (last tour at 4.30pm)

Closed Sunday and Monday

Closed 1 - 2. November - February. Admission charged

An exciting, live and interactive experience of life in Viking Dublin A Norse guide leads journey through a Dublin of long ago. Walk the narrow streets of the Viking town of 'Dyflin' and chat with the locals, observe their daily work and even experience the sounds and smells of the city.

Viking city, the Viking adventure, also houses an extensive collection of artifacts discovered during the excavation of this site, considered to be the most important of its kind outside Scandinavia.

Hey doodle doodle, Dublin 2

14 Crown Alley

Temple Bar

Dublin 2

672-7382

Open seven days a week

Hey Doodle Doodle is Ireland's only paint it yourself Ceramic Studio. Pick your own ready to paint piece (tile, mug. dish etc) and then stamp stencil or paint it your own way. Pieces are then fired and glazed in kilns . Collect your masterpiece a few days later or have it mailed it to you.

National Wax Museum

Granby Row

Parnell Square

DUBLIN 1

Tel: 8726340

Monday to Saturday 10am - 5.30pm, Sunday noon - 5.30pm

Admission charged

Buses: 11, 13, 16, 22, 22A from Westmoreland Street

The Children's World of Fairytale and Fantasy is a display that especially appeals to children as they wander through the Kingdom of Fairytales to find the magical lamp and the genie.

A particularly attractive feature is the life-size replica of Leonardo de Vinci's 'Last Supper'. Displays have an informative and educational narrative which can be heard at the touch of a button.

The Chamber of Horrors is optional. For those who don't enjoy the sound of clanging chains and blood curdling screams, there is a separate entrance that bypasses the Chamber and goes directly to the Hall of the Megastars. Here visitors will meet the stars of the glittery world of rock and roll in the form of: Michael Jackson, Madonna and all time great Elvis Presley.

Natural History Museum

Merrion Street

DUBLIN 2

Tel: 6777444

Directions:

Buses: 7, 7A, 8 (Burgh Quay). Nearest DART Station: Pearse Station (Westland Row) or Museumlink.

Open: Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 2pm - 5pm

Closed Good Friday

Admission: Free

The Natural History Museum which is part of the National Museum of Ireland, is a zoological museum containing collections illustrative of the wild life, both vertabrate and invertebrate, of Ireland. There is also an extensive African and Asian exhibition.

Skeletons of two whales stranded on the Irish coast are suspended from the roof.

Newbridge House

Co. Dublin

843-6534

April - Sept : (Closed Mon.) Tues.- Sat 10am - 5pm

Sun & Public Holidays 2 - 6. Closed for lunch from 1 - 2. Coffee Shop remains open.

Oct- March: Sat, Sun and Bank Holiday: 2 - 5.

Admission charged.

Twelve miles north of Dublin City on the Belfast road. Bus 33B from Eden Quay. Suburban rail from Connolly station.

An 18th century manor set on 350 acres of park land, twelve miles north of the city center, Newbridge House has one of the finest Georgian interiors in Ireland. Each room open to the public has its own style of antique and original furniture The house appears much as it did 150 years ago.

It is surrounded by a dairy, estate worker's house, carpenter's shop and a blacksmith's forge, all displaying nineteenth -century tools and implements.

The grounds also contain a twenty-nine acre traditional farm, complete with farmyard animals, a delight to young visitors.

The Chimney

Smithfield Village

Dublin 7

Tel: 676-9575

Fax: 676-9518

Buses 25, 25A,67, 67A From Middle St.

68,69,79 from Aston Quay, 90 from Connolly,

Tara & Heuston Stations. All buses stop at merchant's Quay except for the bus from Heuston Station which stops at Arran Quay

Mon- Sat 9.30-6 Sunday 10.30-6.

Admission charged

Discover Dublin from above by taking a trip skyward to the top of Dublin's only observation platform offering 360-degree panoramic views of the city. The existing distillery chimney, built in 1895, has been redeveloped to provide Dublin with a major viewing point, 220ft high. The Chimney has a two tiered glass enclosed observation platform at the top, which is serviced by a glass panoramic elevator running up its side.

Children's Season (Theater Festival)

Ark Children's Cultural Center

11A Eustace Street Temple Bar

Dublin 2

670-7788

All cross-city buses

Admission charged

Runs with the Dublin Theater Festival and provides performances for children by international and domestic theater companies. Mime, animation, music and puppets are all featured.

Lambert Puppet Theater

5 Clifton Lane

Monkstown Co. Dublin

280-0974

DART Monkstown or Salthill Bus 7,7A,8

Box Office: 9:30-5 daily

Show: Sat. 3:30pm and in summer on Sun. also at 3:30pm

Admission charged

A year round children's theater that offers imaginative and enjoyable retelling of all the old fairy tales.

The Fry Model Railway

Malahide Castle Demesne

Tel: 8463779

Bus number 42 from Beresford Place (near Busaras). Suburban rail from Connolly station to Malahide.

April - Oct: Mon- Sat 10. -5.; Sun and public holidays:2-6.

Nov- March: Sat, Sun and public holidays: 2. - 5.

Closed for tours from 1.-2 all year.

Admission charged

The Fry Model Railway is a unique collection of handmade models of Irish trains, from the beginning of rail travel to modern times. Not only Ireland's largest miniature railway, the exhibition is unique in that it is a working railway covering an area of 2,500 square feet.

Situated in the beautiful grounds surrounding Malahide Castle.

The GAA Museum

Croke Park, DUBLIN 3

Tel: 836-3222

Fax: 836-6420

May to Sept: Mon - Sun. 9.30 - 5. (last admission 4.30pm)

Oct to April: Tues. - Sat. 10. - 5. (last admission 4.30pm)

Sunday 12 - 5.00

Closed Mondays.

Admission charged

Croke Park is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Ireland's largest sports organization and the home of Ireland's national sports of Hurling and Gaelic Football. The GAA Museum, which is the biggest sports museum in Ireland, is located on the ground floor of the New Stand in Phase 1 of the Stadium Development.