Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
home of many of the country's greatest historical finds, including
the Treasury exhibit, which toured the United States and Europe in
the 1970s with the Ardagh Chalice, Tara Brooch, and Cross of
Cong. Other highlights range from the artifacts from the Wood
Quay excavations of the Old Dublin Settlements to “Or,” an exten-
sive exhibition of Irish Bronze Age gold ornaments dating from
2200
B
.
C
. to 700
B
.
C
. The museum has a shop and a cafe.
Note:
The
National Museum encompasses two other attractions, Collins Bar-
racks and the Natural History Museum; see their separate listings.
Kildare St. and Merrion St., Dublin 2.
&
01/677-7444.
Free admission. Tours
(hours vary)
2 ($2.40) adults, free for seniors and children. MC, V. Tues-Sat
10am-5pm; Sun 2-5pm. DART: Pearse. Bus: 7, 7A, 8, 10, 11, or 13.
€
Phoenix Park
Just 3.2km (2 miles) west of the city cen-
ter, Phoenix Park, the largest urban park in Europe, is the play-
ground of Dublin. A network of roads and quiet pedestrian
walkways traverses its 704 hectares (1,760 acres), which are infor-
mally landscaped with ornamental gardens and nature trails.
Avenues of trees, including oak, beech, pine, chestnut, and lime,
separate broad expanses of grassland. The homes of the Irish presi-
dent (see earlier in this chapter) and the U.S. ambassador are on the
grounds, as is the Dublin Zoo (p. 107). Livestock graze peacefully
on pasturelands, deer roam the forested areas, and horses romp on
polo fields. The Phoenix Park Visitors Centre, adjacent to Ashtown
Castle, offers exhibitions and an audiovisual presentation on the
park's history. The cafe/restaurant is open 10am to 5pm weekdays,
10am to 6pm weekends. Free car parking is adjacent to the center.
Phoenix Park, Dublin 8.
&
01/677-0095.
www.heritageireland.ie. Visitors Centre
admission
Kids
€
2.75 ($3.30) adults,
€
2 ($2.40) seniors and students,
€
1.25 ($1.50)
children,
9 ($11) families. June-Sept 10am-6pm (call for off-season hours). Bus:
37, 38, or 39.
€
St. Patrick's Cathedral
It is said that St. Patrick baptized
converts on this site, and consequently a church has stood here since
A
.
D
. 450, making it the oldest Christian site in Dublin. The present
cathedral dates from 1190, but because of a fire and 14th-century
rebuilding, not much of the original foundation remains. It is
mainly early English in style, with a square medieval tower that
houses the largest ringing peal bells in Ireland, and an 18th-century
spire. The 90m-long (300-ft.) interior makes it the longest church
in the country. St. Patrick's is closely associated with Jonathan Swift,
who was dean from 1713 to 1745 and whose tomb lies in the south
