North Of The Liffey - Dublin - page 311

WORTH A DETOUR
BEYOND THE ROYAL CANAL

The Royal Canal, constructed from 1790, marks the traditional boundary of the city centre's northern edge, and
beyond it, amidst the semi-detached suburban dwellings, are a handful of sights that are well worth a visit.

Croke Park Experience
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) considers itself not just the governing body of a bunch of Irish games but
also the stout defender of a cultural identity that is ingrained in Ireland's sense of self. To get an idea of just how
important the GAA is, a visit to the Croke Park Experience ( www.crokepark.ie ; Clonliffe Rd, New Stand,
Croke Park; adult/child/student museum €6/4/5, museum & tour €12/8/9; 9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm
Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, noon-4pm Sun Nov-Mar) is a must. The twice-daily tours (except match days)
of the impressive Croke Park stadium are excellent, and well worth the extra cost. The stadium's newest attrac-
tion is the Skyline ( www.skylinecrokepark.ie ; Croke Park; adults/students/children €25/20/15; 11am & 2pm

May-Sep, Fri-Sun only Oct-Apr), a guided tour around the stadium roof.

Glasnevin Cemetery
The tombstones at Ireland's largest and most historically important burial site ( www.glasnevin-cemetery.ie ;
Finglas Rd; 24hr; 40, 40A or 40B from Parnell St) F read like a 'who's who' of Irish history, as most of
the leading names of the last 150 years are buried here.
A modern replica of a round tower acts as a handy landmark for locating the tomb of Daniel O'Connell, who
died in 1847. Charles Stewart Parnell's tomb is topped with a large granite rock, on which only his name is in-
scribed - a remarkably simple tribute to a figure of such historical importance. Other notable people buried here
include Sir Roger Casement, Republican leader Michael Collins, docker and trade unionist Jim Larkin, and poet
Gerard Manley Hopkins.
The history of the cemetery is told in wonderful, award-winning detail in the museum (museum & tour €12,
museum only €6; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun), which tells the social and political story of Ire-
land through the lives of the people known and unknown who are buried here. The best way to visit the cemetery
is to take one of the daily tours (11.30am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm).

National Botanic Gardens
Founded in 1795, the 19.5-hectare botanic gardens (Botanic Rd; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun Apr-
Oct, 10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4.30pm Sun Nov-Mar; 13, 13A or 19 from O'Connell St, or bus 34 or
34A from Middle Abbey St) F are home to a series of curvilinear glasshouses, dating from 1843 to 1869, cre-
ated by Richard Turner. Within these Victorian masterpieces you will find the latest in botanical technology, in-
cluding a series of computer-controlled climates reproducing the environments of different parts of the world.
Among the pioneering botanical work conducted here was the first attempt to raise orchids from seed, back in
1844.

Casino at Marino
It's not the roulette-wheel kind of casino but the original Italian kind, the one that means 'summer home', and this
particular casino ( www.heritageireland.ie ; Malahide Rd; adult/child/senior €3/1/2; 10am-5pm May-Sep;
20A, 20B, 27, 27B, 42, 42C or 123 from city centre) is one of the most enchanting constructions in all of Ireland.