DUBLIN - Ireland 2014 - page 99

One of modern Ireland's most stirring moments occurred here in May of 2011, when
Queen Elizabeth II made this the first stop on her historic visit to Ireland. She laid a wreath
at the Children of Lir sculpture under this flag and bowed her head in silence out of re-
spect for the Irish rebels who had fought and died trying to gain freedom from her United
Kingdom. This was a hugely cathartic moment for both nations. Until this visit, no Brit-
ish monarch had set foot in the Irish state since its founding 90 years earlier (free, daily
8:30-18:00).
• Your walk is over. Two excellent museums are nearby, standing side-by-side: the Dublin
Writers Museum (in a splendidly restored Georgian mansion, see here ) and the art-filled
Hugh Lane Gallery ( here ) . Here at the north end of town, it's also convenient to vis-
it the Gaelic Athletic Association Museum at Croke Park Stadium (described on here , a
20-minute walk or short taxi ride away). Otherwise, hop on your skateboard and zip back
to the river.