Swift, Goldsmith, Wilde and Beckett are just some of the distinguished graduates to come out of Trinity College. This university, Ireland’s oldest, dates back to 1592 when Queen Elizabeth one made the decision to create a nexus of learning here. The Treasury is home to the Book of Kells, highlight of an exhibition entitled, ‘The Book of Kells : Turning Darkness into Light’. The planet’s biggest single-chamber library, the Long Room, holds over 200,000 books. ‘Ireland in Flux : the 1641 Depositions’ and ’300 Years of Medicine in Trinity College’ are just two of the brief exhibitions held here in 2011. Tours of the Trinity College Dublin campus are held between May and September every day. During the rest of the year, they operate only on weekends.

The tale of Kilmainham Gaol, which is counted among Europe’s largest unoccupied jails, is in a number of ways the tale of Eire and its struggle for independence from the late 18th century till the early 20th century. The political and penal history of Kilmainham Gaol and its restoration are told in an exceedingly thorough exhibition, with an audio-visual show. A guide book in English is also available. Photography is permitted, though not video. The Gaol is located about 3.5km from Dublin City Centre, and those with special needs can make arrangements for this prior to visiting as access is exactly by guided tour only , which lasts about an hour. In winter months the Gaol, as one would expect, gets bitterly cold, so wrap up warm! The 79, 79A, 78A and 51B buses, all departing from Aston Dock, serve the Gaol.

The shockingly well preserved mummies of St Michan’s church, held in the crypt below, are certainly one of the central reasons to go to here, although the traditional chalice and lovely organ are also well worth investigation. A crusader who died about eight hundred years back is one of the oldest ‘inmates’, and visitors can touch his hand. Limestone was employed during the building process of the church, which ensures a dry atmosphere and consistently low temperatures – hence the mummies. Access to the crypt is by steered tour only , but this is for the best as the steep, uneven staircase leading to it requires supervision – individuals who are unsteady on their feet should beware.

The Chester Beatty Library has been referred to by those in the club as being one of the best museums in Ireland, not to mention Europe. Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, who died in 1968, assembled a big collection of Western european medieval and renaissance manuscripts, paintings, prints, drawings, gorgeously decorated examples of the Koran and Bible and Egyptian papyrus texts during his 93 years. These originated from The Far East, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe and date back as far as 2700 BC. In two thousand this art museum / library was named Irish Museum of the Year and in 2002 was named Western european Museum of the Year.

Since 1864 the National Art Studio, on Merrion Square West, has been the positioning of many distinguished exhibits, and today houses over two thousand paintings. Irish Landscape art and portraits feature highly in Ireland’s premier art gallery, but Caravaggio, Picasso, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet and Goya also feature, among plenty of other noted Western european artists. Next door are the Natural History Museum and Leinster House, making this area in Georgian Dublin perfect for a day of culture. The Millennium Wing constantly features visiting exhibitions.

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