St. Patrick’s Cathedral has marvelous exhibits and spectacular Evening Song. (Image from the Cathedral’s website.)

My aunt Kitty Lee is coming to Dublin soon for a visit, along with her friend Patty. They asked:

Are there websites we should check out before we arrive in Dublin for planning our days when you are working or do you have things to suggest?  Neither one of us is big on museums.  We prefer to see the sights and experience the culture.  Obviously we have to visit the Cobblestone Pub with you 🙂. Did you mention some cathedrals in Dublin?  We wouldn’t mind visiting/touring one of them.

With their preferences in mind, Dave and I quickly assembled a list of sites I think they should see in Dublin.

• The student-led tour at Trinity College (which includes a visit to the old library and the Book of Kells)
• Chester Beatty Library (which has some of the oldest fragments of the Bible, among other religious treasures) and its Silk Road Cafe
• Dublin’s fabulous theatrical performances (particularly at the beautiful Gaiety, the Olympia, and Brewley’s Cafe Theater)
• Evening Song at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• The Queen of Tarts bakery and cafe
• The Irish shops on Nassau Street
• Walking and shopping on Grafton, O’Connell, and Henry Streets
• The Kilmainham Gaol (former jail)
• Temple Bar and its Saturday morning outdoor food market

Dublin Castle as seen from the garden of the Chester Beatty Library. (Image from Dublin Attractions.)

We have also found these sites interesting:

• Dublin bus tours (you can save money by buying this at the same time as a bus ticket to and from the airport)
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral and exhibits
• Christchurch Cathedral
• Dublin Castle
• The Guinness factory
• Mummies at St. Michan’s Church
• Powerscourt mall and nearby St. George’s Street Arcade

Main Reading Room of the National Archives in Dublin (Image from blog by Librarinista.)

There are many sites in the city I haven’t yet seen. (When I looked through one of my three Dublin guides just before Christmas, I realized that I haven’t seen half of the Dublin sites they list.)  I’ve been wanting to visit:

• The main reading room of the National Library (people here can help you with researching Irish ancestors)
• The Jeanie Johnson tall famine ship
• The Lighthouse Cinema
• James Joyce sites
• The Hugh Lane art gallery

Header from the Jeanie Johnson web site.