tourist attractions around north city centre

Smithfield can be described as one of the most historic areas in Dublin city, as it is the site where horse and cattle trading began in 1664 and the markets in 1913. 1999 saw a huge redevelopment of the area when the 400,000 antique cobblestones in the famous square were manually removed and the grime of 120 years was cleaned off by hand before they were re-laid alongside new granite slabs. During this redevelopment, the long standing tradition of the monthly horse fair was moved to a temporary...

The Spire in Dublin points skyward over the historic Irish capital like an enormous needle. It was built at a cost of four million euro and is the focal point of a project aimed at rejuvenating the O'Connell Street district, Dublin's traditional shopping and cultural hub.
Officially titled The Spire, though another consideration was The Brian Boru Spire, the monument has gained plenty of more colourful names by locals. Some of the cleaner examples include ‘The Spike’, ‘The Spire in the...

Dedicated to St. Michan, a Dublin saint, in 1095, it formed part of the parish of the same name which was the only city parish north of the river for 600 years. In its present form, it is a rectangular church with a gallery and with a tower at the west end, all dating probably to 1683-6.

In the entrance hall are the remains of an organ incorrectly said to have been played by Handel when he was composing his oratorio Messiah in 1742. An 18th century organ adorns the west wall; it is...

The Hugh Lane Art Gallery is located in Charlemont House on Parnell Square and is one of Dublin's major attractions. Charlemont House was designed by Sir William Chambers, who also designed the Casino at Marino.
The gallery was founded by Sir Hugh Lane in 1908, who was an avid collector of impressionist art. His attempts to donate his collection to the city of Dublin, at the turn of the century were met with indifference and little effort was made to raise the money for the gallery. It...

Just beyond the Parnell Monument stands the circular Rotunda Room, which witnessed recitals by the young John Field and readings by Charles Dickens. The Rotunda Hospital (1751 - 1755) occupies the south side of the square. Designed by Richard Cassels and completed after his death, this impressive building was the first maternity hospital in Europe.

It was founded by Dr Bartholomew Moss (1712 - 1759), a tireless worker who devoted his short and busy life to midwifery and the Rotund...

Building work on this impressive Georgian building began in 1776 and was based on the designs of architect Thomas Cooley. On the death of Cooley in 1784, work continued, to an enhanced design by the renowned architect James Gandon. The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Ruthland in 1786 and the building was completed in 1802 although the first court session took place in 1796.
It has a fine central block with an arched courtyard and end pavilion on either side. The portico is sup...

Boasting a capacity of 82,300, Croke Park Stadium is the home of gaelic games and the headquarters of the GAA - the Gaelic Athletic Association. This impressive stadium is located to the north of Dublin city centre near the suburb of Drumcondra. It's one of the largest stadiums in Europe and is the place to be in Ireland on All Ireland Final Day.
It can be found just off Jones Road in Dublin 3 and is within easy walking distance of O'Connell Street. It covers about 700,000 square feet an...

The James Joyce Centre is located on North Great George's Street, one of the city's finest remaining Georgian thoroughfares. The Centre is housed in a beautifully restored 18th century Georgian Townhouse and is located only about 300 metres from O'Connell Street.
The Centre aims to promote a greater interest in the life and works of Joyce and to do this it organises daily tours of the house and walks through the heartland of Joyce's north inner city. It has all the usual audiovisual tr...

The Old Jameson Distillery in Smithfield Village is in the heart of Old Dublin. Irish Whiskey can trace its history back to the 6th century.
It was established in 1780 by John Jameson and it's now one of Dublin's top attractions. It's almost like a tour of a working distillery as you can follow the fascinating craft of whiskey making through the different stages from grain intake to malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation and bottling.
Finally the tour culminat...

The Chimney is closed at the moment due to unforseen circumstances. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Discover Dublin from above by taking a trip skyward to the top of Dublin's only observation platform offering 360 degree panoramic views of the city. The existing distillery chimney, built in 1895, has been redeveloped to provide Dublin with a major viewing point,185ft high.

The Chimney has a two tiered glass enclosed observation platform at the top, w...