heritage centres dublin

Kilmainham Gaol is the largest unoccupied gaol on the island of Ireland. A tour of the facilities gives the visitor a dramatic and realistic insight into what it was like to be a prisoner in one of these strongholds of punishment and correction between 1796, when it opened, and 1924 when it closed.
The gaol has played a very important role in Irish history with the leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 being detained here. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising wer...

From Suffolk Street, stroll down Trinity Street which brings you to College Green. Across Dame Street you will see the curved colonnaded front of an impressive granite building that once housed the Irish Parliament. When it was built in 1720 it was the world's first purpose built Parliament building and you will notice that there are no windows in the front portico to avoid distractions when Parliament was in session. In 1800 the Parliament took the unusual step of voting itself out of existen...

A monastery was founded here by St MacCullin in early Christian times, and the name Lusk derives from the cave (Irish 'lusca') where MacCullin was buried after his death in 497 AD.

The unusual square sixteenth-century belfry incorporates a sixth century Round Tower with three later towers built to match, all attached to a nineteenth-century church which contains some fine mediaeval tombs. Now the Lusk Heritage Centre, the belfry houses an exhibition on the mediaeval churches of North C...

Most of the shape of present-day central Dublin - the wide streets, gracious squares and elegant public buildings - was defined in the eighteenth century when Ireland was controlled by a prosperous, cultured elite who devoted their efforts to making Dublin the handsomest capital in Europe.
Rich noblemen established palatial mansions in the city, and influential developers, principally Luke Gardiner on the north side and Lord Fitzwilliam on the south, laid out squares and streets of eleg...

Dakely Castle & Heritage Centre is an old 15th century fortified townhouse.

The main attraction here is the Living History exhibition. Where actors are dressed up in peroid custumes and carry out daily tasks that would of been seen all them years ago.

This is an enjoyable experience for all the family, young and old!...

Skerries Mills complex comprises a watermill, 5-sail windmill and 4-sail thatched windmill.
In the ownership of Fingal County Council, the mills have been restored to working order in a seven-year renovation project in association with FAS.
The Mills are now open to the public throughout the year. Visitors learn about the history of milling through the ages; the history of Skerries Mills and the workings of the mill machinery and associated mill races and mill pond....

Given the fine condition of the Old Constabulary Barracks on Well Road it is not difficult to let your mind wander and imagine mounted policemen in its yard as they would have been during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries....

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 date of the foundation of the castle is uncertain, but recent research would suggest 1583 as the most likely date. It was built by Adam Loftus, a Yorkshireman.

The castle has a colourful and interesting history with 18th century interiors by Sir William Chambers and James 'Athenian' Stuart. It was declared a National Monument in the mid 1980s. The castle is presented to visitors as a castle undergoing active conservation.
The visitor can see, at first hand, tantalizing glimpses o...

The Casino was designed by Sir William Chambers as a pleasure house for James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont. It is one of the finest 18th century neo-classical buildings in Europe.
The Casino, meaning "small house", surprisingly contains 16 finely decorated rooms. It is a remarkable building - both in terms of structure and history. A house of illusions.
The interior is accessed by a stairway. In order to protect the inlaid floors visitors will not be permitted to wear shoes, disposa...