Visit St. Michan Church: Rebuilt in 1686 but originally dating from the 11th century, St. Michan’s Church hides an unusual secret: its vault contains preserved bodies (guaranteed to keep children awake at night!). Inside the church are magnificent carvings and an organ said to have been played by Handel. From November 1 to March 16, open Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. From March 17 to October 31, open Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Open on Saturdays all year from 10:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. There is a charge for the guided tour of the vaults.
Go to horse races in Leopardstown – Just a 15 minute taxi ride from the city center, Leopardstown Racecourse has races throughout the year and is a great day or night. Night runs during the summer are a particularly suitable family outing.
Visit the Francis Bacon Studio at the Hugh Lane Gallery: Francis Bacon’s heir John Edwards donated the contents of the figurative painter’s London studio to the Hugh Lane Gallery in 1998. His studio, at 7 Reece Mews, South Kensington, was meticulously and piece by piece mapped and removed reconstructed at the Hugh Lane Gallery. The reconstructed studio features the original door, walls, floors, ceiling, and shelves. There are more than 7,000 items, including 570 books, 1,500 photographs, 100 slashed canvases, 2,000 artist materials, and 70 drawings. Bacon had said of his study: “I feel at home here in this chaos, because the chaos suggests images to me.”
Get on the sugar loaf – Well, this isn’t exactly Dublin, as it’s technically North Wicklow, but if you fancy an invigorating walk with magnificent views. The Sugar Loaf is about 30 minutes from the center of Dublin.
Give yourself an old-fashioned hot towel shave: The white-coated hairdressers at the Waldorf Barbershop on Westmoreland Street in Dublin 2 have been trimming and beautifying men on the premises since 1929. The barbershop is also staffed by one of Dublin’s few hairdressers: Linda Finnegan.
Have a drink in the “highest pub in Ireland”: Johnny Fox’s in the Dublin mountains claims to be “without a doubt” the highest pub in the country. There are several other pubs in Ireland with the same claim: the Ponderosa pub at Glenshane Pass in Derry (where you can join the mysterious 1,000ft high club) and Credon’s pub at the top of the Coom in KIlgarvan, Co. Kerry. Johnny Fox’s serves great food and great Craic all year long.
