Dublin - The Liberties and West Travel Guides | Dublin | Sub Regions | Dublin - The Liberties and West

In the early days of Dublin’s development the network of streets known as the Liberties lay outside the city walls and formed one of many Gaelic self-governing districts. The 17th century saw it develop into a centre for the cloth industry, thanks to an influx of  Huguenot refugees, many of whom were silk and linen weavers. Throughout the 20th century the Liberties remained a relatively run-down area of the city. It was designated as a digital media district in the 1990s, but expectations were inflated and the area’s original working-class identity remains intact today.

St James’s Gate, T 01 408 4800, http://www.guinness-storehouse.com Daily 0930-1700. Closed 1 Jan, Good Friday and 24-26 Dec. E13.50. Bus 51B, 78A (from Aston Quay), 123 (from O’Connell St).

One of the most popular and heavily marketed sights in Dublin, this stunningly converted brewery building is where advertising meets history. The Guinness brewery’s 900-year lease of the St James’s Gate site is embedded in the floor of a grand atrium shaped like a pint glass, while at the top of the building a circular bar offers 360-degree views of Dublin and a ‘free’ glass of Guinness to every adult visitor. There are loads of old Guinness adverts to enjoy here and assorted paraphernalia associated with the brewing process, but little that serves to highlight the non-Irish conglomerate that now owns the Guinness drink and brand.

Royal Hospital, Military Rd, Kilmainham, T 01 612 9900, http://www.modernart.ie Tue-Sat 1000-1730, Sun and bank holidays 1200-1730. Closed Mon, Good Friday, 24-26 Dec. Free. Guided tours May-Sep. E2. Bus 26 (from Wellington Quay), 51, 79 (from Aston Quay), 90 (from Connolly Station).

The Royal Hospital at Kilmainham, which now houses the Irish Museum of Modern Art, was built between 1680 and 1684 as a retirement home for old soldiers. It was the first great classical structure to be built in Ireland, and its four great buildings around a central courtyard are well worth seeing for their architecture alone. The museum shows regularly changing exhibitions that combine pieces from its own collection with the work of guest artists. If you visit on a Thursday you can meet local and visiting artists at work in one of the studios.

After you have looked at the art, check out the programme of talks that take place here on a regular basis, or explore the formal 17th-century garden. There are pleasant walks from here across the meadow to Bully’s Acre, a graveyard dating back at least a thousand years, where both the son and grandson of Brian Ború are said to have been buried after the Battle of Clontarf  in 1014.

In summer there are guided tours of the hospital chapel, taking in the stunning original plasterwork, stained glass and woodcarvings, and of the Great Hall, which once served as the hospital dining room. Since 1731 it has been lined with portraits of assorted British bigwigs. These parts of the hospital complex are otherwise closed to visitors; check in advance for the exact times of tours.

Inchicore Rd, T 01 453 5984, http://www.heritageireland.ie Apr-Sep 0930-1700 daily, Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 0930-1600, Sun 1000-1700.   Tour E5. Bus 51B, 78A, 79 (from Aston Quay).

Pass through the gateway of the Gothic Richmond Tower and continue past the Patriot Inn (established in 1793) to reach Kilmainham Gaol, Ireland’s most infamous prison. It opened in 1796 – just in time to incarcerate Wolfe Tone’s rebel supporters in 1798 – and remained in service until 1924 when it was closed by the fledgling Republic. The gaol stood abandoned for 40 years until some history buffs began to do it up, and now it is a major tourist destination. Beyond the exhibition, which details the lives of some of the prison inmates, a guided tour takes you around the dungeons, past the tiny cells once occupied by such famous names in the struggle for Irish independence as Constance Markiewicz, Eamon de Valera and Padraig Pearse. You’ll also see the chapel where Joseph Plunkett was married three hours before his execution, and the grim yard where James Connolly, Plunkett, and 15 other leaders of the 1916 uprising were executed.

Patrick’s Close, T 01 475 4871, http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie Mar-Oct daily 0900-1800, Nov-Feb Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1700, Sun 0900-1500. Closed 24-26  Dec, 1 Jan. E4. Bus 49X, 50, 50X, 54A, 56A, 77X.

If Christchurch is the physical expression of the power of the Norman rulers of Ireland, St Patrick’s is the people’s cathedral. It supposedly stands on the site of a church founded by St Patrick himself, which makes it a considerably older Christian site than Christchurch – if the stories are true. The original stone building was constructed in 1192, only a few years after its rival, and, like Christchurch, St Patrick’s was remodelled in the 19th century, with funding from one of the Guinness clan.

Despite its ugly Victorian exterior, St Patrick’s is the more interesting of the two cathedrals, with much more of its medieval interior remaining intact. As you enter, look at the steps leading down to the main door, which indicate just how far the street level has risen in a thousand years. Inside is a ghastly, over-the-top wooden monument to the Boyle family and the door that, apparently, gave us the expression ‘chancing your arm’. In the 15th century the earls of Ormonde and Kildare began a fight in the church, only declaring a truce after a hole was cut in the door behind which Ormonde was hiding, thus allowing the two men to shake hands. The Lady Chapel at the east end of the church dates from the 13th century, and was used by the local Huguenot community during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Among many grandiose monuments to dead, rich folk, the cathedral also houses more noteworthy memorials to the satirist Jonathan Swift, who was Dean of St Patrick’s during the 18th century, and to Turlogh O’Carolan, a poor and powerless composer and harpist. In the park outside the cathedral is St Patrick’s well, which was used – so the story goes – by Paddy to baptize the local heathen population.

Jonathan Swift’s epitaph is inscribed over the door of the cathedral robing room and reads: ‘He lies where furious indignation can no longer rend his heart.’

St Patrick’s Close, T 01 454 3511, http://www.marshlibrary.ie Mon 1000-1300, Wed-Fri 1000-1300, 1400-1700, Sat 1030-1300. Closed Tue and Sun. E2.50. Bus 50, 54A, 56A (from Eden Quay).

A brief stroll along St Patrick’s Close will take you from the cathedral to a Victorian iron gateway, which marks the entrance to Marsh’s Library. Purpose built in 1701, this was Ireland’s first public library and its interior has changed little since the 18th century. The still-functioning library now also operates as a small museum, with the signatures of famous readers, including James Joyce, on display alongside rare and ancient texts and some books annotated by Jonathan Swift. Check out the original library cages that were used to stop light-fingered readers from pilfering the books.

Cornmarket, High St, T 01 677 0088, staudoenschurch@ealga.ie Jun-Sep 0930-1730. Closed Oct-May. E2. Bus 123, 51B, 78A, 121.

Dublin’s oldest still-functioning parish church has much of its medieval interior intact. Admission includes access to a heritage centre, which describes the history of St Audoen’s and the local guilds, and a tour of the church itself. Beside the church is a pretty little park and St Audoen’s Gate, part of the medieval city walls.

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