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Photo: Photograph by John H. Nolan; original uploader was Hetch at en.wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
This stages Gaelic football and hurling for Dublin County GAA and national competitions, with a playing season April-Sep. The stadium has a capacity of 82,300 yet you may struggle to get tickets for big games. Tours of the stadium and GAA museum are also available, including a chance to try out these sports. You can also take the "skyline walk" across the stadium roof.
Croke Park is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Since 1891 the site has been used by the GAA to host Gaelic sports, including the annual All-Ireland finals in Gaelic football and hurling.
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This has a focus on European and American theatre ranging from classics to modern plays. It was established as a theatre company in 1928 by Hilton Edward and Micheál MacLiammóir.
Sir Hugh Lane (1875-1915) was one of the first collectors of modern art. He died in the sinking of Lusitania and this public gallery reflects his Will, which involved about as much negotiation, fudge and compromise as the Treaty for Irish independence. The permanent exhibitions are mostly contemporary Irish artists, plus Francis Bacon's studio, relocated from London in 2001. Charlemont House was built in 1763 and in 1929 its gardens were built over to create the gallery, which is wheelchair accessible.
Dublin's Catholic cathedral, built in 1825. Catholicism was always the majority religion in Ireland, but its practice was forbidden until the 19th century. The official cathedral is Christ Church, so designated by the Pope in 1300, but taken over by the Protestants in the 16th century. When the laws relaxed, St Mary's was built in neo-Classical style as a temporary or "pro"-cathedral, until such time as the Pope decrees otherwise or the Protestants hand back Christ Church. Neither event appears imminent.
The GPO is the headquarters of the Post Office in Ireland, built in Neo-Classical style 1814-1818. In 1916 it was occupied by Irish rebels led by PH Pearse, who read the Proclamation of the Republic outside the front door of the building. The interior was burnt out by shelling from government forces against the rebels, but the exterior survived. Subsequently the GPO was restored, reopening in 1929, and remains a busy working post office. The museum within it is a multimedia exploration of the Easter Rising.
Over the centuries more than 10 million people emigrated from Ireland; this is the story of why they left, where they went and how they shaped the world.
National Theatre of Ireland
Opened in 1904, and always at the centre of the Irish drama scene, the Abbey is a good venue for catching local playwrights' work but with a global repertoire. It's intended to replace the current building with two new theatres fronting onto the Liffey. This will mean a lengthy closure, but the work has not started.