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Some days you start off not knowing
exactly where the day is going to take you.
You follow your feet and trust that they'll take you somewhere
interesting and exciting. Well I did
just that today and I am happy to report that my feet can be trusted because I
found two places that it seemed most others hadn't gone to. Dublin City Hall was first on my walking
tour, as I saw its' imposing columns and large dome while walking down Dame St.
just off of the Temple Bar district and decided to see if it was something you
could in-fact tour. It ended up being a
museum that outlined the history of the city which also housed many interesting
artifacts from the many different groups of people who have laid claim to the
capital of Ireland throughout the centuries.
The museum is housed in the old vaults of City Hall, and has a decidedly
sparse feel with white walls and cold floors which allows the sometimes bleak
but ultimately fascinating history of Dublin and of Ireland resonate very
clearly in the visitors mind. After
wandering through the museum you can stop into the café or go upstairs to the
main hall which is adorned with a beautiful dome that evokes a small version of
the same in the Pantheon in Rome. Of all
the museums I've visited in Dublin this is easily the smallest, but if you're
looking for a very complete history of the city this is one museum that should
not be missed.
Onward I walked after visiting City
Hall- past Trinity College and down towards Merrion Square where I saw the
National Museum of Art which I visited on my last trip to Dublin. So I turned the corner and continued down
until I saw a small building that said it was the Irish Museum of Natural
History. Never in my life have I been so
astounded by the contents of such an unassuming little museum. Now this place in particular might not suit
everyone's taste, because there are many other natural history museums in the
world that house collections that far exceed the collection you'll find in
Dublin. If you've ever fancied traveling
through time, however, I advise you to stop into this museum because
immediately you walk into the place and you feel like you're in Victorian
Ireland. There is shelf after shelf
scattered over 4 floors of preserved animals of all sorts, and the whole thing
feels like something out of an Agatha Christie novel gone wrong. The wooden floors creak and the sunlight is
filtered through layers of dust, all creating a very eerie atmosphere that you
will remember long after you've been there.
On my visit there were maybe 4 other people there so you don't have to
worry about the crowds beating down the doors.
I will say once again that this museum is not traditional and albeit
doesn't have a whole lot to do with natural history, but in this case it's all
about the ambience. On top of all that
the Irish Museum of Natural History is free, so if you find yourself with a bit
of extra time stop through and experience a small (and cheap) haunt.
Dublin City
Hall:
Dame Street,
Dublin 2
Phone:
01-222-2204
Opening Hours:
Mon.-Sat.: 10 A.M. thru 5:15 P.M.
Sun. & Irish Bank Holidays: 2
P.M. thru 5 P.M.
Irish Museum of
Natural History:
Merrion Street,
Dublin 2
Phone:
01-677-7444
Opening Hours:
Closed Mondays
Tues.-Sat.: 10 A.M. thru 5 P.M.
Sun.: 2 P.M. thru 5 P.M.
Written by Joe Gayk - Summer of Travel 2007
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