—„Ž‹ ™ƒ• ϐ‹”•– •‡––Ž‡† ‹ ͺͶͳ „› –Š‡
Vikings, who had arrived in Ireland as
raiders a century earlier. Kids can step into
their wild life on a Viking Splash tour.
Dublin gets its name from the dark pool
(‘dubh linn’ in Irish) which formed where
the Liffey met another river, the Poddle
(that’s right, not Poodle, and certainly not
Puddle), which once ran through the site
of Dublin Castle. It is now channelled
underground, and trickles out into the
Liffey by Grattan Bridge. Dublin Castle
•–ƒ†• Š‡”‡ǡ ƒ† ›‘— …ƒ •–‹ŽŽ ϐ‹† „‹–• ƒ†
pieces of Dublin’s oldest past in these parts.
There are reminders of the Anglo Norman
period such as the grand medieval Christ
Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral. By the
way, do you know who was the dean of the
latter much later, in 1713? None other
than Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s
Travels. It is certainly not Lilliputian in
size; in fact St Patrick’s Cathedral is
Ireland’s largest church. No surprise here,
for he is the country’s patron saint.
Parents love showing castles to kids
because they know these make history
come alive. Kids love them too for their
own reason: they can imagine that they
will meet all the fairy tale kings and
queens. Dublin Castle will keep both
parties happy. The Anglo Normans built a
fortress here in the 13th century. All that
remains of the original structure is the
Record Tower and the butt of the Powder
Tower. Yes, ‘Powder’ refers to gunpowder;
no, this was not the place where those
velvet-gowned ladies went to put on their
make-up.
ˆ–‡” ƒ ϐ‹”‡ ‹ ͳͺͶǡ –Š‡ …ƒ•–Ž‡ǯ• ’’‡” ƒ†
Lower Yards were planned, and that’s
what you see now. The Upper Yard is still
a wow because they were the luxurious
State Apartments where the British
appointed Viceroys of Ireland lived, just
like in New Delhi’s Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Even if you are not homesick, you might like
to visit the world renowned Chester Beatty
Library and Gallery of Oriental Art. Children
will be impressed by such treasures as 300
copies of the Koran with masterly calligra-
phy, 6,000 year old Babylonian stone
tablets, or the collection of Chinese jade
books each leaf is made from thinly cute
Œƒ†‡ǡ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ‡‰”ƒ˜‡† …Šƒ”ƒ…–‡”• ϐ‹ŽŽ‡†
with gold. A special treat are something like
our own Panchatantra fables, 18th and
19th-century Parabaiks, which are books
of Burmese and Siamese folk tales, with
colourful illustrations on mulberry leaf
paper. Better keep the silkworms away, but
bookworms are welcome!
The north side of the Liffey was the last
part of the city to be developed. If you get
–‹”‡† ‘ˆ •‡‡‹‰ –Š‡ ϐ‹‡ •–ƒ–—‡• ƒ† monu-
ments lining O’Connell Street, you can, like
the Dubliners, get effective retail therapy,
more so on the adjacent Moore Street,
with its colourful parade of stalls and
street vendors.
Yes, Dublin is a capital city, but that doesn’t
mean it has none of Ireland’s famous scenic
beauty close by. It is worth exploring the
ƒ‰‹ϐ‹…‡– •Š‘”‡Ž‹‡ ™‹–Š ‹–• •–—‹‰ ˜‹‡™•
of Dublin Bay; it is easily reached by the DART
rail network. Or go over to the western
•—„—”„•Ǥ ‹†• ™‹ŽŽ †‡ϐ‹‹–‡Ž› ‘– •–‘’ –ƒŽ‹‰
about the special guided tour through the
Kilmainham Gaol, or Jail, with lots of jokes to
lighten the atmosphere. Do break free, and go
over to the huge Phoenix Park which also
houses a great zoo.
Dublin is a city the children will want to
return to again and again, offering
something special for all the different
times of their life. For now, here are some
of the best family attractions.
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