Surroundings, Dublin
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Some highlights in the Dublin surrounding area include, Dunsoghly Castle, Ardgillian Castle and St Patrick's Island, among others.
Related Attractions
Santry
The N1, going north from Dublin, runs through Santry. St Pappin's Church (1709) has a 14th C. font, a reredos of 1709 and a fine pulpit. In the churchyard is the 17th C. tomb of Richard Barry and his wife.
Swords, Ireland
Driving from Dublin 2mi/3km north of Santry, on the N1, is Swords, with the ruins of Swords Castle (13th-15th C.; National Monument). The castle, pentagonal in plan, was the seat of the archbishops of Dublin. It preserves a chapel, the gatehouse and towers. Adjoining the village church are a 74ft/22.5m high round tower (entrance and roof modern) and the tower (14th C.) of a former monastic church.
Newbridge House and Traditional Farm
Going north along the N1 from Swords and taking the R126 after 2mi/3km is Donabate. Here in Newbridge House and in the surrounding park and farmland a museum was opened in 1992, with the object of portraying rural life in Ireland as it was in the 18th C. The buildings open to visitors include Newbridge House itself, as well as the adjoining farm with its animals and 18th C. equipment.
Lusk
North of Donabate the R127 diverges off the N1 on the right for Lusk, which has a round tower (National Monument), all that remains of a ninth century monastery suppressed by the Anglo-Normans. The square tower belongs to a later structure. The church (1847) contains a number of good medieval tombs.The belfry houses an exhibition on medieval churches of North County Dublin and also the 16th C. effigy tomb of Sir Christopher Barnewall and his wife Marion Sharl.
Lambay Island
On the coast to the east of Lusk is the village of Rush, a bulb-growing center. From here a boat can be taken to Lambay Island. In the eighth century the island was the scene of one of the first Viking incursions and fortifications dating from about 1550 can still be seen. The rocky islet of Porphyry (highest point 427ft/130m) is now a bird sanctuary.
Skerries
From Lusk the R127 passes the ruined church (15th C.: National Monument) and castle of Baldongan to Skerries (good sandy beach, 18-hole golf course).
St Patrick's Island
Offshore of Skerries is a little islet, one of a group of three, called St Patrick's Island, with a ruined church.
Colt Island
Offshore of Skerries is a little islet, one of a group of three, called Colt Island.
Shenick's Island
Offshore of Skerries is a little islet, one of a group of three, called Shenick's Island (which can be reached by foot at low water) with a Martello tower. Further out to sea on Rockabill there is a lighthouse.
Balbriggan, Ireland
From Skerries the R127 runs along the coast to Balbriggan on the River Delvin, a quiet seaside resort with lovely beaches and a 9-hole golf course. Its stocking factories, established in the 18th C., still play an important part in the local economy.
Ardgillan Castle
Ardgillan Castle, built in 1738, perches overlooking the Irish Sea north of Dublin. It was in private hands until 1962 and only recently was opened to the public and after being restored in its Georgian/Victorian style. The estate sits on 194 acres of pasturelands and woodlands with extensive walking trails and coastal views.
Portmarnock, Ireland
From Dublin's northeastern suburbs or from Howth the R106 leads to the little resort of Portmarnock, with its beautiful 2mi/3km long Velvet beach and well-known championship golf course.
St Doulagh's Church
1.25mi/2km west of Portmarnock we come to St Doulagh's Church (13th C.), with its original stone roof, a chapel and a battlemented tower (15th C.). Cells in the tower, over the chapel and in the crypt suggest that this may have been a community of hermits. In a field 110yd/100m northeast is St Doulagh's Well, in a stone-roofed octagonal well house.
Malahide, Ireland
From Portmarnock the R106 follows the coast to Malahide, a popular little seaside resort with a good sandy beach and a nine-hole golf course.
Malahide Castle
Southwest of the town of Malahide stands Malahide Castle, which from the 13th C. to 1975 was owned and occupied by the Talbot family and now belongs to the city of Dublin. Much rebuilt and altered in the course of its history, it shows a variety of architectural styles - medieval, Georgian and modern. The Great Hall with its oak roof is the only one in Ireland to have preserved its medieval aspect and to have continued (until 1975) to serve its original purpose. The castle now houses the National Portrait Gallery, a branch of the National Gallery in Dublin. The pictures in this collection are of interest either for the artist (William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, etc.) or the sitter (Anne Boleyn, Robert Dudley, James Gandon, Jonathan Swift, Daniel O'Connell, etc.).
Talbot Botanic Garden
A collection of rare trees, shrubs and bulbs from the southern hemisphere are to be found in the parklands of Malahide Castle.
Clondalkin
2.5mi/4km northwest of Tallaght on the R113 is Clondalkin, a monastic settlement founded by St Mochua in the seventh century, of which nothing remains but a 84ft/25.5m high round tower (National Monument), with its original roof and an external staircase (18th C.), and, in the churchyard, two granite crosses and a font (all National Monuments).
Lucan, Ireland
The N4 follows the course of the Liffey through the Dublin suburb of Chapelizod to Lucan, once a much frequented spa. To the west is Lucan House (1776), with beautiful interiors by James Wyatt, Michael Stapleton and Angelica Kauffmann.
Finglas, Ireland
On the N2, on the outskirts of Dublin, Finglas has a ruined medieval church and a 12th C. high cross in the churchyard. On a hill 2mi/3km west stands Dunsink Observatory, from 1782 to 1921 the observatory of Trinity College, Dublin.
Dunsoghly Castle
3mi/5km north of Finglas, to the right of the N2, we come to Dunsoghly Castle (15th C.: National Monument), which, unusual among Irish castles, still preserves its original oak roof beams. It is a square tower with rectangular corner turrets; far-ranging views from the parapet walks. The roof structure provided the model for the reconstruction of Bunratty Castle. To the south of the castle are the remains of a small chapel (1573).
Beech Park
This walled garden contains an excellent collection of perennial plants, including some rare rhododendrons, orchids and mountain daisies from New Zealand.
Dublin
Trinity College
Howth
Inner City North
Dublin Castle
