Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [61]
Merchant’s Arch leads to the Ha’penny Bridge (Map), named after the ha’penny (half-penny) toll once needed to cross. The Stock Exchange (Map) is on Anglesea St, in a building dating from 1878.
DUBLIN CASTLE
The centre of British power in Ireland for most of 800 years, Dublin Castle (Map; 645 8813; www.dublincastle.ie; Cork Hill) sits atop Cork Hill, behind City Hall. It was originally built on the orders of King John in 1204, but it’s more higgledy-piggledy palace than castle. Only the Record Tower, completed in 1258, survives from the original Norman construction. Parts of the castle’s foundations remain and a visit to the excavations is the most interesting part of the castle tour. The moats, now completely covered by more modern developments, were once filled by the River Poddle. The castle is also home to one of Dublin’s best museums, the Chester Beatty Library.
The castle’s beautiful State Apartments – easily the standout attraction – are still used for government business, so tours (full tour adult/student/child €4.50/3.50/2, undercroft & Chapel Royal only adult/student/child €3.50/2.50/free; every 20 mins, 10am-4.45pm Mon-Fri, 2-4.45pm Sat & Sun) are tailored around meetings and conferences; if the State Apartments are unavailable the discounted tour takes in only the undercroft and the Chapel Royal.
CHESTER BEATTY LIBRARY
The world-famous Chester Beatty Library (Map; 407 0750; www.cbl.ie; Dublin Castle, Cork Hill; admission free; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun year-round, closed Mon Oct-Apr) houses the collection of mining engineer Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875–1968), bequeathed to the Irish State on his death. And we’re immensely grateful for Chester’s patronage: spread over two floors, the breathtaking collection includes more than 20,000 manuscripts, rare books, miniature paintings, clay tablets, costumes and other objects of artistic, historical and aesthetic importance. The library runs tours at 1pm on Wednesdays and at 3pm and 4pm on Sundays.
The Artistic Traditions Gallery on the 1st floor begins with memorabilia from Beatty’s life, before embarking on an exploration of the art of Mughal India, Persia, the Ottoman empire, Japan and China. Here you’ll find intricately designed little medicine boxes and perhaps the finest collection of Chinese jade books in the world. The illuminated European texts are also worth examining.
The Sacred Traditions Gallery on the 2nd floor gives a fascinating insight into the rituals and rites of passage of the major world religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. There are audiovisual explorations of the lives of Christ and the Buddha, as well as the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Head for the collection of Qur’ans from the 9th to the 19th centuries, considered to be among the best illuminated Islamic texts. You’ll also find ancient Egyptian papyrus texts (including Egyptian love poems from around 1100 BC), scrolls and exquisite artwork from Burma, Indonesia and Tibet – as well as the second-oldest biblical fragment ever found (after the Dead Sea Scrolls).
The comprehensive Reference Library ( by appointment only), complete with a finely lacquered ceiling that Beatty himself had installed in his own London home, is a great resource for artists or students.
The library regularly holds specialist workshops, exhibitions and talks on everything from origami to calligraphy, and admission is free. It’s easy to escape from the rigours of Western life on the serene rooftop Japanese garden or at the Silk Road Café Click here on the ground floor, which serves delicious Middle Eastern cuisine.
BEDFORD & RECORD TOWERS
Directly across the Upper Yard from the main entrance to the castle is the Bedford Tower (Map; Dublin Castle, Cork Hill). In 1907 the collection known as the Irish Crown Jewels was stolen from the tower and never recovered.
The entranceway to the castle yard, beside the Bedford Tower,