Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [74]
Regrettably, the economic crash of 2008–09 put paid to some plans for the area, including the long-expected U2 Tower and a gigantic sculpture by Antony Gormley, as well as a raft of new bars and restaurants. Still, there’s enough to keep you occupied and sustained, including a stunning new five-star hotel designed by Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus.
CUSTOM HOUSE
James Gandon (1743–1823) announced his arrival on the Dublin scene with the stunning, glistening white building that is the Custom House (Map), one of the city’s finest Georgian monuments. It was constructed between 1781 and 1791, in spite of opposition from city merchants and dockers at the original Custom House, upriver in Temple Bar.
In 1921, during the independence struggle, the Custom House was set alight and completely gutted in a fire that burned for five days. The interior was later extensively redesigned, and a further major renovation took place between 1986 and 1988.
The best complete view of a building that stretches 114m along the Liffey is obtained from across the river, though a close-up inspection of its many fine details is also worthwhile. The building is topped by a copper dome with four clocks. Atop stands a 5m-high statue of Hope.
Beneath the dome is the Custom House Visitor Centre ( 888 2538; Custom House Quay; admission €1; 10am-12.30pm Mon-Fri, 2-5pm Sat & Sun mid-Mar–Oct, closed Mon-Tue & Sat Nov–mid-Mar), which features a small museum on Gandon himself, as well as information on the history of the building.
JEANIE JOHNSTON
One of the city’s most original tourist attractions is an exact, working replica of a 19th-century ‘coffin ship’, as the sailing boats who transported starving emigrants away from Ireland during the Famine were gruesomely known. The good news is that the Jeanie Johnston ( 1800 532 643, 066-712 9999; www.jeaniejohnston.ie; Custom House Quay; adult/child €5/3; 10.30am-5pm Sat & Sun Oct-Apr), a three-masted barque originally built in Quebec in 1847, made 16 transatlantic voyages carrying more than 2500 people and never suffered a single death. A small museum on board details the harrowing plight of a typical journey, which usually took around 47 days. The ship also operates as a Sail Training vessel, with journeys taking place from May to September. If you are visiting during these times, check the website for details of when it will be in dock.
WATERWAYS VISITOR CENTRE
If you absolutely must know about the construction and operation of Ireland’s canals, the bad news is that the Waterways Visitor Centre (Map; 677 7510; www.waterwaysireland.org; Grand Canal Quay), on the Grand Canal Basin, is currently closed for renovations. But you can still admire the ‘Box on the Docks’ – as this modern building is nicknamed – from the outside (usually good enough for the average enthusiast of artificial waterways).
Smithfield & Phoenix Park
Flanking the northern shore of the Liffey west of O’Connell St is Smithfield, once a vibrant market district and latterly an urban debutante, eagerly anticipating the day when it would take over from Temple Bar as the city’s hippest district. A huge construction boom has resulted in an enlivened neighbourhood centred on a handsome square surrounded by modern apartments and office blocks – as well as our favourite cinema in town – that hasn’t quite obliterated every trace of old Dublin. Further west is Dublin’s grandest public park, home of both the president and the zoo; on the way is one of the city’s best museums.
SMITHFIELD
Smithfield (Map) has been a work-in-progress since the mid-1990s, when it was earmarked for major residential and cultural development. Shoehorning ‘culture’ into any neighbourhood is never going to really work and in Smithfield it was merely a polite way of saying that the