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in town, the appropriately named Bar with No Name (5; Click here) – even though insiders call it No 3 (on account of its street address); there’s no sign but it’s up the stairs from the doorway next door to L’Gueuleton restaurant. If it’s more conversation you require, make your way to the Long Hall (6; Click here), where the vicissitudes of life are discussed in a sombre Victorian setting. Shake that booty down the road at the Globe (7; Click here). Cross the Liffey and make a beeline for Ormond Quay and Sin É (8; Click here), a small bar with a big reputation for top-class music and a terrific night out. If you’ve followed the tour correctly, it’s unlikely that you’d now be referring to this guide. How many fingers?

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DUBLIN FOR CHILDREN

Sometimes holidaying with small children requires the organisation of an army boot camp, boundless energy and patience, bottomless pockets and a sense of humour, so it really helps when the facilities and goodwill are there to back up your efforts.

All but a few hotels will provide cots and many have baby-sitting on request (normally €7 to €10 per hour). While waiters may not act like your baby is the first they’ve ever seen, you’ll still find a warm reception for junior travellers in Dublin, at least during the day. Frustratingly, many city-centre restaurants are unwilling to accommodate diners under 12, especially babies, after 6pm. You’ll need to check before making a booking. Most restaurants – even exclusive ones – have highchairs and will gladly heat bottles and baby food, but so-called kiddie menus lack imagination and rarely stretch further than the ubiquitous chicken nuggets or sausages with chips. That said, places catering specifically for families who want to eat more nutritious food are cropping up all the time, and the pizza chain Milano has resourcefully added free weekend childcare facilities to its Dublin restaurants.

Travellers will find that baby changing facilities and city-centre playgrounds are remarkably few and far between. Shopping centres and department stores (or a hotel if you’re stuck) are good places to try for changing nappies (diapers). There’s a reasonably sized playground on Gardiner St (Map) and in St Stephen’s Green, where you can also feed the ducks. The Iveagh Gardens doesn’t have a playground but has a waterfall and small maze, and is a lovely quiet space to relax while your children play.

The Ark (Map; 670 7788; www.ark.ie; 11A Eustace St) is a children’s cultural centre that organises plays, exhibitions and workshops for four-to-14-year-olds. You really need to book in advance for events.

You could spend the entire day at the National Aquatic Centre (Map; 646 4300; www.nationalacquaticcentre.ie; Snugborough Rd, Blanchardstown; adult/child & student €14/12; 6am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm Sat & Sun) – and if you don’t the kids certainly could, as they glide from slide to slide and pool to pool.

Lambert Puppet Theatre ( 280 0974; www.lambertpuppettheatre.com; Clifton Lane, Monkstown) stages puppet shows for the over-threes in Monkstown, 10km south of Dublin. Take bus 7, 7A, 8, 46A, 46X or 746 to get there.

The National Museum (Click here and Click here) and the Irish Museum of Modern Art run fun, educational programs for children at weekends. A nice spot for a picnic is Newbridge House (Map; 843 6534; Donabate; adult/child €3.50/2; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 2-6pm Sun Apr-Sep, 2-5pm Sat & Sun Oct-Mar), with its large traditional farm, which has cows, pigs and chickens, a large park and an adventure playground. It’s northeast of Swords at Donabate, 19km from the centre. You can get here on the Suburban Rail service (€2.70, 30 minutes), which departs hourly from either Connolly or Pearse Station in the city centre.

The Irish Times runs a column on things to do with kids in its Wednesday edition.

If your hotel doesn’t have a baby-sitting service, you could try a couple of agencies that provide professional nannies. It’s up to you to negotiate a fee with the nanny, but €13 to €15 per hour is the average, plus taxi fare if the