Dublin Museums, Cultural & Literary Attractions

Discover Ireland through its cultural attractions. From writer’s museums to the Museum of Modern Art to the world’s only Leprechaun Museum, Dublin’s cultural attractions await your discovery.

1. Trinity College and the Book of Kells: The 690 page Book of Kells is the centerpiece of the “Turning Darkness into Light” exhibition which attracts over 500,000 visitors to Trinity College every year. Written around 800 AD, the Book of Kells contains a richly decorated copy of the four gospels in a latin text, written on vellum (prepared calfskin). The script is embellished by the elaboration of key words and phrases and by an endlessly inventive range of decorated initials and interlinear drawings.

2. Dublin Writer’s Museum: Situated in a magnificent Georgian Mansion on Parnell Square, the Dublin Writer’s Museum is an essential visit for anyone who wants to discover, explore or simply enjoy Dublin’s immense literary history. Swift, Sheridan, Shaw, Wilde, Yeats, Joyce and Beckett are among those exhibited through their books, letters, portraits and personal items.

3. Leprechaun Museum: Discover the stories and magic of mythical Ireland, land of the leprechaun.

4. The Shaw Birthplace: Birthplace and childhood home of renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw has been, it was in the is house that Shaw began to gather the store of characters that would later populate his books.

5. The James Joyce Museum: The James Joyce Museum is located in the Martello Tower which was featured in the opening chapter of Ulysses. It is considered one of the world’s most famous literary landmarks.

6. The National Library of Ireland: No exploration of Dublin’s literary history would be complete without a visit the National Library of Ireland.

7. Irish Museum of Modern Art: The Irish Museum of Modern Art is Ireland’s leading institution for the presentation of modern and contemporary art. The museum is housed in the magnificent 17th century Royal Hospital building, whose grounds include a formal garden, meadow and medieval burial grounds.

8. The National Gallery of Ireland: Housing some 13,000 works of art, among the Irish artists represented are James Barry, Nathaniel Hone, William Orpen, Roderic O’Conor and Louis le Brocquy. The European Collection includes pieces by masters such as: Fra Angelico, Titian, Caraviaggio, Rembrandt, Poussin, Vermeer, Goya, Murillo and Gainsborough.

9. Abbey Theater: The Abbey Theater, Ireland’s national theater was founded by WB Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904.



10. Literary Pub Crawl: Compliment your literary tour of Dublin with a Literary Pub Crawl. Enjoy some of Ireland's best literature acted out as you travel from one famous Dublin pub to another.

Discover these great Ireland attractions on your next vacation to Ireland with Celtic Tours.