Hello. I am traveling with my daughter to Dublin this December. Recommendations for sights/activities to see in and around Dublin during the holiday season are greatly appreciated. We enjoy history, museums, old houses/castles, literature, folklore, textiles, and casual dining. A tour of Newgrange with Mary Gibbons is reserved, lodging is booked in Dublin (Buswells) and 2 nights in Galway (Park House Hotel). A tour of Trinity College and the Book of Kells is on our must see list. We plan to take a day tour from Dublin to Kilkenny, Glendalough, and Wicklow Mountains. Is Waterford doable from Dublin as a day trip?
Thanks for any advice and tips.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
2217 posts
What age is your daughter? Will you be there before or after Christmas or both?
Waterford is reached by train in 2.5 hours from Dublin's Heuston station. First one departs around 7:30am, so ~10am arrival. Days are short in December, so it's likely you'd be riding back in the dark.
Book of Kells requires a reservation, I believe. Booking may be open now for dates in December. https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-now/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=WG-US-TCD-Library-Exact&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21176229579&gbraid=0AAAAABX5yhLBm8YEunXqcysw5XRNV4nVV&gclid=CjwKCAjw88HWBhA3EiwAo2Zd6LKjJhnipNj7Jd1v36gSd2QYUG5LPLgc7_cibQzieB7cCbNKXok1FxoCqiUQAvD_BwE
Posted by
2113 posts
I highly recommend 14 Henrietta Street. It's part history lesson, part museum and part house tour. It's a "renovated" Dublin townhouse that explains how the house was used from its glory days to becoming a tenement, telling the story of Dublin's fortunes. https://14henriettastreet.ie/. More Irish history can be found at the Kilmainham Gaol (tickets sell out fast) https://www.kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/ and the Government Post Office. https://www.gpomuseum.ie/. For literature consider a literary pub crawl and the Chester Beatty Museum. The Leprechaun Museum is fun for folklore.