Head to the centre of Dublin for a hint of the town’s historic past at the picturesque Clontarf Castle. Built in the 1830s, this stoic Georgian country house stands on the site of a much older building. In fact, the history of the area dates all the way back to the 11th Century, when the original medieval Clontarf Castle stood here.

Walk the cobbled lanes of Ireland’s oldest university, alma mater to literary greats and home of the precious Book of Kells.

Take a break in Dublin’s most popular public park with green lawns and flower beds, a stone bridge and statues, a swan-filled lake and a playground.

Watch a game of rugby or soccer and take a tour of the changing rooms and players’ tunnel to peek behind the curtain.

A tour of this pint-shaped hall in a historic brewery provides an intoxicating journey through the making of Ireland’s signature drink.

Croke Park in Dublin is so much more than an impressive sports stadium. “Croker”, as it is locally known, is in many ways is a bastion of Irish identity that protects the spirit of Gaelic games from forces seeking to dislodge it. If this all sounds a bit dramatic you should take the fantastic Croke Park Experience tour to get a very real sense of just how important and deeply ingrained the GAA and Gaelic games are to Ireland’s sense of itself.