Bernice Harrison on alternatives to movies and the mall
Viking Dublin reborn
How about exploring Dublin’s Viking origins at the revamped Dublinia heritage museum? It first opened in 1993, when Temple Bar as we know it now was being redeveloped – it’s at the west end of Temple Bar. Since then, museum and visitor-centre technology has moved on apace, and the centre is reopening on Wednesday after a €2 million makeover.
It's aninteractive museum where you can step through the hull of a replica Viking shipand wander through a life-size medieval streetscape, to see the clothes that were worn at the time and get an idea of what the buildings were like, plus how a medieval market might have looked. Along the way you can pick up plenty of information about the Vikings, including the sort of information that children love, such as that they used moss for toilet paper. It's an engaging way to trace the history of Dublin from the capture of the city by Strongbow and his knights, in 1170, to the closure of the monasteries under Henry VIII, in the 16th century. The National Museum of Ireland has loaned Dublinia several Viking and medieval artifacts.
For a bitof exercise, and for a great view, climb the 96 steps to the top of the tower, which was built in the 1670s and was once part of the church of St Michael the Archangel.
- 01-6794611, dublinia.ie. Adults €6.95, children €4.95, families €20