Go Kids

Araskids.ieA challenging query from a young reader looking for some place to go when you can't leave the house turned up a real gem: araskids.ie. It's President Mary McAleese's website for young children, and clicking through the simple graphics and instructions takes users on a virtual tour of Áras an Uachtaráin, including a 360-degree view of the rooms.

Another click on a cartoon of Oisín the reindeer leads into the Phoenix Park. Various sections help answer questions on what the President does, and if young surfers have a particular question they’d like to ask President McAleese, they can click through and leave their query.

There’s also some fascinating facts about the house, such as that the east wing was added in 1849 for the state visit of Queen Victoria; the Dublin mains gas supply was installed in 1852 and electricity in 1908, and the west wing was extended in 1911 for the visit of King George V.

Áras an Uachtaráin is an unusually accessible public building. There are free tours every Saturday (in winter from 10am-4pm). Tickets are issued at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre next door to the Áras, and the tours which include a visit to the exhibition centre and the main State reception rooms, start from there.