The National Gallery of Ireland stands on Merrion Square West and really is a must for all art lovers.
The gallery houses over 15000 objets d’art, paintings and sculptures from the 13th to the 20th century, classified in several sections according to the country of origin. It is a wonderful collection, thoughtfully displayed in an interesting manner so that you can enjoy one painting without being distracted by the one next to it.

In the British and American Paintings gallery the works cover the British period from Tudor times to the Modern, with a slight emphasis on the 18th century. Illustrious names include Reynolds, Lawrence and Turner and Sargent. The Dutch Paintings gallery centres on 17th century painters such as Van Ruisdael and Pieter Lastman.

The Netherlands and Flemish Paintings gallery offers superb panel paintings by Gerard David and canvases by Peter Paul Rubens and Van Dyck. In the French Paintings gallery you will admire works from the 17th to 19th century such as four religious and mythological paintings by Poussin and fine examples of works by Lorrain and Vouet.

The Germain Paintings gallery houses 16th century panel paintings, portraits by Wolf Huber and religious canvases by Lucas Cranach and the 20th century Impressionist, Emil Nolde. The Irish Paintings gallery holds the most widespread collection of Irish art in the world.

The Italian Paintings gallery focuses on the Early Renaissance, the Baroque and the Neo-classical periods with magnificent works by Titan, Tintoretto and Caravaggio. In the Spanish Paintings gallery you will find panel paintings by Nicolas Francés, tableaux by El Greco, Murillo, Zuberan and de Ribera. The Modern European Paintings gallery includes works by Bonnard, Van Dongen and Picasso.

Another section of the gallery houses the collection of fine sculptures, with marble statues by Piamontini, Cavaceppi and Canova. There is also a great collection of bronze statues, mostly of Hercules in various postures. The last gallery displays prints, topographical drawings, streetscapes, sketches and watercolours.

Established in 1995 by Josephine Kelliher, the Rubicon Gallery is missioned to enable contemporary Irish and visiting artists to present their all-media projects in a gallery-type or otherwise suitable venue. Pursuant to this objective, every year the Rubicon hosts in Dublin ten art shows – predominantly solo-events with some curated exhibitions. It also produces 4-6 published guides. The Rubicon Gallery maintains partnership with museums, art centres and art galleries worldwide, and participates in International Art Fairs to promote Irish artists in Europe and further afield.

The Chester Beatty Library was established in Dublin, Ireland in 1950, to house the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. The present library, on the grounds of Dublin Castle, opened on February 7, 2000, the 125th anniversary of Sir Alfred's birth and was named European Museum of the Year in 2002. The Library's collections are displayed in two sections: "Sacred Traditions" and "Artistic Traditions". Both displays exhibit manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts from the Islamic, East Asian and Western Collections.

Whether you are a student or a family visiting Dublin, a great place to have great fun while learning about the city’s past is Dublinia – the former Synod Hall of Christ Church Cathedral.

This marvellous interactive museum which opened in 1993 is full of workshops, activities, live-sized figures and a room with artefacts taken from archaeological digs around Wood Quay. You can walk through medieval Dublin or rub shoulders with Vikings to your heart’s content. There really is something for everyone here!

In the Viking World you will follow their history from the first Viking raids, through their settling in Ireland to their defeat. You’ll learn about their trade and how they lived – you’ll visit a typical Viking home, but you’ll find that the loo is occupied by a Viking with a very uncomfortable expression on his face – something he ate, no doubt! You can squash together onto a Viking war boat and find out about conditions on board and perhaps understand why they were so keen to land! You can even “sell” your kids (or your parents) to slave traders and see them in slave chains!

The History of Dublin takes over from the defeat of the Vikings and continues to the dissolution of the Catholic churches, monasteries and abbeys by Henry VIII between 1534 and 1539. In this part of the reconstruction of Dublin in the Middle Ages, you can visit a rich merchant’s house, take part in fun fair games and even throw softballs (representing rotten fruit) at the poor chap in the stocks. To see how the nobles waged war, you can try on a suit of armour, which will leave you wondering how medieval knights even got on their horses carrying all that weight.

The Dublinia experience is great fun and it brings history to life with its stories told around the camp fire, its sounds and smells recreated through speakers and ventilation shafts (don’t worry, it’s mostly wood-smoke and roasting meat) and its attention to details that are based on real historic facts.

The City Hall, Dublin (Irish: Halla na Cathrach, Baile Átha Cliath), originally the Royal Exchange, is a civic building in Dublin, Ireland. It was built between 1769 and 1779 to the designs of architect Thomas Cooley and is a notable example of 18th-century architecture in the city. The large size and fine fittings of the Royal exchange, with carved capitals by Simon Vierpyl, and plasterwork by the leading stuccodore Charles Thorpe, reflect the standing and prestige of Dublin in the 18th Century. The neo-classical building contains a central entrance hall or Rotunda, with a large dome supported by twelve columns which is surrounded by an ambulatory where the merchants strolled and discussed business matters.

Sebastian Guinness Gallery is not the usual or the stereotypical kind of art gallery. It hosts works of some of the most famous cultural rebels and pioneers of the underground cultural movement. Do not expect to see masterpieces by da Vinci or Cezanne, they are at the National Gallery. Some of the works here are very experimental, so get ready to be surprised.

While you are in Dublin you will certainly visit the Temple Bar district, which is the hub of the city’s night-life. It’s pretty interesting during the day too and one of its attractions is The Wall of Fame.

It was created in 2005 from an idea by Becky Dunford of the Rockarchive Gallery, John McCormack of Exclusive Blinds and Dave Allen of the Temple Bar Music Centre. They decided to present an outdoor photo gallery featuring those artists they felt had made the greatest contribution to Irish music in the world. The Wall is lit up at night.

The Wall of Fame is a huge black wall with several sunken 6ft x 6ft “windows”, each with a photo in it. You will see Bono, lead singer of U2; Paul Brady, singer and writer of folk and pop songs; Rory Gallagher, a blues-rock songwriter and guitarist who died in 1995; Bob Geldof, the lead singer and songwriter of the Boomtown Rats, creator of Band Aid and Live Aid.

Other photos are of Luke Kelly, folk singer and founder of the Dubliners; Phil Lynott, founder and lead singer of Thin Lizzy; Shane McGowan, the singer and songwriter of the Celtic-punk band The Pogues; Christy Moore, the founding member of Planxty and Moving Hearts; Van Morrison, singer and songwriter of many genres of music; Sinead O’Connor, the pop-rock/folk-rock singer and priest; the Undertones, a punk rock/new wave band and U2, (who, incidentally have a 20ft by 20ft photo).

The Gallery was opened in 1978 and has succeeded in becoming Ireland's premier venue for photography. It hosts contemporary exhibitions of many major names in photography. The Gallery moved to a new location in Meeting House Square in 1995. The Gallery belongs to the Arts Council and Dublin Corporation, but due to the rise in maintenance costs it is sustained financially by its members and sponsors.

Collins Barracks or the Decorative Arts and History branch of the National Museum of Ireland hosts galleries and art exhibits of crafts and wares, Irish currency, silverware, furniture, folk life elements and more. Unique artifacts such as Etruscan vases, the gauntlets worn by King William at the Battle of the Boyne, and a life belt and oar salvaged from the wreck of the RMS Lusitania are kept in this sanctuary of international culture.