The Chester Beatty Library is housed in the 18th century clock tower on the grounds of Dublin Castle and is a wonderful museum to visit.

The library opened in 1950 and holds the vast and varied collection of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, a mining millionaire and collector of Oriental books and artefacts. The museum has two sections: “Artistic Traditions” and “Sacred Traditions”.

You will find a magnificent collection of manuscripts and papyruses covering over 4000 years of religious culture. There are, of course, Christian Bibles, copies of the Koran, Chinese jade books and Japanese woodblock prints. Also on display are the priceless “Life of the Prophet” and “The Gospel of Mani”, which is possibly the last remaining Manichaeism artefact.

You can also admire Turkish and Persian miniature paintings, Chinese Dragon robes, Buddhist paintings and European medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, prints, drawings, a collection of rare books, as well as Islamic, East Asian and Western decorative art and a wonderful display of East Asian carved snuff boxes.

It isn’t unusual to find students in the museum, as it is one of the most important sources for religious studies. As well as the permanent collection, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions of Islamic law texts, photos of China and its people over the decades, and Japanese art.

Temple Bar isn’t a bar or a pub; it is the cultural corner and liveliest area in Dublin and is a great place to spend the day or the evening.

The Temple Bar district is on the south bank of the River Liffey and it is a delight of medieval cobblestoned streets, full of pubs, clubs restaurants and cafés. There are also souvenir shops, tattoo parlours, second-hand shops and the Reptile Haven, a pet shop with a difference where you will find almost any type of lizard or snake that you can think of.

The area is also the home of the Irish Photography Centre, the Ark Children’s Cultural Centre and the Irish Film Institute. There is plenty of street entertainment with singers, magicians and clowns, and on weekends there are three great markets: the Temple Bar Food Market every Saturday is full of locally grown fruit and vegetables and delicious pastries and cakes; the Temple Bar Book Market on Saturday and Sunday sells second-hand and new books, CD’s and old records; in the Designer Market at Cow’s Lane you can buy locally made arts and crafts.

The district is the centre of Dublin’s night-life with nightclubs and pubs including Bob’s Backstage Bar where you can listen to country music, the Ha’penny Bridge Inn with a folk-song programme, and Oliver St John Gogarty Pub and Restaurant which has live groups singing traditional Irish songs.

One word of warning: the district has attracted a lot of pickpockets and drunken brawls often break out late at night, so it’s best to leave the area before midnight.

You will find the Abbey Theatre on Lower Abbey Street, and if you are thinking of taking in a play while you are in Dublin, be sure to book your seats early, as this is the most popular theatre in the city.

The first Abbey Theatre opened its doors in 1904, founded by Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory, using funds by the English millionaires Annie Elizabeth Horniman. She later withdrew her patronage when the theatre stayed open while others closed out of respect for the death of King Edward VII in 1910.

The theatre quickly became known as a writers’ theatre, putting on plays by Yeats, Padraic Colum, George Bernard Shaw, Oliver St John Gogarty and John Millington Singe, among other illustrious playwrights. Singe’s great play “The Playboy of the Western World” caused a riot when opened, as it was considered to contain foul language, a theme based on patricide and presenting scantily clad women which was an “affront to the virtues” of Irish women of the time.

In 1924 the theatre was offered to the Irish Government as a gift to the people. The gift was refused, but the government accorded the theatre a yearly grant, making it the first government subsidized theatre in the world.

Today the theatre puts on mainly classical Irish and European plays. The Peacock Theatre, which seats 157 people and is situated under the Abbey’s foyer, puts on new plays by up and coming playwrights. The theatre shop sells books, posters, clothes and scripts.

When you want to send postcards home from Dublin to your family and friends, do take the time to go to the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, instead of buying your stamps in the corner shop.

The headquarters of the Irish postal service is the last Georgian public building to be put up in the city and its Greek revival style is wonderful. It was designed in the early 19th century by Francis Johnston and opened for the first time in 1818. The main part of the building was constructed in mountain granite, but the portico was built with Portland stone. The building has three storeys, with the lower part rusticated.

The Ionic portico with its six fluted columns is 24 metres wide. The rest of the façade has a richly decorated frieze along the entablature, but this isn’t continued on the portico. The pediment’s tympanum once held the Royal Arms, but these were removed when Ireland became independent.

On the balustrade above the cornice you will see three statues by John Smyth: Mercury, holding a Caduceus and a purse; Fidelity with one finger pressed to her lips and holding a key, and in the centre, Hibernia brandishing a spear in one hand and holding a harp in the other.

In the entrance there is a commemorative plaque to the heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising, with the Irish text in Gaelic and the English text in Latin. During the rebellion the GPO served as headquarters for the rebels; it was partially destroyed by British troops and rebuilt in 1929.

If you want to spend a quiet hour or so away from the hustle and bustle of Dublin, take a sandwich and a book and go sit in the Garden of Remembrance, which you will find on Parnell Square North.

The beautifully laid out gardens were designed by Daithi Hanly in commemoration of the men, women and children who gave their lives for the freedom of Ireland between 1798 and 1921. The gardens were opened in 1966 by President Eamon de Valera on the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising, during which he had been a commander.

The main theme of the gardens is the sunken pool in the shape of a Latin Cross, surrounded by benches and flowers in wooden tubs. The floor of the pool is tiled and you will see 4 mosaic designs along the “upright” part of the cross. These symbols represent the Celtic custom at the end of a battle, when the shields and weapons were cast into the water as a peace offering.

At the uppermost part of the pool is a shallow flight of steps leading to Oisin Kelly’s beautiful statue of the Children of Lir. The statue, which is based on Celtic mythology, represents rebirth and resurrection. Surrounding the statue and the sunken pool are neatly kept green lawns. Dogs are not allowed in the Garden.

The Dublin Writer’s Museum is housed in a beautifully restored 18th century Georgian mansion with sculptured plasterwork, stained glass windows and an air of timelessness. You really shouldn’t miss a visit to this important museum.

The museum opened in 1991 with the aim of promoting Irish literature and authors. The wonderful collection is set out on display in two rooms – in Room 1 you will find books dating from the 17th century to the end of the 19th century. Room 2 is dedicated to writers of the 20th century, but no living authors.

You will be able to admire first editions of Jonathon Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels”, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” among other old and sometimes rare tomes.

In the Writer’s Gallery, which is used for temporary exhibitions and receptions, you will see various portraits and busts of the Irish writers whose books you have been admiring in the exhibition rooms. There is also a collection of postcards, papers, pens, pipes and other items belonging to Yeats, G.B. Shaw, Oliver Gogarty and others.

The museum has a very good bookshop where you will find copies of the books in the museum, souvenirs and handmade gift items. You can enjoy a meal in the museum café, which serves full meals, snacks, salads and excellent home-made scones, jam and cream.

You shouldn’t miss the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art located in Charlemont House in Parnell Square. Entry to the permanent exhibitions is free, but if you like you can make a donation.

This wonderful gallery was founded in 1908 by Hugh Lane, an avid art collector, and was the first public gallery of modern art in the world. The gallery houses temporary and permanent exhibitions of mainly Irish paintings and sculptures, although you will find a marvellous sculpture by Rodin and Impressionist works by Manet, Monet, Renoir and Degas. There are over 2000 works to admire on three floors.

In the Stained Glass Room you will see “The Eve of Agnes” by the famous Irish stained glass artist Harry Clarke, as well as other fine examples of this beautiful art. In the Sean Scully Gallery there are seven paintings donated by the Irish/American artist.

Of particular note is the fully reconstructed studio used by Francis Bacon. The room held over 7000 items which are stored and can be viewed on the museum’s database. You will see details of 570 books, 1500 photos, 70 drawings and 100 slashed canvases belonging to the artist. In the studio you can see how Bacon lived and work, with half-finished canvases, dirty paintbrushes, dusty bottles of alcohol and books and magazines.

If you visit the museum on a Sunday, you can take part in the “Sundays at Noon” music recitals, which feature jazz and classical music sessions.

You will find the National Wax Museum in Foster Place in the Temple Bar district of Dublin. This is a great museum for adults and children alike.

The museum, which is housed on four floors, opened in 2009 and attracts hundreds of visitors every day. In the museum’s Green Screen Video Room you can make your own video which is then uploaded onto YouTube.

There are many interactive attractions and eight different sections: The Time Vaults of Irish History takes you through the history of Ireland, from the good times, through the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852, when thousands died of disease and starvation, sparking off the biggest mass emigration in the country’s history, to the present day.

The kids will love the Children’s Fantasy World, a section full of light and colours, where they will find all their heroes, Batman, Superman, Star Wars characters, the Simpsons and Harry Potter. They can watch a film or a puppet show. The Writer’s Room houses some of the greatest names in Irish literature, while in the Hall of Irish Legends you will meet TV entertainers and sporting characters.

The Science in Wax section pays homage to Irish designers, inventors and scientists. You can take part in real experiments using the touch-screen technology. In the Grand Hall of Fame, have your photo taken beside U2 or Liam Neeson. In the Chamber of Horrors, shiver with delicious fright when you come face to face with Dracula or Hannibal Lecter.

The museum also has a Comic Shop where you can buy rare comics containing all your childhood Marvel heroes, as well as copies of the Beano and the Dandy – a real trip down memory lane.