Ireland

Dublin

The National Museum of Ireland spreads across multiple sites in Dublin, each telling a different chapter of the island's story. Best of all, admission to every branch is completely free, making Ireland's cultural heritage accessible to all.

The Archaeology branch on Kildare Street is the crown jewel. Built in Victorian Palladian style with a magnificent rotunda and domed roof, it opened in 1890 and holds artifacts spanning from around 7000 BC to the medieval period. The collection includes stunning Bronze and Iron Age objects, bog bodies remarkably preserved by Ireland's peatlands, and the world's largest collection of post-Roman Irish medieval art.

The Natural History branch on Merrion Street, affectionately known by Dubliners as the "Dead Zoo," has changed remarkably little since it opened in 1856. Over 10,000 exhibits display creatures from tiny insects to massive mammals in a setting that feels like stepping into a Victorian naturalist's cabinet of curiosities.

The Decorative Arts and History branch at Collins Barracks occupies a building constructed in 1702, the oldest military barracks in these islands. Since 1997, it has housed exhibitions on Irish clothing, silver, ceramics, and military history, particularly the fight for independence and the formation of the Irish Free State.

Together, the branches offer a comprehensive journey through Irish civilization, from prehistoric farmers to medieval monks to modern revolutionaries. A Questo quest through Dublin can connect these museums with the streets and landmarks that bring their collections to life.

National Museum of Ireland

The Little Museum of Dublin

St Stephen’s Green

St Stephen's Green

Fusiliers' Arch

The Oscar Wilde memorial in Merrion Square shows the writer sprawled on a quartz boulder in coloured stone, with a deliberately lopsided expression that changes depending on which side you stand. The pillars opposite carry his epigrams.

The Oscar Wilde Monument

Grafton Street is Dublin's main pedestrian shopping street, and its buskers are as much a fixture as the shops. It runs from Trinity College down to St Stephen's Green, with the Molly Malone statue at the top end.

Grafton Street

Oscar Wilde's childhood home at 1 Merrion Square is where one of literature's greatest wits spent his formative years. Born at 21 Westland Row in 1854, his family moved to this prestigious address the following year, and for two decades it was the cultural epicenter of Dublin.

The driving force of the household was Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Wilde, a poet, writer, and translator who ran a wildly popular weekly salon on the first floor. Artists, musicians, poets, politicians, and philosophers packed the drawing room to share ideas and entertain each other. Young Oscar grew up surrounded by the kind of wit, intellect, and creative energy that would define his own career.

The building now houses American College Dublin, which offers courses in performing arts and creative writing. Tours are available with expert guides who share details about Wilde's remarkable life, from his Dublin childhood through his Oxford education and on to the triumphs and tragedies of his London years.

On the northwest corner of Merrion Square, just across from the house, a colorful statue of Oscar Wilde sprawls on a quartz boulder. His long legs stretch down the side of the rock, and his face wears the knowing, slightly amused expression that defined his public persona. The statue is made from three different types of stone, each a different color, creating a visual effect as flamboyant as its subject.

A Questo quest through literary Dublin connects Wilde's house to other landmarks of Irish writing, turning the city into a living anthology.

Oscar Wilde House

Merrion Square is one of Dublin's best-preserved Georgian squares, ringed by brick townhouses with brightly painted doors. In the northwest corner Oscar Wilde lounges on a boulder in coloured stone, wearing a distinctly ambiguous expression. The park itself is public and free.

Merrion Square Park 

Irish Whiskey Museum

Unveiled during Dublin's 1988 Millennium celebrations, the bronze statue of Molly Malone depicts the legendary fishmonger from the famous ballad, pushing her wheelbarrow through the streets of the city. Created by artist Jeanne Rynhart, the statue was commissioned by Lord Mayor Ben Briscoe to celebrate the song that has become Dublin's unofficial anthem.

The reception was not entirely warm. The director of the Arts Council wrote to express "universal depreciation," calling the statue "entirely deficient in artistic point and merit." Dubliners, however, embraced it with characteristic humor, giving it nicknames like "The Tart with the Cart" and "The Trollop with the Scallops."

In July 2014, the statue was relocated from its original Grafton Street spot to Suffolk Street to make way for Luas tram construction. Before the move, a practice had developed of tourists rubbing the statue's chest for good luck, a custom that drew growing criticism. In recent years, flowerbeds have been placed around the base to discourage the practice.

Whether Molly Malone was a real person remains debated. The song itself dates to at least the 1880s, but no historical records confirm the existence of a fishmonger by that name. That has not stopped Dublin from claiming her as its own, declaring June 13 as Molly Malone Day.

Real or fictional, Molly has become inseparable from Dublin's identity. A Questo quest through the city center leads you past her statue with stories and challenges that connect the legend to the streets she supposedly walked.

Molly Malone Statue

Dublin Castle

St Patrick's Cathedral

St Patrick's Park is the small green beside Dublin's St Patrick's Cathedral, with a literary parade of plaques honouring Irish writers along one walk. It is the best place to see the cathedral's full length.

 St Patrick’s Park

Millennium Child

St. Audoen's Park

Teeling Whiskey Distillery

St. Patrick's Tower 

Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery

Kildare Street runs past the Irish parliament at Leinster House, with the National Museum and the National Library facing each other on either side of it. Two of Dublin's best free collections sit within a few doors of one another.

Ghost Hunt in Dublin

Kildare St

Point 1 - LBC

Ghosts of Dublin: Haunting Stories Walking Tour & Escape Game

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Explore the eerie and supernatural side of Dublin with this spine-chilling walking tour and escape game. Discover the dark stories behind some of the city’s most haunted locations, from the paranormal activities at Olympia Theatre to the ghostly figure that haunts Trinity College.&nbsp;Uncover the chilling inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula and visit iconic haunted spots that bring Dublin’s dark history to life.In this immersive adventure, you’re a struggling writer, desperate to find a scoop for a local newspaper’s feature on haunted sites in Dublin. But when a shadowy figure invades your dreams and pulls you from bed, the real hunt begins.&nbsp;The ghost of Wolfe Tone demands that you uncover the city’s most terrifying secrets. Solve puzzles, follow the clues, and collect ghost stories to save yourself from a haunting fate. Perfect for history buffs, ghost story lovers, and puzzle solvers, this self-guided tour will take you through Dublin’s haunted streets on a journey you won’t soon forget.

Wolfe Tone Sculpture

Romantic Dublin: Cupid’s Quest Walking Tour & Escape Game

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Discover the romantic side of Dublin with this enchanting walking tour and escape game. Wander through the city’s most iconic love-filled spots, from the vibrant alley of love messages to the resting place of St. Valentine’s skeleton.&nbsp;Stroll across the charming Ha'Penny Bridge and visit the historic Oscar Wilde House, all while solving puzzles and unlocking the hidden secrets of romance in Dublin.In this heartwarming adventure, you step into the shoes of James, a young man searching for love in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century. Surrounded by the bustling contradictions of a growing city, you’ve yet to meet your match. But today, Cupid might have other plans.&nbsp;As you explore Dublin’s romantic streets, follow the clues and keep an eye out for Cupid—your life could change in an instant. Perfect for couples, hopeless romantics, and adventurers, this self-guided tour offers a mix of history, romance, and puzzle-solving as you discover the city’s most romantic corners.

Kildare St, Dublin, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

About Kildare St

Plan Your Visit

Explore Kildare St with a Questo quest

Ghost Hunt in Dublin

Ghosts of Dublin: Haunting Stories Walking Tour & Escape Game

Romantic Dublin: Cupid’s Quest Walking Tour & Escape Game

Nearby Attractions

National Museum of Ireland

The Little Museum of Dublin

St Stephen’s Green

St Stephen's Green

Fusiliers' Arch

St Stephen’s Green

Explore More in Dublin

Dublin