I lived in Cork, Ireland for over 2 years and made it up to Dublin quite a few times. As McArthur01 suggested, you may want to skip the Guinness factory unless you are really a huge fan of beer history and marketing.

I definitely recommend seeing the Book of Kells in the Trinity College library. The library itself is an amazing site, so I doubt anyone would be disappointed with the visit. You will only be able to see a couple of pages, as they don't allow visitors to turn the pages. You also won't be able to take pictures of the book, but it will give a great memory of a monumental piece of history.

I also recommend St. Patrick's Cathedral. I was there about a year ago and it was being worked on, but it was still a beautiful sight. You can walk around outside for no charge, but you will have to pay a small fee to enter.

Along with the Book of Kells, the Viking Age Ireland exhibits at the National Museum were my favorite spots in Dublin. The museum has incredible Viking skeletons, tons of Viking weapons and artifacts and some gruesome history. There is also a longboat, the Bog bodies (absolutely incredible remains), exquisite gold jewelry and too much to list here.

The National Gallery of Ireland was pretty nice, but if I had to choose, I wouldn't definitely pick the National Museum.

There are tons of museums, shops, Irish goverment buildings, Trinity College and live entertainment within walking distance of each other.

Nighttime, you will have to visit the Temple Bar region. There are quite a few restaurants and old pubs in the area. My wife and I went in a few and they were all wonderful. The Temple Bar Pub is a must. The place is crowded, but nearly every night there is a traditional Irish band playing. The patrons join along in the songs and the people are all extremely nice. Musicians play along the streets and the atmosphere is wonderful, so any place you go in the region is bound to be fun.

Meals can get a bit pricey compared to our standards, but don't miss out on Guinness stew, Wicklow lamb stew, spiced beef and soda bread along with a pint of Guinness when you are in the area. I would normally take in a few Beamish pints, Jameson whiskey shots and a Guinness or two to get the night going.

Have a great time!
Source(s):
http://www.thetemplebarpubdublin.com/
http://www.nationalgallery.ie/


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