While there is plenty to see in the city itself while visiting Dublin, there are also quite a few spots just outside the city that aren’t to be missed! During our time living in Dublin, we didn’t own a car but we did on occasion rent (or “hire” as the Irish say) a car to do big shopping or to see things outside the easily accessible areas of the Dublin city area. Sometimes we took road trips to the far reaches of the island, but more than not we just stayed around Dublin and saw where there was nearby.
We moved to Ireland when Honeybun was 19 months old and moved back just before her 4th birthday and when Sugarplum was 23 months. Most of our near-home adventures happened the last few months before we moved back to Florida.
It’s hard to pick my favorite near-Dublin place we saw, but it’s definitely not hard to pick the most unique: Brú na Bóinne and Newgrange. North of the city, the ancient passage tombs that one can visit at Newgrange are unique to Ireland, ancient burial mounds deep underground with a celestial connection to the Winter Solstace.
A visit starts with buying your tickets to visit the tombs, which are sold on a first come-first-served basis and getting you assigned tour time. When it is your tour time, you board a shuttle bus for a short drive out to the tombs. If you have awhile before your tour you can wander through the Brú na Bóinne museum or have a cup of coffee/tea and a snack at the café (we did both!)
The visit to the tombs includes time to wander around the exterior grounds as well as a visit inside. You enter through an extremely narrow passage to get to a small chamber where the construction and use of the tomb is described and the solstice is simulated. Unfortunately the solstice simulation involves complete darkness and Sugarplum freaked so they had to stop the presentation so hubby could take her out but Honeybun and I stayed to see it and then hubby went in with the next group while the girls and I explored outside. The museum, tour and simulation were all fascinating and I would love to go back again to see the other tomb as Knowth (which is only open part of the year).
In the same area is the less popular but still fantastic Battle of the Boyne located on the sight of the 1690 battle. The site includes a really nice visitors center/museum with a movie about the battle, a nice tea room and a large network of walking paths. We had a really nice visit and the girls enjoyed it other than the movie!
Also close to the Battle of the Boyne site is Old Mellinfont Abbey, the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland is now mostly ruins but has a small and interesting exhibit on masonry in the middle ages and you can wander freely around the site. We found these type of places great for the girls as they could run, be a little loud and explore without bothering other (though we never let them climb out of respect for the living history!)
Another site similar to Old Mellinfort Abbey but much more widely known and visited is Glendalough, located Southwest of the Dublin. Founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century, Glendalough is larger and much better preserved than Old Mellinfort Abbey and just as interesting. The visit is a bit tougher as you have to park near the visitors center and walk to the site (whereas at Old Mellinfort Abbey, you park right near the entrance to the sight) and the walk is pretty far for little ones and the site is tough with a buggy. But we still really enjoyed our visit and had many great conversations about the monks at the monastery which she imagined as Monk (our cat) at Montessori (a school)!
A short distance from Glendalough (and easy to do both in 1 day!) is the very popular Powerscourt Estate. The House (if you can call it that!) at Powerscourt includes a few great local shops with Irish goods, my favorite being Avoca, as well as a nice café and now houses Tara’s Palace which is a children’s museum centered around a large dollhouse (we did not get to visit this exhibit as it was in the process of relocating from another site during our visit). The estate also has expansive, well-maintained gardens which are free to roam and explore. We could have spent hours wandering around the estate and exploring the gardens!
Each of the sites listed are within an hours drive of Dublin’s city centre and most are accessible by public transport and all the sites (with the exception of Powerscourt Estate) are managed by Heritage Ireland and extremely affordable with family rates of less than €20 for 2 adults and usually up to 3 children!
