This is probably the closest most of us will ever come to visiting the medieval world. You begin by reading about the early history of Dublin. One of the earliest exhibits fascinated me. It is an audio exhibit. You listen to several different residents of early Dublin speaking in their different languages. I was totally enthralled. The Norman French mixing with the local Gaelic and Danish, it was amazing.

After this you pass into a medieval faire. You get to see examples of the food they would have purchased at a faire, and the cloth which was one of the main reasons to have a faire. This is not all visual either. There is the smell of spices from the spice vendor. All very interesting and as you move through the exhibits at your own pace there are some displays that have audio buttons for you to push, available in five languages.

You will be struck by the horrible impact of the black death that decimated the population in the 14th century and the impact that church had on the daily lives of the peasantry. Customs and celebrations are also dealt with in an entertaining and informative way. You even get to walk through a merchant’s house.

The second floor however was my favorite especially the part of the museum where I was not allowed to photograph. There is an excavation from Wood Quay. There is a skull of a woman in her 40's that was found and a forensic anthropologist has recreated the face of this woman. What was really interesting were the details that they were able to isolate and explain from just this one head. She would have been in almost constant pain from her teeth which were in very bad condition. They could see the accesses. There were lots of other items of food, clothing, and pottery that were found in this dig. I could have spent the recommended 45 minutes in just this one room.

The third floor has an exhibit on the Vikings including a longboat. Al liked this room the best and I imagine that it will be a big favorite with any children that come here. This is a museum that the whole family can enjoy, even young children.

If you are going to visit Christchurch Cathedral you will get a discount by buying both tickets. Before you enter be sure to have your picture taken in one of the cutouts because when you leave you will be exiting across the bridge to Christchurch Cathedral.

Take a look at the building that houses Dublinia. It was once the Synod Hall for Christchurch Cathedral and is a very attractive building designed by G.E.Street who was the architect for the renovation of Christchurch Cathedral in the 1870's.

It's pretty and historical. It's a nice, relaxing way to spend part of an afternoon. I wish I had more to say about it but it's been over a year and my memory is fading. I do know I liked it if that counts for anything. Also see St. Patrick's Cathedral if you can. In fact, do the hop on/hop off bus thing and see them both. Say you're a student everywhere you go and save a few dollars. We're all students of life after all!

The Irish generally have not overly spoiled most of their tourist attractions, but there is one attraction in Dublin that is slightly on the cheesy side and yet informational and interesting: Dublinia!, which highlights Dublin's medieval beginnings.

Dublinia is located in a historical building connected to Christ Church via a pedestrian bridge. When entering Dublinia, you can in fact choose to purchase a double ticket for Dublinia/Christ Church. Admission for just Dublinia is €4, with family passes available for €10. If you're interested in seeing both, it's not so much a bargain as a convenience, because after seeing Dublinia and crossing over to the church, you can pay for a church ticket there if you change your mind.

On your way into the building, have fun posing in the painted boards that make you look like you are a medieval knight or lady. Once you enter, Dublinia starts out with an exhibit which focuses on the medieval history of Dublin: how it was founded and primarily how its markets evolved. This is a pretty good place to take kids, as Dublinia encourages "hands on" exhibits and lots of how-and-why-type explanations for the exhibits. You learn about the various plagues that have hit Dublin (the "Plague and pestilence" sign is almost cheerful) and about some of the early leaders of the city. While Dublinia does not progress much beyond the 1800's, it is an entertaining (if occasionally bordering on cheesy) look into the history of Dublin.

Those with children or those with an interest in history will find Dublinia an interesting glimpse into Dublin's past, but I would not rate it on the 'must-sees' of the city if your time is limited here. Even if you do not go to the actual exhibits, you can enter their gift shop via the Christ Church side entrance, and their gift shop is one of the more interesting ones I saw while in Dublin.