Dublinia

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St. Michaels Hill, Christchurch, Dublin, Ireland01-6794611

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Medieval shoes Photo - Dublinia, Dublin, Ireland

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Dublinia

by zabelle

Portland, Connecticut

November 5, 2006

Best of IgoUgo 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 ...Read more 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. Close

From journals In Dublin’s Fair City, Short Stop in Dublin

Dublinia & Christ Church Cathedral

by afrank76

Vernon Hills, Illinois

October 4, 2005

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 ...Read more

From journal 4 Days In Dublin

Dublinia Museum

by Joy S

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

August 1, 2011

Best of IgoUgo Dublinia is open from 09:30 to 5:00 during the summer. Entrance cost is 9 Euros for adults, 6.50 Euros for concessions and 5 Euros for children. You can buy a discounted ticket for Dublinia and Christ Church Cathedral. They are connected to each ...Read more Dublinia is open from 09:30 to 5:00 during the summer. Entrance cost is 9 Euros for adults, 6.50 Euros for concessions and 5 Euros for children. You can buy a discounted ticket for Dublinia and Christ Church Cathedral. They are connected to each other by a medieval footbridge - if you come here, you must see the cathedral. There is a car park in Jurys Hotel with the entrance on Werburgh Street. If you keep your Dublinia ticket they give you a discount on parking.

Dublinia is in the heart of Dublin's old city, in a really beautiful old Victorian Gothic building. It aims to offer a "hands-on history experience" to children. It focusses on Dublin's Viking and medieval history. There are some interactive exhibits as well as background sounds and smells.

There are 3 levels - the ground floor deals with the Vikings. It explores the effect the Vikings had on Ireland. Dublin became north-western Europe's most important slave market. You can see what life was like on a Viking longboat, what they brought in their chests, experience the sounds of a Viking street and the highlight for us was to go into a Viking house and see what that was like. Children can also be chained up as a slave or write their names in runes. They have an interesting section on Viking burial customs.

The second floor moves on to the Medieval era. It follows the history of Dublin from 1170 to 1530. You start with the capture of the city by Strongbow and his knights in 1170. The museum goes right up to Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.

You can step into a medieval lair in this section and try on clothes and armour, including chain mail from these times. There are town stocks - we took photos in these, as well as a market area with a pie stall, a medicine tent, a spice stall where you play guess the spice by sniffing them and a scribes stall where you can do a rubbing.

They have a gruesome area with scenes from the plague in 1348. More uplifting is the merchant's house which you can explore. There is an interesting reconstruction of a Dublin woman from 900 years ago - her face has been forensically reconstructed from an excavated skeleton.

The top floor deals with the excavation work and lets children get an insight into the role of the archaeologist. They can try on hard hats and see what equipment is used. There is also a little cafe on this area and a gift shop.

We spent about 2 hours in Dublinia. I enjoyed it and found it interesting. Our 7 year old was only just about old enough to appreciate the experience. It proclaims itself very hands-on - there is plenty to see and touch, but there is also a lot of reading to do, and some children may find it a bit heavy going. Avoid the cafe - service is exceptionally slow and the tables took a long time to be cleared. The museum was also packed full of people when we visited, this also did it no favours. That said, it was the middle of the summer holidays, but perhaps they should stagger entrance times somewhat, to avoid large numbers of visitors entering at the same time. It is though, an interesting and informative place to visit. Close

From journal Short Break in Belfast and Dublin

Dublinia!

by Sierra

Chicago, Illinois

June 28, 2004

Best of IgoUgo 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. ...Read more

From journal Touring History in Dublin

Dublinia

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