Georgian Dublin

Dublin's 18th century

South-east of Trinity College lies the best-preserved stretch of Georgian Dublin: uniform brick façades, tall sash windows and the famous colourful front doors with fanlights and brass fittings. The ensemble took shape in the 18th century, when Dublin was the second-largest city of the British Empire and the aristocracy built grand townhouses around newly laid-out squares. Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square are the finest examples; along Fitzwilliam Street the Georgian terrace runs almost unbroken all the way to the Grand Canal.

Museums around Merrion Square

Few neighbourhoods pack so many museums into so little space. On the west side of Merrion Square stand the National Gallery of Ireland, home to Vermeer and Caravaggio, and the Victorian Natural History Museum, affectionately nicknamed the "Dead Zoo" by Dubliners. Between them sits the Irish parliament in Leinster House, flanked by the National Library. A few minutes further on at St Stephen's Green, the MoLI is devoted to Irish literature from Joyce to the present day. Merrion Square's park itself is open to all; in its north-west corner the Oscar Wilde statue lounges on a boulder, diagonally opposite the writer's birthplace at number 1.

Practical tips for visiting

Georgian Dublin is a neighbourhood for walking: the loop from Merrion Square along Fitzwilliam Street to Fitzwilliam Square and back to St Stephen's Green takes about an hour without stopping at any museums. The major national museums are free to enter, which makes the quarter a rewarding destination even on a rainy day. Restaurants and cafés cluster around Merrion Row and Baggot Street; the area quietens down in the evening, as many of the townhouses are now used as offices. Visitors keen on architecture should plan their walk for the morning, when the sun catches the rows of doors on the south side of Merrion Square.