Croke Park in Dublin is so much more than an impressive sports stadium. “Croker”, as it is locally known, is in many ways is a bastion of Irish identity that protects the spirit of Gaelic games from forces seeking to dislodge it. If this all sounds a bit dramatic you should take the fantastic Croke Park Experience tour to get a very real sense of just how important and deeply ingrained the GAA and Gaelic games are to Ireland’s sense of itself.

Walk the cobbled lanes of Ireland’s oldest university, alma mater to literary greats and home of the precious Book of Kells.

Take a break in Dublin’s most popular public park with green lawns and flower beds, a stone bridge and statues, a swan-filled lake and a playground.

A tour of this pint-shaped hall in a historic brewery provides an intoxicating journey through the making of Ireland’s signature drink.

On Dame Street, south of the River Liffey in the heart of Dublin, stands the mighty architectural achievement that is Dublin Castle, parts of which date back to 1200. Over the centuries Dublin Castle has been a fortress and treasury, a royal palace and a prison. Prior to Irish independence in the 1920s, it was also the centre of British rule in Ireland. Today, Dublin Castle is a government building and significant historic emblem.

Watch the talented street performers as you search the boutiques in this shopping haven for something special to take home.