Tourist Information for Students
At the DLTC Foreign & English Language School we want you to enjoy you stay in Ireland. For that reason we give all our students, at the start of your course, a list of places to visit and things to do during your stay. Below are a few suggestions but first let us tell you a bit about the location of the school. Also feel free to visit our blog DLTC Language School Blogspot for information on language learning in general and what to do as a tourist when visiting Ireland.
The DLTC is situated in the beautiful seaside town of Dun Laoghaire in Dublin, Ireland. The local area is safe, picturesque, and full of amenities - including two shopping centres, multi-screen cinema, traditional Irish pubs, cafés, restaurants, swimming areas, sailing, gyms, internet cafés, libraries, museums. Situated on several bus routes and right beside the DART commuter train station, students are only 20 minutes from Dublin city centre to the north and 20 minutes to Bray to the south. Dublin city centre is a lively place which offers everything that a modern European capital city has to offer while retaining its own traditional Irish charm. Bray on the other hand is the gateway to Wicklow, the 'garden of Ireland', with beautiful mountain walks among wild and scenic landscapes.
Photos of our language school and surroundings
Dublin and Dun Laoghaire are great places to visit anytime - but here are some special dates for your calendar:
St Patricks Day / Festival - March from 12th-17th of March. Ireland's national day is St Patricks Day on the 17th March. On that day and in the week before, there are many events in Dublin (and other parts of Ireland) including the St Patricks Day Parade, a giant fireworks display, funfairs around the city, Irish dancing on the streets and generally just a lot of fun! See St Patricks Day Festival Events for more information. This time of year is a great time to come to Ireland and the school as there is a great atmosphere and as it is low season, the class sizes are generally smaller.
Kilkenny Rhythm and Roots Festival - May
takes place from 30th April - 3rd May in Kilkenny which is a fantastic very small city only 2 hours from Dublin. Kilkenny is famous for its castle, its medieval streets, its beauty, its nightlife, pubs and festivals. Kilkenny Roots Festival
Street Performance World Championships - JuneThe best street performers in the world come to Dublin and Cork to compete for the title of Street Performance World Champion - from the 18th-21st of June, this is a weekend of incredible entertainment on the streets of Dublin. See Street Performance World Championship
Womens Dublin Mini-Marathon - JuneThe Flora Women's Mini Marathon (10 kilometres) is the biggest all women's event of its kind in the world. It has grown steadily in numbers and has had over 40,000 entrants a year. Takes place on the June Holiday Weekend 7th June. Closing Date: 27th April 2010. See Womens Mini Marathon
Dun Laoghaire World Culture Festival - July
takes place this year on July 23, 24, 25. This is Dublin's biggest festival after St Patricks Festival. Over 250,000 people visit Dun Laoghaire on the weekend of the festival all looking for the music, food, dance and cultural events that come from all over the world and which are performed in the streets, bars, shops of the town. A great time of the year to be in Dun Laoghaire - see Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures
Kilkenny Arts Festival - August
another opportunity to visit Kilkenny, only 2 hours from Dublin. This festival from 5-16th August is full of visual art, all types of music, crafts and, as it's in Kilkenny, just lots of good fun! Many events take place inside the famous locations such as Kilkenny Castle and St Canices Medieval Cathedral. See Kilkenny Arts Festival
Dublin Horse Show - August
From 4th-8th of August, the Horse Show is one of Dublin's oldest, biggest and most-loved events. Not only for horse-lovers, the show has lots of fun things to see and do. See Dublin Horse Show
Bray seafront, Bray Head, walk to Greystones.
Take the DART commuter train to Bray (only 20 minutes from the school). Visit the National Aquarium on the seafront. Walk to the end of the seafront and up the hill to the cross at the top of Bray Head (about 30 minutes from the DART station). The view is fantastic and you can see all the way up Dublin Bay. If you want a longer walk, you can continue along the beautiful cliff path which goes to Greystones - the walk is about 4 kilometres and will take one to two hours depending on your speed. Greystones is a picturesque and sleepy Irish fishing village - it is also the last stop on the DART so you can take a train back to Dun Laoghaire.
Howth Village, walk Howth Head.
Take the DART from Dun Laoghaire and travel all the way around Dublin bay to Howth. The view from the train gives you a wonderful idea of Dublin and its surroundings. Howth is the last stop on the DART travelling north. The village of Howth is a small fishing village with some great fish and chip shops for your lunch or dinner - get a nice bag of chips and a piece of ray or cod and sit by the harbour. After lunch, follow the signs around the cliffs and up to the top of Howth Head. The walk to the top and back down will take around 2/2.5 hours.
Dalkey and Killiney walks
Dalkey and Killiney are the villages next to Dun Laoghaire. You can take a DART to Dalkey and walk from the station down past the seals and men fishing at Coliemore Harbour. You can also take a boat trip here over to the wild and beautiful Dalkey Island. Or just continue on up along the coast road (Vico Road) to the wonderful views of Killiney Bay and Wicklow to the south. Walk to the top of Killiney Hill and you can see all of Dublin, north Wicklow, Bray, and on a clear day Wales! Here you can also see the houses of famous Irish people such as Bono from U2. The walk from Dalkey to Killiney Hill and back again takes about 2 hours.
Glendalough, Co Wicklow
The name Glendalough comes from the Irish (Gaelic) Gleann Dá Locha meaning "Valley of the two lakes". This is one of the most spectacular landscapes of Ireland that is within easy reach of Dublin. The two lakes are surrounded by the sides of the steep valley, waterfalls, deer, wild goats and forest. The valley was the site of a monastery founded by Saint Kevin in the 7th century AD and the cave, in which Saint Kevin lived ("St Kevins Bed"), while not accessible, can be seen in the cliffs above the upper lake. The ruins of the monastery are still visible with an impressive stone round tower and 1000 year old celtic cross. There are many walks through the woods and along the lakes - these are mapped out on signs at the lakes and some are sign posted along the way. Some of the longer walks should only be done with a map and proper hillwalking equipment. To get to Glendalough, you can take the St Kevins bus service from Dublin city centre or Bray DART stations - see Glendalough Bus Service. For more information on Glendalough see Wicklow National Park - Glendalough. A visit to Glendalough by bus will take from about 11am to 5pm in the afternoon.
Dublin has a fantastic selection of places to go at night. Bars, nightclubs, cafés, restaurants, theatres, comedy, exhibitions, live music venues .. Dublin and indeed Dun Laoghaire has many. Some recommendations:
- Nightclubs: The Village (Club & live music) - 5 different parts to this large venue with many different flavours, Camden Street, Dublin 2.
- Bars: The Bodega - Bar and café, across the road from Dun Laoghaire DART station, great views of Dublin Bay and some nice background music to listen to; The Temple Bar pub - very popular with tourists, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.
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For the latest information on these visit:
- Dublin Event Guide - offers 2-weekly listing of entertainment in Dublin.
- - site dedicated to entertainment listings in Ireland
- Events of the week - some suggestions for Dublin nightlife, particularly in the famous Temple Bar area of Dublin
St Stephens Green Shopping Centre & Grafton Street area
At the top of Grafton Street in Dublin city centre lies St Stephens Green park and across the road Stephens Green shopping centre. It offers a great range of clothes shops, Irish souvenir shops and cafés, as indeed does Grafton Street itself.
Roches Stores and Henry Street area
Henry Street lies just off O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre just beside the Dublin Spike. Halfway down is Roches Stores which houses many different clothes stores including Xara and other well-known brands.
Guinness Storehouse
Visit the world famous Guinness museum! See how Guiness is made, visit the Gravity Bar for an amazing view of the whole of Dublin and, the important bit, drink a pint of their famous stout. Guinness Storehouse
Croke Park Stadium and Irish Sports museum
Hurling, Gaelic Football and Camogie are the national sports of Ireland. Gaelic football is best described as a mixture of soccer and rugby that produces a historic game unique to Ireland. Hurling can be described as gaelic football but played with sticks and a smaller ball. These sports have played an important role in maintaining Irish culture over many years and it is as a result of this importance that they are played in one of the biggest and most modern stadia in Europe. At the interactive museum, you can learn about these sports, their place in Irish culture and you can even test your ability to play the games. Croke Park Stadium and Museum
Irish Music and Dancing
Only 10 minutes from the school is the home of Irish music and dancing in Ireland. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is the organisation in Ireland these traditions and its headquarters are located near the DLTC. Every Friday night during the year and every night during the summer, it's possible to attend a 'session' where you will be taught how to dance and then let loose on the dancefloor .. but it gets very hot with all that dancing and you'll certainly want to cool down with a pint of Guinness in the bar afterwards!Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann - culturlann
National Museum of Ireland
Incredible collection of Celtic gold, medieval treasures, Viking objects, and civil war memorabilia. Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. Visit the National Museums of Ireland online.
Chester Beatty Museum
This museum must be the finest in Ireland and one of the finest in Europe. It won "European Museum of the Year Award" in 2002. The Library is both an art museum and library, housing an outstanding collection of Islamic manuscripts, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and other Oriental art. In the gardens at the back of Dublin Castle, Dame Street, Dublin 2. Free. See Chester Beatty Library online.
- Dun Laoghaire Library - is just around the corner from the school. It offers a great place to study and free internet access. See our local area map.
- Internet Cafés - the library offers free access but you have to book time in advance. There are three internet cafés on Dun Laoghaire main street within 5 minutes of the school. See our local area map
- Cinema - Dun Laoghaire has its own multi-screen cinema which is one minute walk from the school. See IMC Cinemas for more information.
- World Guide to Dublin
- presenting a detailed Dublin city guide featuring Dublin information,
Dublin tourism and tourist attractions, museums, restaurants, hotel
discounts, Dublin weather information and general Dublin travel tips.
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