Dublinia

Dublinia Review

Ever wanted a chance to put your head in the stocks? Dublin's Medieval Trust has set up an entertaining and informative reconstruction of everyday life in medieval Dublin. The recently updated main exhibits use high-tech audiovisual and computer displays; you can also see a scale model of what Dublin was like around 1500, a medieval maze, a life-size reconstruction based on the 13th-century dockside at Wood Quay, and a fine view from the tower. For a more modern take on the city, check out the James Malton series of prints of 18th-century Dublin, hanging on the walls of the coffee shop. Dublinia is in the old Synod Hall (formerly a meeting place for bishops of the Church of Ireland), joined via a covered stonework Victorian bridge to Christ Church Cathedral. An exhibition on "The Viking World" consists of a similar reconstruction of life in even earlier Viking Dublin, including a Viking burial. An exhibition called "Historical Hunters" puts you in the role of archaeologist with interactive digs and a lab to test your newfound knowledge. There's a guided tour at 2:30 pm every day.