I don't care about scenery or nature in choosing a place to visit. I like history, culture, art, and architecture. Does Ireland have enough to justify a week visit?

wouldnt have thought so. found it well overrated and lacking in those very counts, history counts to disliking the brits! try the rest of UK, England, Wales & Scotland - history, art & architecture abounds!

Most people go to Ireland for the people, life style, Pubs, music and for the scenery. Try Great Britain.

Ireland has always been (until very recently) a very poor country. As such, its people were more interested in putting food on the table more than building grand palaces, etc like their more affluent neighbors (UK, France, et al). That's not to say that Ireland lacks culture. Ireland has a very strong cultural flair, but it is reflected in less showy ways (the charm of the people, the music, the craftsmanship of the artisans, the rustic architecture of the west, etc). <BR> <BR>If you are looking to fill a week in museums and historical/high-cultural sites, I too would suggest England.

I'd suggest a week in Scotland as opposed to Ireland if you're looking for museums and culture. Many of the musuems in Edinburgh don't even have admission costs. And there's a free shuttle between the four big museums in the city. The Portrait museum is a nice change of pace for viewing.

Ireland is a very historical country and you can still visit some of the buildings built about 4,000 years ago in the valley of the Boyne,30 miles north of Dublin.Newgrangs in particular is very special.Go on a tour as you may not get in otherwise. <BR>In the Middle Ages Europe suffered from a lot of wars, and civilisation in the form of monastic churches still flourished in Ireland.In particular I like Christchurch and St. Patrick`s Cathedral in Dublin and in the country see Cashel,Clonmacnoise and the dozens of ancient churches you will pass as you drive around the counry.There are dozens of castles including Dublin,Kilkenny,Carrick on Suir and Kilkenny to mention just a few.Bunratty Castle hosts medieval dinners. <BR>Ireland is a very literary country with some of the world`s great writers such as Joyce,Yeats,Shaw,Swift and Heaney.So many make the pilgrimage to Yeats`s Grave in Sligo that they built a coffee shop beside the church.Dublin has lots of theatres and they are very good value.Special places include the Chester Beatty Oriental Gallery which contains so many eastern treasures that the Prime Minister iof Pakistan came to see it.As regard buildings there is nothing like Paris but you will find some lovely buildings all over the country.The National Gallery in Dublin has a painting by Vermeer and another by Caravaggio.The National Museum has a wonderful exhibition of ancient gold ornaments-both of these are free to visit.Enjoy them.

Hi: <BR> <BR>I spent 17 days in Ireland 2 years ago and it was just enough! <BR> <BR>Some of that time was spent in galleries and museums in Dublin. The rest was on the road visiting castles, seaside villages, and the Aran Islands. I know you don't like nature and scenery but you'd have to be made of stone to be bored by the Ring of Kerry or all of western Ireland for that matter. It's pure magic. A week in Ireland would be time well spent.